An NFL team can only have a maximum of 53 players on the roster. Some players who likely deserve roster spots won't get them because of the limited spots. This could be the case with several Seattle Seahawks entering the 2025 season.
In the team's first preseason game, which ended in a tie against former Seattle head coach Pete Carroll and his Las Vegas Raiders. Seattle led and was playing well early in the game before the backups to backups entered the game. The Seahawks appeared to be the better team.
This is especially true defensively. While starters Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II sat out because there is no reason to risk them to injury in a meaningless game, this gave the presumed backups time to prove they belong on the team. Two players certainly did that.
Mike Morris and Brandon Pili are making Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's job difficult
Defensive linemen Mike Morris and Brandon Pili are going to make Macdonald's and general manager John Schneider's jobs difficult at the end of August. Morris and Pili are on the roster bubble as they are battling players such as Jonathan Hankins, Quinton Bohanna, and, to a degree, rookie Rylie Mills to stay on the team.
Mills will probably start on the physically unable to perform list, which opens the door for Pili and Morris. Hankins will definitely make the team. Bohanna has some experience in the league, and didn't play poorly against the Raiders, either.
Pili, though, is almost strictly a nose guard. He is difficult to move, but does show flashes of quickness. Against Las Vegas, he had two run stuffs and was aggressive in his run fits. He played for the Miami Dolphins in the last two seasons and logged 99 snaps. As good as he was against the Raiders, Miami probably should have kept him.
Speaking to the media after the game, Macdonald praised Pili, "(J)ust another great story of a guy that's really determined over the offseason to have a great offseason. Really commit to the process both with his body and how he practices, and getting into football shape so he can go have performances like this...Just happy for him to have success because you see how much work he's put into it."
Mike Morris might have a good chance to earn a roster spot because Macdonald is so familiar with him. In 2021, Macdonald spent one year with the University of Michigan as their defensive coordinator. Morris was one of his players. Through two seasons, though, the defensive lineman has played more on special teams than on defense.
But this training camp has been his best, and he made some noise versus the Raiders. Morris had a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit in limited time. If he continues to play like that through the rest of training camp and the preseason, Mike Macdonald will have a difficult time keeping the defensive lineman off the team.
These are all good problems to have, however. Having a deep well of quality players is going to help the Seattle Seahawks win a lot of games this coming season. Mike Macdonald will just have some tough roster decisions to make.
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