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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 07: Anthony Bradford #75, Jalen Sundell #61, Grey Zabel #76 and Josh Jones #74 of the Seattle Seahawks look on during the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on August 07, (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald announced the five-man group that will make up the team's starting offensive line in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.
There was little surprise to the five starters named as it appeared pretty settled for the last couple of weeks.
The group will include left tackle Charles Cross, left guard Grey Zabel, center Jalen Sundell, right guard Anthony Bradford and right tackle Abe Lucas.
"As you know, nothing's set in stone, but those guys have done a great job," Macdonald said.
Macdonald praised the performance of center Olu Oluwatimi throughout training camp, calling it "his best football of his career" before a back injury sidelined him the last few weeks. However, that provided an opening for Sundell to seize the starting center job.
"They were still competing at the time and we felt like the way Jalen played against Kansas City really put him in a premium position to ultimately start the season at center, so that's why we made the decision."
Macdonald wouldn't say who would be the first guard off the bench should a replacement be needed. Christian Haynes will miss the first four weeks on injured reserve with a pectoral injury, so he won't be an option. While Josh Jones is the obvious backup at tackle, he's also played guard before and could be a fill-in there, if needed. Rookies Bryce Cabeldue and Mason Richman are the other reserves on the 53-man roster.
General manager John Schneider said the offensive line is where they feel they most improvement on this year's roster over last year.
"It has to be the offensive line, but it has to be more the unit and the cohesiveness of the group than guys individually," Schneider said.
"There's a legitimate scheme that they're running off the ball, gaining confidence, and they're confident in what they do. … There's an attitude that they can have in this scheme where they can come off the ball and feel confident about themselves. They spend a lot of time together. I think you've seen a lot of growth within the group. There's camaraderie that's starting to come together too, that's the whole team, not just the offensive line. That group is the kind of group you'd like to see spending a lot of time together because they have to work as one. We like it."
Roster moves continue for Seahawks.
Linebacker Chazz Surratt was signed to the 53-man roster after being released by the San Francisco 49ers during roster cuts.
Surratt was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, but has struggled to find his footing in the NFL. He's started just five games in four seasons and was let go by the Vikings after just one year. He spent the last three years with the New York Jets before signing with the 49ers this offseason.
The addition of Surratt was reported on Wednesday by the NFL Network. Schneider didn't confirm the move then, but said they would be adding to their linebacker depth.
"We’ve got to get Tyrice (Knight) going. I'm sure Ernest (Jones IV) wants some more traction behind him as well. Drake (Thomas) and Paddy-O (Patrick O’Connell) did a great job in the preseason," Schneider said.
"We wanted to add to the group. We will. We'll continue to be working at that position. I thought Paddy and Drake both had nice preseasons. They carried the defense all throughout the preseason."
Safety D'Anthony Bell was waived to clear a roster spot for Surratt. Bell signed a one-year deal with Seattle this offseason and would presumably be a candidate to join the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin was re-signed to the practice squad after being released on Wednesday to accommodate the waiver claim of Derion Kendrick from the Los Angeles Rams. Additionally, linebacker Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr. and wide receiver/kick returner Courtney Jackson were also signed to the practice squad. Both moves were reported elsewhere on Wednesday.
Defensive end Anthony Campbell, running back Anthony Tyus, and linebacker Jalan Gaines were released from the practice squad for the additions of Griffin, Paul and Jackson.
On the constantly changing roster and the decisions made on the 53-man roster, general manager John Schneider said on Wednesday: "It's a strategy to try to figure out how to have 70 really good players. You’re not necessarily taking the best whatever you want to call the top 53 players, you're trying to take the best group of 70 that you can get to collect as quickly as possible initially. Now, you'll see us, who makes the transactions off of our practice squad as well. As we move forward here in the next several days, when we have guys in workouts. You guys have seen it, and it'll never be totally settled. Those guys we had on our 90, we expect those guys to be ready as well to jump on our practice squad for if we have deficiency throughout a week or a specific game plan and all that."
On a similar note, a trio of undrafted rookies made the roster in tight end Nick Kallerup, and edge rushers Jared Ivey and Connor O'Toole. While Schneider said all three earned spots on the roster, the decision to keep them over others also came down to a calculus of which players would clear waivers and which would not.
"Did they earn it? Yes, but it's also, who's going to be able to get through waivers and how you navigate this initial wave when everybody’s set in their roster," Schneider said. "All three of those guys flashed huge in preseason games. They all did things that stood out on film. We had a vibe that we may not get guys through. It's how we're building this thing. They did a great job. It's also how you're building a team initially."
Kendrick started 18 of 32 games for the Rams over two seasons before missing all of last year with a torn ACL.
"We’ve competed against him, obviously, Coop (Cooper Kupp) and Ernest (Jones IV) know him," Schneider said. "He's a competitor, really nice mover, good ball skills, and came back from his ACL strong," Schneider said. "We thought he had a very nice preseason and he was the guy we identified last night, and trying to work with that group to have as many cornerbacks as you possibly can."
Marquez Valdes-Scantling just beat out for a roster spot.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was probably the most notable player released by the Seahawks during roster cuts.
The veteran receiver signed a one-year deal with Seattle in the spring, but wasn't able to keep the job with the emergence of rookie Tory Horton.
"There’s a cool physicality with (Jake) Bobo, Dareke (Young), and Cody (White). It’s really important in this scheme that you have to be able to block. So, we like the group," Schneider said. "MVS (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) came in and did a nice job and competed. Those guys were just ahead of him. That's the way it goes, and unfortunately, you have to get down to it at a certain time. It was a very good signing for us at the time. We added Tory (Horton) in the draft and he was a guy that could take the top off, which was MVS’s specialty. He was very similar Tory in that regard."
Valdes-Scantling will now be playing against the Seahawks in Week 1 after signing with the 49ers.
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