Seahawks 53-man roster projection: OL, secondary headline talented squad

Why Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Derek Carr will lead their teams to division titles Seahawks listed among “most overlooked” teams entering 2023 season

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks are back.

After struggling through their first losing season since 2011 two years ago, Carroll’s Seahawks surprised many nationally by finishing at 9-8 and reaching the postseason last year after moving on from longtime QB Russell Wilson.

Seattle’s roster-building success has continued into 2023, with another solid draft and key additions signed in free agency. And the result is one of Carroll’s most-talented rosters since the Legion of Boom days.

However, much like the rest of the NFC West, it will be important for the Seahawks to stay healthy at key positions like quarterback, running back and linebacker.

And add receiver to that list, with the news that first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba suffered a wrist injury in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys last week that required surgery, putting his availability for the start of the regular season into question.

There’s only one roster cutdown date this year. All NFL teams must cut rosters down to 53 players by Aug. 29. Teams can put together 16-man practice squads on the following day.

Under Carroll and general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks have traditionally been one of the last teams in the league to announce final roster cuts.

That said, here’s how we see the roster shaking out for Seattle.

Quarterbacks (2)
Geno Smith
Drew Lock

Smith is the unquestioned starter and looking to build on the Pro Bowl season he had in 2022. Lock has played well during preseason play but suffered a knee injury during the game against the Cowboys. The Seahawks could keep rookie Holton Ahlers on the 53-man roster if they have concerns about Lock’s knee.

The Seahawks kept three quarterbacks on the roster in 2021 with Wilson, Smith and Sean Mannion. Before that, the last time Seattle kept three quarterbacks was in 2013. With the new emergency third quarterback rule, Ahlers could suit up on game days. But a more likely scenario is that Ahlers is let go and returns to Seattle on the practice squad.

Why Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Derek Carr will lead their teams to division titles

Running Backs (5)
Ken Walker III
Deejay Dallas
Zach Charbonnet
Kenny McIntosh
Nick Bellore (FB)

Walker, Charbonnet and McIntosh all have dealt with injuries during training camp. Carroll wants to run the ball, so building depth for the long haul at this position group is important. Recent addition SaRodorick Thompson has performed well and could be worth keeping around on the practice squad.

Tight Ends (3)
Will Dissly
Noah Fant
Colby Parkinson

The Seahawks used two tight end sets 29.5% of the time last season, according to Next Gen Stats, No. 3 in the NFL. So keeping a fourth tight end like Tyler Mabry could be a consideration. Fant, whom Seattle received as part of the trade with the Broncos for Wilson, is in the final year of his rookie deal.

Wide Receivers (6)
DK Metcalf
Tyler Lockett
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Dareke Young
Cody Thompson
Jake Bobo

The Jake Bobo experience has been impressive and entertaining during exhibition play. While I still believe the Seahawks could sneak the undrafted UCLA product onto the practice squad because of his slow 40-yard time, they could look to keep him on the active roster because of the injury to Smith-Njigba. The key question regarding Bobo is: Do the Seahawks envision him performing on special teams during the regular season? Dee Eskridge will miss the first six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Seahawks listed among “most overlooked” teams entering 2023 season

Offensive Linemen (9)
Charles Cross
Abe Lucas
Damien Lewis
Evan Brown
Phil Haynes
Stone Forsythe
Jake Curhan
Olusegun Oluwatimi
Anthony Bradford

The Seahawks have the most talent and depth along the offensive line since Carroll’s Super Bowl teams. Specifically, with Brown and Oluwatimi, Seattle has two good options at the center position for the first time since Max Unger anchored the offensive line.

Defensive Linemen (6)
Dre’Mont Jones
Jarran Reed
Cameron Young
Mike Morris
Mario Edwards Jr.
Myles Adams

Seattle could look for quality, experienced depth during final roster cuts to add to this group, or perhaps even make a trade. Someone like T.Y. McGill of the 49ers makes sense as depth at nose tackle should he not make San Francisco’s roster. Bottom line is Seattle needs more answers up front if the guys currently on the roster can’t stay healthy.

Linebackers (9)
Uchenna Nwosu
Boye Mafe
Bobby Wagner
Devin Bush
Darrell Taylor
Derick Hall
Jordyn Brooks
Tyreke Smith
DaMarcus Mitchell

Second-year LB Mafe has shown growth during preseason play. With Brooks coming off ACL knee surgery and Wagner 33 years old, the Seahawks could use a speedy off-ball linebacker who can chase down the ball and be a disrupter in pass coverage. Fullback Nick Bellore can play here in a pinch. The Seahawks just added Mitchell, a core special teams player with New England last season.

Defensive Backs (10)
Michael Jackson (CB)
Tariq Woolen (CB)
Devon Witherspoon (CB)
Julian Love (S)
Quandre Diggs (S)
Tre Brown (CB)
Jerrick Reed II (S)
Coby Bryant (S)
Jonathan Sutherland (S)
Artie Burns (CB)

With a deep pool of players in the secondary, the Seahawks could look to make a trade. However, moving on from a player likely depends on the health of someone like All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, who could begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a lingering quad injury. Bryant provides versatility, with his ability to play cornerback, slot defender and safety.

Specialty (3)
Jason Myers (K)
Michael Dickson (P)
Chris Stoll (LS)

Pro Bowler Myers finished an impressive 34-of-37 (91.9%) on field goals with a long of 56 yards in 2022 and missed just one extra point during the regular season. Dickson’s net punting average of 44.4 per punt was No. 2 in the NFL.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience