Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks have some tough decisions to make after next Saturday’s preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. Roster cuts are just nine days away and there are presumably still spots up for grabs that may be decided in the joint practice and Packers game. Of course, preseason games and practices do not comprise the entirety of one’s roster chances. There’s a lot more that we don’t see behind the scenes that make up the remainder of the rubric, but that doesn’t stop us from being dismayed when a preseason standout doesn’t make the 53-man roster.
Here’s my latest roster projection following the Kansas City Chiefs game. For reference, here was my projection from after the Las Vegas Raiders game.
Quarterback (3): Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe (R)
Cut: N/A
Notes: Nothing’s changed. If Milroe isn’t getting any run with the second-team in camp or preseason then we can forget about Lock getting cut or traded.
Running Back (3): Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, George Holani
Cut: Anthony Tyus, Jacardia Wright, Damien Martinez
Notes: Damien Martinez’s bounce-back performance against the Chiefs continues to make the RB3 race compelling, but it feels like Holani’s special teams versatility and better pass protection gives him the edge. I know Martinez was deemed a steal as a seventh-round pick, so exposing him to waivers may be risky, but this is the time of year where I remind everyone how wildly overblown waiver claims actually are. Only six running backs have been claimed off post-cutdown waivers over the last four seasons, one of whom was a special teams returner who hardly ever saw the ball on offense (Kene Nwangwu). Only about two percent of all players waived over the past few deadline days actually get claimed, while way, way, way more waived players stay with their original team and get put on the practice squad.
Fullback (1): Robbie Ouzts (R)
Cut: N/A
Notes: N/A
Wide Receiver (6): Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tory Horton (R), Jake Bobo, Dareke Young
Cut: Ricky White, Steven Sims, Cody White, Tyrone Broden, John Rhys Plumlee
Notes: You may think it’s lunacy for the Seahawks to stash six receivers when they are projected to be a run-first team. I don’t have time on my hands to prove it, but I don’t think there is any strong correlation between a team’s passing rate and the number of receivers they roster. The 2023 San Francisco 49ers had six receivers on their initial and final roster and they were last in pass attempts. MVS did play 10 snaps on Friday but all were in the first two series, so despite his lack of noise in camp I think the team views him as valuable enough to roster. Dareke Young just sneaks in as a sixth WR but mostly for special teams reasons.
Tight End (4): Elijah Arroyo (R), A.J. Barner, Eric Saubert, Brady Russell
Cut: Marshall Lang, Nick Kallerup
Notes: Russell is the backup FB, an...
