Final Seattle Seahawks 53-Man Roster Projection: Who Makes the Cut?

With several recent injuries potentially opening up spots on their initial roster, could the Seahawks have a surprise or two making the 53 after Tuesday's cut down deadline?

Aug 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) looks to pass against the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

With the preseason now wrapped up and Week 1 on the horizon, coach Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks have some difficult decisions to make heading into Tuesday's cut down day as all 32 teams must trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players.

Who will earn a spot on Seattle's initial roster on Tuesday? Considering injuries and special teams among other factors coming out of training camp and the preseason, here's my final stab at projecting all 53 players to make the team as well as a 17-player practice squad:

Quarterback (2)

Starter: Geno Smith

Backup: Sam Howell

Practice Squad: P.J. Walker

Orchestrating a five-play, 62-yard touchdown drive in less than two minutes against the Browns on Saturday, Smith looks to be in midseason form heading towards Week 1. Meanwhile, Howell has taken positive strides since a rocky start to training camp and played well in the preseason running Ryan Grubb's offense, solidifying his standing as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Due to his previous starting experience, Walker should be in the mix to re-sign to the practice squad as an emergency safeguard for the Seahawks under center.

Running Back (4)

Starter: Ken Walker III

Backups: Zach Charbonnet, George Holani, Kenny McIntosh

Practice Squad: Kobe Lewis

Understandably, Seattle kept Walker in bubble wrap during the preseason, but the third-year back enjoyed a strong training camp and should be ready to hit the ground running in Week 1. Charbonnet was a bit nicked up in camp and returned to practice last week, a positive sign he will be good to go for the start of the season as well. At a position where there's no such thing as too much depth, Holani and McIntosh both earned themselves roster spots by playing well throughout training camp and the preseason on offense and special teams, wrapping up exhibition play by each scoring a rushing touchdown against Cleveland.

Receiver (6)

Starters: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Backups: Jake Bobo, Laviska Shenault, Dareke Young

Practice Squad: Easop Winston, Cody White

Over the past couple of weeks, Winston, White, and even Dee Eskridge have made a bit of a push for one of the final roster spots by producing big plays in preseason games, including Eskridge's 79-yard punt return for a touchdown on Saturday. But with Bobo a lock for the fourth receiver spot and Shenault being arguably the most versatile offensive player on the roster, the Seahawks likely have just one spot on the depth chart available for those three players as well as Young, who remains a key cog on special teams. Given his youth and athletic upside, Young would probably be the toughest player to slip through waivers, while Winston and White both spent time on the practice squad last year and would be good candidates to do so again in 2024.

Tight End (4)

Starter: Noah Fant

Backups: Pharaoh Brown, Brady Russell, AJ Barner

Fant and Brown have been banged up and missed extensive time in training camp and the preseason, but based on Macdonald's comments after Saturday's win, both players have a good chance to be ready to play again by Week 1. Even so, they may need to be eased back into game action early in the season and since Barner and Russell both excel on special teams, keeping them on the roster makes sense beyond simply providing insurance at tight end.

Offensive Line (9)

Starters: Charles Cross, Laken Tomlinson, Connor Williams, Anthony Bradford, George Fant

Backups: Christian Haynes, McClendon Curtis, Olu Oluwatimi, Mike Jerrell

PUP List: Abraham Lucas

Practice Squad: Raiqwon O'Neal, Sataoa Laumea, Max Pircher

After being cautiously optimistic about Lucas being ready for the start of the regular season coming off knee surgery, the fact he remains on the PUP list makes it possible he may still be a month away from returning and missing the first four games minimum could be on the table. Assuming the third-year tackle isn't back soon, Fant will step in for him as the starter opposite of Cross and extra tackle depth will need to be kept on the roster for the time being. Between Stone Forsythe and Jerrell, the latter's upside and four years of club control will ultimately lead to the Seahawks choosing the rookie over the fourth-year veteran for the final spot in the trenches.

