Who makes it, who doesn’t in The News Tribune’s 53-man Seahawks roster projection
In a normal year, the Seahawks would be among the league leaders in giving the unknowns their chance.
It’s a Seattle tradition. Doug Baldwin. Jermaine Kearse. Thomas Rawls. Poona Ford. And more. In a normal year, the Seahawks would keep a few undrafted rookie free agents who have impressed them during training camp, and they’d contribute unexpectedly in their unlikely first seasons.
If you haven’t noticed, 2020 is absolutely not a normal year.
The coronavirus pandemic closed team facilities from March to July. The COVID-19 virus canceled all NFL rookie minicamps plus organized team activities and minicamp practices in May and June. After training camp began in late July, players had to stay out of the team facility for five days to follow the new protocols for COVID-19 virus testing. Rookies and players new to the team didn’t even get into Seahawks headquarters for the first time until August.
Seattle and each NFL team had just four non-padded practices then 14 in pads before Saturday’s deadline to cut rosters from the new preseason limit of 80 (down from the usual 90). That’s when teams must set their initial rosters for the regular season at 53 players.
The result: for perhaps the first time since coach/reclamation-project manager Pete Carroll took over the team in 2010, the Seahawks have zero undrafted rookies in The News Tribune’s 53-man roster projection.
A couple deserve to make it, based on standout performances in the shortened training camp. Wide receiver Aaron Fuller from the University of Washington, safety Chris Miller from Baylor, tight end Tyler Mabry from Maryland were the best rookie free agents. But logjams in numbers at those overstocked positions plus their lack of opportunities to prove more in preseason games that didn’t happen will send those rookies through waivers and, the team hopes, onto the expanded practice squad. That goes from 10 to 16 this season because of COVID-19.
Also new for rosters this unprecedented NFL season: teams can sign two players from the practice squad onto the active roster for game days each week. So the game rosters will be 55 instead of 53.
Below are my predictions for who makes the team and who does not Saturday. It’s worth mentioning, as every year, Carroll and general manager John Schneider are going to make trades that will add players not on this list to the roster. It happens every year. A possible candidate for trading, because of his production over the years: wide receiver David Moore.
The initial 53-man roster for Seattle’s 2020 season (starters are in italics).
Quarterback (2): Russell Wilson, Geno Smith
Cut: Anthony Gordon, Danny Etling
Gordon hasn’t had many chances in scrimmages. The record-setting passer at Washington State should be able to clear waivers and get onto the practice squad because no other team has seen the undrafted rookie play in the pros yet. Why was Etling here for only a couple weeks? His two NFL teams the last two years: Atlanta and New England. The Seahawks play at the Falcons in their opener next week. They host the Patriots in Week 2.
Running back (5): Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde, DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer, Nick Bellore
Physically-unable-to-perform list: Rashaad Penny
Penny would miss the first six games coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, as expected. Dallas, the rookie fourth-round pick, mostly surpassed Homer this month as the third-down back. He has been a star since the start of camp. Bellore makes the roster because of his prominence on special teams.
Offensive line (9): Duane Brown, Mike Iupati, Ethan Pocic, Damien Lewis, Brandon Shell, Jamarco Jones, Jordan Simmons, Phil Haynes, B.J. Finney
Cut: Chad Wheeler, Tommy Champion
Suspended: Kyle Fuller
Jones is the sixth lineman. Coaches increasingly value him for being able to play swing tackle and guard on both sides. He’ll be active for every game day he’s healthy. The coaches had been impressed with Ogbuehi, the former first-round pick by the Bengals, backing up Brown at left tackle and Shell at right tackle. That is, until an injury that’s kept Ogbuehi out the last week. That gets him onto injured reserve to start the season, with the possibility of being one of the two IR players the team can designate to return after eight weeks. Shell, signed from the Jets this offseason, has been quicker and more athletic than departed predecessor Germain Ifedi. If Finney wasn’t guaranteed $4.5 million he would have been cut. He has flopped trying to learn the offense at center. Now he’s a backup guard this team doesn’t need. He’s why the Seahawks have hosted unsigned free-agent center Justin Britt, whom they cut this spring, twice the last two weeks. Pocic feels like a place-holder starter at center right now. Haynes barely makes it. Simmons is the more promising prospect right now at guard. Haynes still hasn’t shown anything much more than injuries since Seattle drafted him in the fourth round last year. Fuller, a guard who can also play center, is suspended for the first two games by the NFL for violating its substance-abuse policy.
