It’s nail-biting time for Seattle Seahawks players on the borderline of making the final roster.

By the league’s 1 p.m. deadline today, the Seahawks must trim their roster to the 53 players they plan on taking into the regular season, which will start Sept. 13 against the St. Louis Rams at Qwest Field.

Up until the deadline, general manager Tim Ruskell, coach Jim Mora and the rest of the staff have to make some weighty decisions on who to keep around for development and who to let move on.

As many as 47 players are locks to make the roster, leaving the team decide which of up to 28 players will be rewarded with a handful of roster spots.

Mora spoke about that tiring process after the team’s 31-21 exhibition win over Oakland on Thursday.

“There are a lot of guys in that locker room that are worthy of playing in this league, and unfortunately they won’t all be Seattle Seahawks, but hopefully they’ll land somewhere,” Mora said. “I was really proud of their effort, and now we have some real tough decisions to make, and that’s a good thing. It’s a tough thing, but a good thing.”

In the battle for the final two receiving slots, fourth-year pro Ben Obomanu seemed to solidify his grip, finishing with two catches for 58 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown. Obomanu also played well on special teams.

“We think that coaches and management and everybody, they look at the whole picture,” Obomanu said on Thursday. “Then also, too, in the game it’s just realizing that a lot of times, production seems to equal whether a guy should make the team or not.

“Sometimes, especially for us, you’re hoping to get the ball. Sometimes you got to hope, is the coach going to look at me being open, or is he going to look at me getting a catch for a touchdown? Sometimes you can be open the whole game long and not get the ball, so it’s kind of frustrating. That’s why we don’t put pressure on ourselves to perform in one game.”

Here is a capsule look at some tight races for spots on the final roster.

 • Kicker: Last year’s starter, Olindo Mare, seemed to solidify a second straight season as the placekicker by consistently putting his kickoffs in the end zone and making a chip-shot field goal (24 yards) against the Raiders. Second-year kicker Brandon Coutu has been solid, making 11-of-12 field-goal attempts the past two preseasons. However, Coutu is much shorter on his kickoffs, reaching the 6-yard line on average.

 • Defensive line: The team could keep as many as 11 defensive linemen. Rookies Michael Bennett and Nick Reed have made the decision tough by their strong play during exhibitions. Three guys are on the bubble, Bennett, Reed and Baraka Atkins. Will Seattle keep one, two or all three?

 • Offensive line: With tackle Walter Jones (knee) and center Chris Spencer (quad) not available at the beginning of the regular season because of injuries, the team might keep an extra lineman on the final roster. Kyle Williams and Na’Shan Goddard are candidates to stay on.

 • Wide receiver: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch and Deon Butler are locks, with Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent and Logan Payne vying for one or possibly two spots. Payne and Mike Hass have practice squad eligibility.

 • Defensive back: The team may decide to keep a fourth cornerback if Marcus Trufant (back) starts the season on the physically unable to perform list, which means he can’t return until the seventh game. If that’s the case, the Seahawks likely will make a decision between Kevin Hobbs and Travis Fisher.

Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437

eric.williams@thenewstribune.com