Seattle Seahawks 90-Man Roundup: Will Jonathan Sutherland Break Into Safety Rotation?

Looking to be improving his odds of making the Seahawks roster last August, an injury derailed Jonathan Sutherland's rookie season. Can he earn a spot this time around?

Aug 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Abram Smith (41) carries the ball while Seattle Seahawks safety Jonathan Sutherland tries to tackle during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

With OTAs now opening across the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in a little over two months, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.

In preparation for the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.

After an injury halted his momentum for a roster spot last year, can Jonathan Sutherland bounce back and be a surprise addition to the safety rotation in 2024?

Background

After being recognized as a two-time First-Team All-State performer at Episcopal High School in Virginia, Sutherland committed to Penn State, where he emerged as a special teams standout early on. One of only two four-time captains in school history, he cut his teeth in the third phase of the game, including blocking a pair of punts against Idaho in a single game in 2019, while seeing limited action on defense in his first three seasons with the Nittany Lions. As a senior in 2022, Sutherland transitioned full-time from safety to a "money" linebacker role, producing 38 tackles and a sack for Penn State with only four missed tackles, proving to be a reliable contributor on defense. He recorded six tackles and four pressures in two exhibition games as an undrafted rookie last season, only to suffer a knee injury that cost him a roster spot, and re-signed on a reserve/future deal in January.

Scheme Fit

At 5-11, 211 pounds, Sutherland played the bulk of his defensive snaps at a pseudo linebacker at Penn State and the Seahawks used him in the same style role as a strong safety in the preseason last year. In Mike Macdonald's defense, his best bet at a roster spot will be standing out as a box defender both against the run and as a blitzer while continuing to shine on special teams.

Best Case Scenario

Fully recovered from the injury that led to his release last August, Sutherland takes advantage of the departure of Jamal Adams by emerging as a viable strong safety option with a strong preseason racking up tackles and takes the mantle as one of the leaders on special teams, locking down one of the final roster spots late in camp as he expected to a year ago.

Worst Case Scenario

Without Pete Carroll on the sideline, who was one of Sutherland's biggest advocates last year, Sutherland proves to not be as good of a fit for what Macdonald wants from the safety position and while he contributes on special teams in the preseason, it isn't enough to hang around and return on the practice squad.

What to Expect in 2024

Throughout the past few months, Macdonald has preached interchangeability at safety, and the moves to sign Rayshawn Jenkins and K'Von Wallace backed up those words by adding two players with ample experience at both free and strong safety to the mix. Considering Sutherland hasn't played much free safety at all dating back to his time at Penn State, that would seem to be working against him going into training camp unless he's able to prove himself a quick learner.

With that said, the Seahawks don't have much depth at linebacker right now, especially with Jerome Baker's status for the start of training camp in question coming off wrist surgery. Sutherland isn't big enough to be an every down linebacker, but he does have the physicality and mentality to excel at the position in nickel and dime sets. Pairing his special teams prowess with the potential to have that kind of positional flexibility, he could be a player Macdonald falls in love with as Carroll did, and while practice squad likely is his best bet right now, a roster spot could be attainable.

Previous 90-Man Roundups

Buddha Jones | Devin Richardson | TaMerik Williams | Rason Williams II | Ro Torrence | Nathan Pickering | Dee Williams | Devere Levelston | Kobe Lewis | Sunny Anderson | Mike Novitsky | Max Pincher | Easton Gibbs | Hayden Hatten | Garret Greenfield| Carlton Johnson| Matt Gotel |George Holani | Cody White | Ty Okada | Drake Thomas | McClendon Curtis | Easop Winston Jr. | Nelson Ceaser