Defensive Line (6)

Starters: Leonard Williams, Johnathan Hankins, Jarran Reed

Backups: Byron Murphy II, Mike Morris, Myles Adams

PUP List: Cameron Young

Practice Squad: Devere Levelston

This could be a position group to keep an eye on when it comes to signing cut players off the waiver wire from other teams, particularly due to the lack of a true backup nose tackle behind Hankins. Young could still fill that role down the line, but like Lucas, he hasn't made enough progress with a lower body injury to return from the PUP list and he may be several more weeks away from returning to the practice field, creating an immediate depth need in the middle. Otherwise, this unit should be in excellent shape with Murphy, Morris, and Adams all playing well in the preseason and packing a mean punch behind Williams and Reed.

Outside Linebacker/EDGE (4)

Starters: Dre'Mont Jones, Boye Mafe

Backups: Derick Hall, Trevis Gipson

Injured Reserve: Uchenna Nwosu

Practice Squad: Jamie Sheriff, Nelson Ceaser

Unfortunately for the Seahawks, all signs point towards Nwosu being placed on injured reserve with an MCL sprain suffered on Saturday. On top of his injury, Jones has been out most of the month of August with a lingering hamstring injury and the team traded Darrell Taylor to Chicago last week, leaving Hall and Mafe as the main returning contributors off the edge and plenty of unknowns behind them. Being proactive, Schneider did land a quality rotational defender in Gipson, who should help pick up the slack before Nwosu returns after missing four games. Re-signing Sheriff and Ceaser to the practice squad should be a priority as well to provide game day elevation options.

Inside Linebacker (5)

Starters: Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker

Backups: Tyrice Knight, Jon Rhattigan, Michael Barrett

Practice Squad: Patrick O'Connell, Drake Thomas

Baker has been out for a large chunk of camp, but the Seahawks remain confident he will be good to go for Week 1 alongside Dodson. With that said, Knight flashed throughout the preseason while starting the last two games at weakside linebacker in Baker's stead, opening the door for him to see some action on defense early in the season and possibly play his way into a larger role beyond special teams. One of the top special teams players on the entire roster, Rhattigan keeps his spot for now, though the arrival of Barrett could put his status on tenuous ground once a few of Seattle's injured players return.

Cornerback (6)

Starters: Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen

Backups: Tre Brown, Nehemiah Pritchett, D.J. James, Dee Williams

Injured Reserve: Artie Burns

Practice Squad: Lance Boykin, Carlton Johnson

While it remains unknown how much time Burns will miss, he exited Saturday's game on a cart with his shoe off, which isn't a good sign. If he does have a serious injury, he's a prime candidate to land on injured reserve. Assuming that happens, even if it isn't a season-ending injury, the Seahawks will now have to turn to James as their second nickel corner option when Witherspoon plays outside on the boundary opposite of Woolen. Brown performed well throughout camp and should be in line for extensive snaps when Witherspoon plays in the slot, while Williams earned a spot with his stellar preseason as a kick returner and steady improvements at cornerback after converting from receiver in the early stages of camp.

Safety (4)

Starters: Julian Love, Rayshawn Jenkins

Backups: K'Von Wallace, Coby Bryant

PUP List: Jerrick Reed II

Practice Squad: Ty Okada, Marquise Blair

Jenkins suffered an undisclosed injury last week and didn't play in Seattle's preseason finale, but he should have a good chance to make it back for Week 1 with two more weeks to recover. If the team thinks he could miss more time than that, Okada or Blair may need to be retained to start the season as backups with Wallace sliding into the starting lineup. But for now, Wallace and Bryant should be the two backups who snag a spot behind Julian Love and Jenkins with Okada and Blair earmarked as practice squad candidates for depth purposes.

Specialists (3)

Starters: Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll

After a rough start to the preseason, Myers found his groove by nailing all three of his field goals and all four of his extra points in the exhibition finale, including a booming 58-yard connection. Dickson has continued his wizardry as a punter and Stoll rarely has his name mentioned, which is only a good thing for a long snapper. There's no drama here.