The Seattle Seahawks finished off the preseason with a 17-15 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Now, with less than 24 hours until final 53-man rosters are to be submitted to the league, coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider have a lot of work to do to find the best possible combination of players for this squad going forward.
Thursday’s game saw a few players take big strides forward, while others disappeared and potentially cost themselves a shot at a roster spot.
Here is my third and final 53-man roster projection. I have also included IR designations, PUP list players and even a potential 10-man practice squad.
The Seahawks have three players I believe they will keep on the 53-man roster and then place on the injured reserve: guard Jordan Simmons, linebacker Shaquem Griffin and tight end Ed Dickson. That is why the numbers only count up to 50.
Once those players are on the injured reserve, the Seahawks will look to add an offensive lineman (Roos) a wide receiver (Jennings or Ursua) and likely a linebacker (Burr-Kirven) to the active roster to take their place.
Quarterbacks (2): Russell Wilson, Geno Smith
Russell Wilson is a no-brainer, and after Geno Smith’s outstanding performance in Thursday’s preseason finale, where he completed four of seven passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, he looks like a lock to serve as Wilson’s backup this season.
Of course, his left knee did flare up during the game, and coach Pete Carroll did say they are going to have to look at it further. If Smith is going to miss any time, the team would be forced to keep Paxton Lynch in order to have a healthy back up should anything happen to Wilson.
Cut (2): Paxton Lynch, J.T. Barrett
Lynch had one great game, but struggled mightily throughout training camp and the preseason otherwise, culminating in a disastrous 1 for 7 outing on Thursday.
Barrett was only brought in as an extra camp body, and never got much of a chance to take a spot from either Lynch or Smith. He could end up on the practice squad.
Practice Squad (1): Alex McGough
However, I think the team may look to reunite with Alex McGough, who they drafted in the seventh round last year and kept on the practice squad, but eventually lost to the Jaguars.
McGough was recently cut by Jacksonville however, as the team opted to go with former Washington State quarterback Garnder Minshew as their backup to Nick Foles.
McGough’s familiarity with the system would make him an ideal candidate to land on the practice squad.
Running backs (5): Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, C.J. Prosise, J.D. McKissic, Nick Bellore
Carson and Penny were never in doubt, and even though fullback Nick Bellore has not had a great preseason, coach Carroll likes his fullbacks and special teams contributors.
Prosise did more than enough this preseason to make the team, and while health will always be an issue for the former third round pick, he’s earned a chance to win Seattle’s third-down back role this season.
McKissic is still in the mix as a kick and/or punt returner, although if he ends up losing that job he could be a roster casualty at some point during the season.
Cut (2): Xavier Turner, Adam Choice
Turner was a camp body who filled in during the preseason, but never had a real chance of making the roster. Choice has been on the IR nearly the entire summer, but seems likely to get waived and given an injury settlement.
Practice Squad (2): Bo Scarbrough, Travis Homer
It will be tough to sneak Homer through waivers and onto the practice squad after he rushed for 42 yards on Thursday, but considering he didn’t get much of a chance to show off his skills earlier in the preseason I think Seattle will be able to keep him around.
Scarbrough is a big, bruising running back – the kind that Carroll really likes – and I think they’d like to keep him around a little longer on the practice squad, if possible.
Wide Receivers (5): Tyler Lockett, Jaron Brown, David Moore, DK Metcalf, John Ursua
Man this position was tough. Only keeping five seems wrong, although my prediction is that once the team places players on the injured reserve, they’ll look to keep one of Jennings or Ferguson on the active roster – if they don’t lose them on waivers.
After all, both Moore and Metcalf could miss the season opener, and there’s no way Seattle goes into Week 1 with only three healthy receivers.
Lockett, Brown, Moore and Metcalf are locked into spots, and that fifth spot should go to seventh rounder John Ursua, who has been extremely impressive thus far in camp.
Cut (5): Malik Turner, Terry Wright, Keenan Reynolds, Nyqwan Murray, Kahlil Lewis
The hardest cut here is Reynolds, who is no longer eligible for the practice squad and thus must be released as a free agent.
If the team does place players on the IR and activates either Jennings or Ferguson, I could see them turning around and trying to keep either Turner or Wright on the practice squad to take their place – both players fit the Seahawks mold, but they just don’t have enough room for everyone.
Murray and Lewis are recently signed camp bodies who have virtually no chance of making the team.