Tight end (3): Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister
Cut: Luke Willson, Stephen Sullivan, Tyler Mabry
Non-football-injury list: Colby Parkinson
Olsen says he is invigorated. He looks it. He is running freely, catching almost everything at age 35 in his Seattle debut. Willson, 29, after an injury-filled return season for Seattle last year, has looked slowed and behind the younger (by three years) and more versatile Hollister. The Seahawks want to keep Sullivan, their inspirational rookie seventh-round pick, and the undrafted rookie Mabry on the practice squad. Mabry, an undrafted rookie from Maryland, hurdled standing safety Quandre Diggs after a catch in a mock game. He deserves to make the team for that alone. But, again, this is the wrong, truncated year for developmental projects such as those two to get reps, develop and impress in camp. Parkinson, the 6-foot-7 rookie fourth-round pick from Stanford, had surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot in June. He may return next month.
Wide receiver (6): Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Phillip Dorsett, David Moore, John Ursua, Josh Gordon
Cut: Paul Richardson, Freddie Swain, Lance Lenoir, Aaron Fuller, Seth Dawkins, Penny Hart, Cody Thompson
Moore intrigues Carroll and special-teams coach Brian Schneider as a kick returner to spell Lockett in that role. And Wilson trusts his routes. Thompson’s 6-2, 205-pound size beats out Swain and Lenoir, the former Cowboys special-teamer signed this week, for the final spot. But now that the Seahawks have signed back suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon, Thompson is likely to lose his place once the NFL reinstates Gordon from his seventh league suspension. Signs are that is happening soon. Cutting Swain is cold for a rookie sixth-round pick who has not had opportunities to grow in camp. But again, this COVID-19 year rewards those who shine immediately. Swain has not stood out in the offense nor as the kick returner they drafted him to potentially become. He and Fuller, the former UW wide receiver who had some impressive catches the last two weeks, will go to the practice squad if they clear waivers. Richardson signed last weekend. That was when the zooming Dorsett, Ursua and the tall, impressive Thompson were out injured. They are all back. Entering Thursday’s final workout of camp, Richardson had yet to practice. The team’s 2014 second-round pick hasn’t shown why he’s here.
Defensive line (9): Benson Mayowa, Rasheem Green, Jarran Reed, Poona Ford, L.J. Collier, Alton Robinson, Bryan Mone, Demarcus Christmas, Damontre Moore
Cut: Pita Taumoepenu, Cedrick Lattimore
Non-football-injury list: Darrell Taylor
Carroll remains unusually dark when talking about when Taylor, the team’s rookie second-round pick, may finally practice for the first time since his surgery Jan. 30 to repair a stress fracture in his lower leg. He is supposed be challenging to be the starting “Leo” defensive end on the weak side right now. Robinson, the rookie fifth-round choice, and Dallas have been the most surprising rookies in camp. He’s impressively taken Taylor’s reps. Robinson has been getting some first-team time lately. The agent for Moore said Thursday the 27-year-old defensive end had signed back with the Seahawks. He played four games for them in 2016. The recently signed Johnson could easily make the team only because he’s pushing 340 pounds at a thin tackle position. Still believing they make a trade for a veteran defensive tackle or perhaps sign another edge rusher (I heard some guy named Jadeveon Clowney is still available).
Linebacker (6): Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Bruce Irvin, Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton, Shaquem Griffin
Cut: Ben Burr-Kirven
The Seahawks kept seven linebackers to begin last season. If they do that again the backup middle linebacker Burr-Kirven makes it for special teams. Barton has proven more valuable than the former UW Husky Burr-Kirven because Barton plays weak-side and middle linebacker on top of special teams. Griffin gets another chance solely because of his intriguing speed as an edge rusher in nickel defense, for a pass rush that desperately needs more options and production. Coaches are trying to carve out a niche role for him as a pass-rushing end in nickel packages.
And there’s the sizable factor that he’s the twin brother and soul mate of the Seahawks’ Pro Bowl cornerback who is entering a contract year. Brooks is working his way toward starting, but the first-round pick isn’t there just yet, limited so far to situational roles in nickel defense.
Cornerback (5): Shaquill Griffin, Quinton Dunbar, Tre Flowers, Neiko Thorpe, Linden Stephens
Cut: Ryan Neal, Debione Renfro, D.J. Reed, Gavin Heslop, Jayson Stanley
Dunbar overtook Flowers in the final week of camp for the starting job on the right corner. Thorpe is a special-teams mainstay. Stephens has been under-the-radar good in coverage since signing off waivers from Miami this offseason. He is aggressive and tight on balls in the air.
Safety (5): Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Marquise Blair, Ugo Amadi, Lano Hill
Injured reserve: Chris Miller.
The team’s most dramatically upgraded position group. The All-Pro Adams has been superb, as advertised. Blair is the new primary nickel back, moving Amadi’s value to special teams. Hill is the dime, or sixth, defensive back in long-yardage situations. He barely makes the team because of that only. Miller, from Baylor, seemed to be in all the right spots and a coaches’ favorite to be one of the few undrafted rookies to make the team this year. Then Wednesday he injured his left knee during practice.
Specialists (3): Kicker Jason Myers, punter Michael Dickson, long-snapper Tyler Ott
No change from last season.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 8:35 AM.
