We’re halfway through the preseason and two weeks from Sept. 1, when NFL teams must cut their rosters from the 90 players they carry during training camp to the regular-season maximum of 53.
Here’s our latest guess at what the Seahawks’ 53-man roster will look like following Saturday’s night’s preseason loss to the Chargers.
QUARTERBACK
KEEP: Russell Wilson, Alex McGough.
CUT: Austin Davis.
COMMENT: Davis has seemed the safer bet since he’s started NFL games before. But the Seahawks have seemed excited about the upside of McGough, and they finally got a good glimpse of why Saturday night against the Chargers. So for this week, we’ll give the nod to McGough. A report Sunday that the Seahawks recently offered a second-round pick to the Colts for Jacoby Brissett and had been rejected was quickly discounted. But that shouldn’t dissuade the thought that the Seahawks will continue to look to see what other backup QBs may be available. While they like McGough, the Seahawks may prefer to have someone more experienced.
TAILBACK
KEEP: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, C.J. Prosise, Mike Davis, J.D. McKissic.
CUT: Gerald Holmes, Justin Stockton.
COMMENT: Penny and Carson are locks, but the other three could all be in some question, especially Prosise. The Seahawks were definitely trying to feature Prosise against the Chargers, and it seemed to come with mixed results — 12 yards on three carries and 35 yards on six catches. He never seemed to have much of anywhere to go. If he stays healthy, I think he remains too intriguing for the Seahawks to waive, especially with Penny having suffered a finger injury this week that shouldn’t sideline him for long but might cause the Seahawks to at least want to have some added depth at tailback.
FULLBACK
KEEP: Tre Madden.
CUT: None.
COMMENT: After Jalston Fowler was waived last week, there are no other fullbacks on the roster, which at the moment puts Madden on it since the sense is the Seahawks would like to have a fullback this season. But it wouldn’t be surprising if the Seahawks added another fullback to battle for the job.
TIGHT END
KEEP: Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett, Will Dissly.
CUT: Tyrone Swoopes, Clayton Wilson, Kyle Carter.
COMMENT: Dickson remains on the non-football injury list, but it’s not too late for Dickson to be ready for the season, and for now, Dickson/Vannett/Dissly look like locks, with Swoopes a practice-squad guy.
WIDE RECEIVER
KEEP: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Amara Darboh, Jaron Brown, David Moore, Brandon Marshall.
CUT: Marcus Johnson, Tanner McEvoy, Cyril Grayson, Damore’ea Stringfellow, Caleb Scott, Keenan Reynolds, Malik Turner.
COMMENT: I’m going with Moore instead of Johnson after Moore’s performance against the Chargers, which only reinforced the excitement the Seahawks have had about him all camp. And yes, I’m sticking with Darboh for now. He’s yet to play in the preseason and if that persists, then obviously he is not going to make the team. But the Seahawks have a lot invested in Darboh, and he has some of those “unique qualities” Pete Carroll talks about so much. If they were to cut Darboh I’d go with Johnson, who would help greatly on special teams.
OFFENSIVE LINE
KEEP: Justin Britt, Ethan Pocic, Germain Ifedi, D.J. Fluker, Duane Brown, George Fant, Jordan Roos, J.R. Sweezy, Isaiah Battle.
CUT: Willie Beavers, Rees Odhiambo, Joey Hunt, Skyler Phillips, Marcus Henry.
Injured Reserve: Jamarco Jones.
COMMENT: Jones underwent surgery on his ankle this week and may be done for the season, though the team may carry him on the roster as it sorts out its options. Beavers was the backup right tackle this week behind Ifedi, whose struggles got a lot of discussion. But Battle was the backup before he was injured and the guess is if he returns soon, he’ll get that spot. Sweezy practiced just once before suffering an ankle injury and has yet to play, making his spot tenuous. But assuming the team is just being cautious you’d think he makes it.
DEFENSIVE LINE
KEEP: Jarran Reed, Frank Clark, Nazair Jones, Rasheem Green, Tom Johnson, Branden Jackson, Shamar Stephen, Quinton Jefferson, Erik Walden.
CUT: Poona Ford, Ricky Ali’ifua, Joey Ivie, Josh Forrest.
PUP: Dion Jordan.
COMMENT: Ford has impressed some in camp but still seems most suited for a practice-squad role this season as this position seems set unless the Seahawks find another pass rusher.
LINEBACKER
KEEP: Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Shaquem Griffin, Barkevious Mingo, Jacob Martin, Austin Calitro.
CUT: Emmanuel Beal, Jake Pugh, D.J. Alexander, Jason Hall.
COMMENT: Calitro has emerged as the clear No. 2 at middle linebacker behind Wagner and also has been active on special teams — he had 13 snaps there against the Chargers. The Seahawks traded for Alexander a year ago, but he has had injury issues. If he gets healthy, he could still make a run at a roster spot. Martin played just seven snaps against the Chargers and Walden’s addition might knock him out of a roster spot. But for now I’m leaving him on.
CORNERBACK
KEEP: Shaquill Griffin, Byron Maxwell, Justin Coleman, Tre Flowers, Dontae Johnson.
CUT: Neiko Thorpe, Mike Tyson, Akeem King, Trovon Reed, Jeremy Boykins.
COMMENT: Johnson, a starter for all 16 games at right corner for the 49ers last season, seems a more legit contender for that spot now that he’s healthy. Flowers has started the first two games, but that’s largely because Maxwell and Johnson were out. But even if he won’t start, the Seahawks wouldn’t want to lose him.
SAFETY
KEEP: Bradley McDougald, Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson, Maurice Alexander.
CUT: Tevon Mutcherson, Lorenzo Jerome.
COMMENT: Jerome was the flavor of the week last week, impressing with some standout plays in practice. But McDougald, Thompson and Alexander seem like locks, and while Hill has had some struggles in preseason games, you’d figure the Seahawks would give him the benefit of the doubt. But the next two weeks will tell a lot.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KEEP: Sebastian Janikowski, Michael Dickson, Tyler Ott.
CUT: None.
COMMENT: The Seahawks released punter Jon Ryan, the team’s longest-tenured player, and kicker Jason Myers on Monday, likely ending the competition for both the kicking and punting jobs.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