Practice squad (2): Gary Jennings, Jazz Ferguson
Again, I think one of these guys gets quickly activated following Seattle’s injured reserve transactions.
Jennings – despite putting up virtually no statistics during the preseason – will be very tough to sneak through waivers and onto the practice squad as a former fourth round pick.
However, Ursua seems likely to get snatched up as well, and I think Seattle would rather risk losing Jennings than Ursua.
Ferguson is a big target who had an impressive preseason, and Seattle will no doubt hope to keep him around as injury protection.
Tight End (3): Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister, Nick Vannett
Dissly is expected to be the team’s starter at tight end, assuming his knee holds up. Hollister has been extremely impressive in camp, and although he battled a small hamstring injury he looked great catching a touchdown pass from Smith on Thursday, and should carve out a role as a receiving tight end.
Vannett is the wildcard, although I suspect Ed Dickson’s injury will land him on the IR, which should allow him to keep his job at least for the first part of the season.
IR (2): Ed Dickson, Justin Johnson
Dickson is potentially going to spend a second straight season on the injured reserve, although I believe he will make the 53-man roster and then go on the IR, meaning he’d be eligible to return after eight weeks.
Justin Johnson suffered an achilles injury over the summer, and he will miss the entire 2019 season.
Cut (2): Wes Saxton, Jackson Harris
Both Saxton and Harris had a few nice moments in the preseason, which could make them potential practice squad pieces, but I suspect they’ll end up getting cut with George Fant able to fill in as a fourth tight end for the Seahawks.
Offensive Line (9): Duane Brown, Mike Iupati, Justin Britt, D.J. Fluker, Germain Ifedi, Joey Hunt, Ethan Pocic, Jamarco Jones, George Fant
Injuries have made picking the offensive line especially difficult. Presently, four of the nine players on the active roster are hurt: Iupati, Hunt, Jones and Fant.
It’s unclear if any of them will be ready by Week 1, and there’s no way Seattle will go into their first game with only five healthy lineman.
That likely means that someone like Jordan Roos or Marcus Martin will be re-signed after the team clears a roster spot by placing someone on the injured reserve.
The good news is that when this unit is healthy they have a chance to be one of Seattle’s best offensive line units in recent memory, and should do a great job of protecting Wilson and the running backs this year.
PUP: Phil Haynes
Haynes remained on the PUP list throughout the preseason, and will likely begin the year there as well. That means he cannot be activated for the first six weeks of the regular season.
While he is expected to be at full strength by then, the fact that he missed so much time means he has a lot of catching up to do, and having him on the PUP list will give him a chance to catch up without rushing him back onto the field.
IR: Demetrius Knox, Jordan Simmons
Knox is already on the IR, and he will miss the entire 2019 season.
Simmons seems like a candidate for the IR after Carroll mentioned he’s at least three weeks away from returning. Considering how much time he has missed, he’s at least six weeks from game action, making a stint on the IR all but inevitable.
Cut: Marcus Martin, Landon Turner, Brian Wallace, Elijah Nkansah, Will Holden
Martin is a guy I could see the team trying to keep for Week 1 as depth with all the injuries, but I don’t see a spot for him on this team when everyone is healthy.
Turner, Wallace and Holden were all camp bodies who don’t project to be in the NFL this year.
Nkansah had a terrible preseason, and his status as a practice squad player from last year seems unlikely to be renewed this season.
Practice Squad (1): Jordan Roos
I could see Roos getting activated in Week 1 over Martin, as he has some experience in Seattle’s system.
Regardless, I think the team will try to keep Roos around for his experience – and the fact that they have a lot of injury prone guards on the active roster.
Defensive Line (9): Ezekiel Ansah, Poona Ford, Al Woods, L.J. Collier, Quinton Jefferson, Rasheem Green, Earl Mitchell, Cassius Marsh, Jacob Martin
The Seahawks have somewhat of a quantity over quality issue on the defensive line right now, with only a few above average players and a lot of interchangeable depth pieces, making this a tough position to predict.
Ansah and Collier are your starting defensive ends once they are both healthy, and neither seem likely to land on the IR.
Ford will be a monster upfront this season, and he’ll be joined on the inside by some combination of Al Woods and Earl Mitchell.
The pass rush outside of Ansah and Collier will feature Jefferson, Green, Marsh and Martin – a young and rather uninspiring group.
IR: Nazair Jones
Jones was already placed on the IR with a knee issue, and he will miss the entire 2019 season.
