RENTON — The first roster cuts don’t happen until Sept. 1, but already people are talking about what promises to be one of the most heated battles at Seahawks training camp.

Seattle currently has 11 receivers on its roster, and three — Deion Branch, Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh — are locks to make the team. Third-round draft pick Deon Butler seems to have an edge on the field for the fourth spot, which means the other seven receivers — Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent, Logan Payne, Mike Hass, Billy McMullen and Michael Bumpus — are all battling for what will likely be two spots.

“I think that competition for that fourth and fifth and sixth receiver position is just going to be one of the fun things to watch in this camp …” said Seahawks coach Jim Mora, who later admitted that Butler has an edge on the battle for the fourth spot. “All of them are in contention, and they’re all fighting every day. They realize that there’s only so many spots on the roster. They look around and they see the guys that are in their group that have the capabilities of playing at this level, so it elevates the play of everybody.”

Of course they have to stay healthy. By the time the first game rolled around last September, the Seahawks were starting Payne and Taylor along with Burleson, and Burleson tore his ACL in that first game. But if most of the players currently on the roster are healthy, some tough decisions are going to have to be made next month.

Many of the players battling it out this summer have done so in years past, so they say it’s nothing new to get too worked up about.

“I’m kind of used to it now,” said Obomanu, a seventh-round draft pick who spent 2006 on the practice squad, 2007 on the active roster, and last year on injured reserve. “This is my fourth training camp, and every year it’s been the same thing. It may be different guys, but it’s the same old story: big battle at receiver.”

And even though some of the receivers will be on the practice squad or looking for work in the near future, the goal right now is to help each other get better, they say.

“We understand it’s a business, and we aren’t going to waste time or energy having petty arguments or trying to back-stab anybody,” said Kent, a sixth-round pick who didn’t take up football until his junior year at Oregon. “Because if you look at the big picture, yes we’d all love to play for Seattle, but at the same time we have to make ourselves the best receivers possible so in case we don’t make this team, we can take advantage of another opportunity.”

For all of the late-round picks and undrafted free agents hanging onto NFL dreams, a prime example of what might be signed with the team this offseason. When T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed with the Seahawks, he was one of the most sought after free agents on the market, but he came into the league as a seventh-round pick who was trying to prove himself and make a roster.

“I was a guy like the majority of the guys on this team,” said Houshmandzadeh, who has more catches than any receiver in the league over the past three seasons. “Wasn’t drafted high, had to fight for everything, so I kind of know what they’re going through … You can’t tell yourself, ‘I’m fighting for a spot on the team,’ because you start to worry yourself too much. You just have to go out there and play to the best of your abilities and if you make it, you make it.”

That’s advice that the receivers battling for roster spots are quick to take to heart.

“I’m in a situation similar to Housh,” said Obomanu. “When I came out, I was drafted in the seventh round. He was seventh-round pick who came up and went to the Pro Bowl, has led the league in catches over the past few years … He’s a guy I look up to. I realize that he’s been in the situation before, so I look to him for some encouragement. And I look to him too to see how he progressed from being a reserve player to now being a go-to guy. I try to just follow in his footsteps and follow his advice.”

Notable

Additions and subtractions

Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who sat out both of Monday’s practices with a bruised knee, was back in action Tuesday, as was fullback Owen Schmitt, who sat out the evening practice the day before with a calf injury.

Receiver Billy McMullen (knee) was out for the second straight practice, and left tackle Walter Jones (back spasms), cornerback Marcus Trufant (back) and rookie linebacker Aaron Curry, who remains unsigned, continued to be out. Linebacker Tony Taylor was the only new player to join the ranks of the injured, sitting out Tuesday with an unspecified knee injury.

Huskies watching Hawks

New University of Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian was on the sideline watching Tuesday evening’s practice along with defensive coordinator Nick Holt and a few other assistants.

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog