The Seattle Seahawks will host the Denver Broncos on Thursday evening at CenturyLink Field for the first preseason game of the season.
Many veterans, including Russell Wilson, are not going to play as the team wants to get an extended look at their young players and some of the position battles going on in the second and third units.
With that said, there will be a lot that changes between now and September 1, when the 53-man roster has to be set.
Here is a projection of what that 53-man roster could look like this season, and some discussion about what changed from the minicamp projection that was done a few months ago.
Quarterbacks (2): Russell Wilson, Geno Smith
Thursday’s preseason contest will be a big test for the two backups, Geno Smith and Paxton Lynch.
Smith has outplayed Lynch so far in training camp, and he is getting the nod to start the preseason contest with Russell Wilson not expected to suit up.
All signs point to Smith winning the job; he has more experience, has played better, and fits the scheme the Seahawks run more than Lynch does.
The biggest snafu is health, as Smith is battling a knee injury and is expected to have some kind of medical procedure done after the game.
However, if he is healthy by the start of the regular season, expect him to be backing up Wilson this year.
Running Backs (5): Nick Bellore, Chris Carson, Travis Homer, J.D. McKissic, Rashaad Penny
Yet another injury will prevent C.J Prosise from suiting up in Seattle’s first preseason game. While coach Carroll and the rest of the staff still believes that his talent makes him worthy of a roster spot, in a crowded position group it just doesn’t seem like there is any room for him this year.
Carson and Penny will be the no-doubt starting tandem, and rookie Travis Homer is expected to step into Mike Davis’ old role as the third-down back.
J.D. McKissic is battling an injury of his own, but if he healthy he will compete for a role as a returner – which should help him earn a roster spot.
Bellore will replace Tre Madden as the team’s seldom-used fullback, although he will contribute heavily on the special teams and could even sub in as a linebacker if needed.
Wide Receiver (5): Jaron Brown, Gary Jennings, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, David Moore
I tried to keep six receivers, I really did. John Ursua was my final cut, and it could just as easily of been Keenan Reynolds, or Malik Turner, or Jazz Ferguson.
But the reality is the Seahawks usually only roster five receivers, and with depth an issue at a lot of other spots, this doesn’t seem like the year they will carry six.
They are almost certainly going to roster Tyler Lockett, David Moore, DK Metcalf and Jaron Brown, which only leaves one additional spot.
I expect Gary Jennings will snag that final spot, especially since he’s looked excellent after returning from a hamstring injury.
Ursua is a prime candidate for a spot on the practice squad, and the same could be said for Turner, Ferguson and Reynolds.
Tight end (3): Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister, Nick Vannett
Veteran Ed Dickson suffered a knee injury during training camp that required surgery, which is expected to keep him out for 4-5 weeks.
Considering how tight the position battle between Dickson, Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister and Nick Vannett has been all summer, Dickson’s injury looks like it will be enough to send him packing when the team pares down the roster on September 1.
Dissly, who is nearly 100 percent healthy but will be held out on Thursday for precautionary reasons, is expected to be the team’s primary option at tight end this season.
Vannett will reprise his role as a red zone target, while newcomer Jacob Hollister has looked extremely impressive so far in camp.
Don’t count out George Fant either. Fant will make the team as a backup tackle, but he will be an option at the tight end spot – sometimes as an extra blocker and possibly as a pass-catcher as well.
Offensive line (9): Justin Britt, Duane Brown, George Fant, D.J. Fluker, Phil Haynes, Germain Ifedi, Mike Iupati, Jamarco Jones, Ethan Pocic
The Seahawks are returning four of their five starters, and replaced veteran guard J.R. Sweezy with another veteran, Mike Iupati.
They added depth at the guard spot with the addition of fourth-rounder Phil Haynes, who is flexible enough to play both guard spots.
The backup tackles will be Jamarco Jones and George Fant – who will double as a tight end as well.