PUP: DeMarcus Christmas
Like Haynes, Christmas doesn’t seem likely to be ready for game action for over a month, making him an ideal candidate to remain on the PUP list for the regular season. He could be activated in six weeks, although he may not see much action this year – if any – unless injuries ravage the line up front.
Restricted List: Jarran Reed
Reed will not count against the active roster as long as he is suspended, which will be for the first six games. After that, expected one of the veterans (Woods or Mitchell) to get cut – assuming injuries have not already impacted the roster construction by that point.
Cut: Jamie Meder
This was a tough one. Meder had a good game on Thursday, and he looks the part of an NFL defensive tackle. The team could opt to keep him and cut Mitchell, but Carroll loves having experienced defensive tackles which probably leaves Meder on the outside looking in.
Practice Squad (2): Bryan Mone, Branden Jackson
Both Jackson and Mone have done enough to earn spots on this team, but with so many talented players the team has some tough decisions to make. Jackson has been on the practice squad before, and always ends up playing solid snaps for Seattle during the season.
Mone is another undrafted free agent gem and defensive tackle, and if Seattle can keep him around on the practice squad they could develop him into a stud up front.
Linebackers (5): Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Mychal Kendricks, Austin Calitro, Cody Barton
These five players, barring a trade or an injury, are absolute locks to make Seattle’s Week 1 roster.
Kendricks is the big question mark, as a sentencing hearing scheduled for September 25 could force him to miss time. If that happens, Barton or Calitro would step right into his starting role at SAM linebacker.
IR: Shaquem Griffin, Emmanuel Ellerbee
Griffin has a knee issue that doesn’t seem to be going away, and I suspect he will end up on the injured reserve because of it. Once that transaction is made, I think the team will attempt to activate Ben Burr-Kirven to take his place, although BBK may not slip through waivers.
Cut: Juwon Young, Barkevious Mingo, Logan Tago, Justin Currie
Mingo is the only notable name here, as the others never stood much of a chance.
Mingo getting cut saves the Seahawks $5.3 million, and his inability to grow as a pass rusher over the preseason all but sealed his fate.
Practice Squad (1): Ben Burr-Kirven
BBK is a tough one. He had a monster game on Thursday, which means if the Seahawks do try to pass him through waivers he may not make it. But, unless they trade someone, they really don’t have room for him at the moment. I could see them passing him through and quickly activating him once Griffin goes on the IR – but they would be taking a big risk.
Cornerbacks (5): Shaquill Griffin, Tre Flowers, Jamar Taylor, Akeem King, Neiko Thorpe
In my mind, Taylor has won the starting nickel job alongside Griffin and Flowers on the outside.
However, I think the team will keep Akeem King for his flexibility and his ability on the special teams – especially since Carroll said the team could play matchups at the nickel spot this season.
Thorpe is the special teams captain, and if Mingo is going to be cut they’ll want to keep a veteran with experience as a special teamer.
IR: Kalan Reed
Reed’s neck injury not only ended his 2019 season, it may have ended his career. He’s on the IR for now while he tries his best to get healthy.
Cut: Jeremy Boykins, Simeon Thomas
Both Thomas and Boykins are strong candidates for the practice squad depending what shakes down at other spots, but I don’t see a spot for them on the active roster at the moment.
Safeties (4): Tedric Thompson, Bradley McDougald, Marquise Blair, Ugo Amadi
McDougald and Thompson seem locked into starting spots, and the two rookies are locks to make the roster behind them.
Blair’s back trouble isn’t expected to linger very long, but if it is worse than originally reported he could be a candidate for the IR as well, which would likely save a job for either Lano Hill or DeShawn Shead.
Cut: Lano Hill, DeShawn Shead, Jawuan Johnson
Shead will be a tough player to see go, but recent quotes by Pete Carroll were not particularly optimistic about his chances of making this roster.
Hill is another big loss, but I have a hard time finding a spot for him unless they cut one of King or Thorpe – or if Blair ends up on IR.
Practice Squad (1): Shalom Luani
Luani is a great special teams contributor and a versatile defensive back who Seattle would love to keep around on their special teams if possible.
Special Teams (3): Tyler Ott, Jason Myers, Michael Dickson
No mysteries here. Seattle has a Pro Bowl kicker and an All-Pro punter alongside a long snapper that just signed a four-year extension – so their specialists are locked in together for the long haul.
