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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 15: Brandon Pili #95 celebrates following a safety with teammate Mike Morris #94 of the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter of the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Fi (Soobum Im / Getty Images)
With the Seattle Seahawks headed to Green Bay for a joint practice and preseason game with the Green Bay Packers, it felt like a good time to look at the position battles still up for grabs ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline.
The Seahawks didn't play their starting players in last year's preseason game against the Tennessee Titans after two days of joint practices with the team in Nashville. It seems likely that the team will follow the same formula this year with only those battling for reserve roles or roster spots for the final preseason game with Green Bay.
Around 40 players are pretty obvious locks for Seattle at this point with at least another five or six players that would be heavy leans toward making the roster. Where are positions still up for grabs? Let's take a look…
Quarterback: None.
Running back: Given the reality of keeping a third quarterback on the active roster, the Seahawks will have to go lighter at another position somewhere across the roster this season. While the team has kept four running backs in the past, it seems like there's only room for three right now.
George Holani, Damien Martinez and Jacardia Wright are all reasonably in the mix for the third running back spot. Holani has been great in preseason and seems to have the edge currently. And we're not including fullback Robbie Ouzts in this count. He gets his own category and is clearly on the team.
Given the depth of the running back class in this year's NFL Draft, Seattle could easily make the bet they can get both Martinez and Wright through to the practice squad.
Fullback: None.
Tight end: None.
One of the easiest positions to pencil out on the team. A.J. Barner, Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert are the three primary tight ends with Brady Russell serving as a fourth option, key special teams piece, and also a fullback option as well.
Offensive line: For argument's sake, we're going to assume the starting offensive line is what we've seen for the first two preseason games: Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford and Abe Lucas.
Josh Jones appears destined to be the primary backup swing tackle, and Olu Oluwatimi will be the second center regardless of which one actually is in the starting lineup. So there's seven linemen on the projected roster.
Seattle typically keeps nine or ten linemen on the roster. Mike Jerrell could easily make it as a fourth tackle and is probably the favorite to be the eighth lineman on the team. That leaves Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea, Mason Richman and Bryce Cabeldue battling for one of two spots, in theory.
Wide receiver: Another position that could be required to go lighter in numbers than in the past.
Unless Seattle decides to eat the contract of Marquez Valdes-Scantling – and with Tory Horton dealing with a minor ankle injury, that seems unlikely – five or six receivers making the roster seems like the right number.
The fifth receiver is probably Jake Bobo due to numerous factors, including his special teams roles. If there's a sixth receiver, it appears to be between Dareke Young and Cody White for one more spot.
Steven Sims and Ricky White III are also in the mix if Seattle needs to put a kick returner option on the roster as well. However, the ability to elevate a player from the practice squad to fill such a role likely reduces the need to carry that player on the 53-man roster.
Defensive line: With Uchenna Nwosu being activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list, there are likely seven locks to make the roster on the defensive line.
Quinton Bohanna and Brandon Pili are battling for a nose tackle role as Johnathan Hankins remains sidelined with a back injury. Mike Morris and Anthony Campbell are battling for maybe one more spot as a swing end/tackle option.
Tyreke Smith, Jared Ivey, and Connor O'Toole are also batting for one more potential edge rusher spot with Nwosu questionable at best to be ready for Week 1.
Rylie Mills will start the season on the PUP list almost certainly. Hankins appears destined to remain on the non-football injury list.
Linebacker: Three spots appear to be solid at linebacker for Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight and Patrick O'Connell.
Drake Thomas, Jamie Sheriff and Josh Ross are battling for one or two more off-ball linebacker slots.
Cornerback: The Seahawks typically keep five or six cornerbacks on the roster. After the starting trio of Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe, the depth is a little difficult to sort out.
Shaquill Griffin is a proven veteran who missed a lot of camp time due to a personal matter, and Shemar Jean-Charles returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time in training camp due to a lower body injury.
Nehemiah Pritchett appears to have taken a step forward in his second year, and Isas Waxter and Damarion Williams have both had moments at times throughout the offseason as well.
That leaves five players in the mix for probably two or three spots.
Safety: Barring a decision to move on from veteran D'Anthony Bell, four safety spots appear to be set. Jerrick Reed II and Ty Okada are battling for a potential fifth safety spot.
Reed has graded out well in preseason, but Okada regularly has flashes in training camp practices as well. Reed appears to be fully healthy again after a lengthy recovery from a torn ACL late in the 2023 season.
Special teams: The only question here is at long snapper. Chris Stoll entered camp as the lone snapper on the team, but has been sidelined with a back injury for the last couple of weeks. Zach Triner was signed to fill-in with Stoll and has done fine in the role. Presumably, the Seahawks stick with Stoll, if healthy, as they'll only carry one snapper on the team.
We'll do a full 53-man roster projection after Saturday's final preseason game in Green Bay. This piece was to put a focus on where the battles are still up for grabs and to highlight some of the crunch points of the roster construction the team will need to consider before setting the initial roster on Tuesday.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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