The backup center spot will come down to Ethan Pocic, Marcus Martin and Joey Hunt. Even though fans won’t like it, Pocic is probably going to win that job.
His versatility to play the guard spots could make Jordan Simmons, who excelled in a handful of starts last year, a roster casualty – especially since he is battling an injury.
Defensive line (10): Ezekiel Ansah, L.J. Collier, Poona Ford, Rasheem Green, Quinton Jefferson, Barkevious Mingo, Earl Mitchell, Cassius Marsh, Jarran Reed, Al Woods
Jarran Reed will miss the first six games of the 2019 season, which will probably keep Nazair Jones around for a little while longer, but when Reed is back I think he could end up a roster casualty after not seeing very much playing time last year.
Seattle’s two big additions on the edge; L.J. Collier and Ezekiel Ansah, are both injured. Both are expected to be ready in time for Week 1, but if their injuries linger look for the Seahawks to keep someone like Branden Jackson on the practice squad for added depth.
Poona Ford, Al Woods and Earl Mitchell will rotate on the defensive interior, and Rasheed Green, Cassius Marsh, Quinton Jefferson and Barkevious Minho represent Seattle’s young, inexperienced group of pass-rushers this year.
It goes without saying, but the Seahawks need Ansah and Collier to be healthy this season if they want to generate an effective pass rush.
Linebacker (6): Cody Barton, Ben Burr-Kirven, Mychal Kendricks, Jacob Martin, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright
Perhaps Seattle’s strongest position group – and one of the best units in the league – is at the linebacker spot.
Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright reunite for the eighth consecutive season, and they will be joined by SAM backer Mychal Kendricks. Kendricks faces a sentencing hearing for insider trading just before Week 4 however, and there is a possibility he is lost for the rest of the season.
If that’s the case, the team could plug-in rookie Cody Barton, who has been one of Seattle’s strongest performers during training camp.
Jacob Martin could find himself playing some LEO this year, and his strength as a pass-rusher will keep him around – at the expense of Austin Calitro and potentially Shaquem Griffin.
Cornerback (4): Tre Flowers, Shaquill Griffin, Akeem King, Jamar Taylor
Only keeping four cornerbacks seems odd, but the Seahawks also have Ugo Amadi and DeShawn Shead in the safety group, and both can play cornerback in a pinch.
Flowers and Griffin are expected to reprise their starting roles on the outside, and King and Taylor will compete with Amadi to start at the nickel spot.
Kalan Reed, Jeremy Boykins and Neiko Thorpe are in the thick of things as well, and the team could definitely keep five corners, although it would probably cost them a safety.
Safety (6): Ugo Amadi, Marquise Blair, Lano Hill, Bradley McDougald, DeShawn Shead, Tedric Thompson
Bradley McDougald is the only guaranteed starter in this group, and it’s still unclear whether he will play free or strong safety.
Marquise Blair is a Kam Chancellor-esque strong safety, and if the Seahawks feel he is ready to start right away they could shift McDougald over to free.
If not, he will be a core special teamer and McDougald will start at strong safety, leaving Tedric Thompson and Lano Hill to battle for the starting free safety spot.
Shead provides excellent depth at safety and at corner, while the versatile Amadi could find himself starting at nickel or providing depth all-around the gridiron and on the special teams.
Special teams (3): Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Tyler Ott
Unlike last year when the team had two kickers, two punters and two long-snappers in camp, the specialists have been set for nearly the entire offseason.
Plus, after inking long snapper Tyler Ott to a four-year extension, it looks like the unit of Ott, Michael Dickson and Jason Myers is going to get very familiar with each other over the next few seasons – which is a very good thing.
“It’s nice when they are set,” special teams coordinator Brian Schneider commented last week. “They can just focus on all three of them getting better.”
Dickson and Myers were both Pro Bowlers last year, and while the rest of the special teams needs to improve upon a poor 2018 season, the specialists are poised to have a lot of success once again this season.
