Analysis: Who Leads Seahawks' Receiving Competition Heading Into Preseason Finale?
On August 31, every team around the NFL will cut their rosters down from 80 players to 53. But before more than 800 players suddenly find themselves on the open market, there is one last game to be played—one final chance for those on the proverbial roster "bubble" to break camp with their respective teams.
For the Seahawks, competition can be found everywhere along their roster. There are battles for starting jobs and battles for roster spots. What's going on at the back end of their receiving corps is particularly interesting; seven receivers with no guarantees of a future in Seattle sharing preseason snaps with only one or two spots up for grabs.
At this stage of the competition, it's become more of a four horse race between Penny Hart, Cade Johnson, Cody Thompson and Aaron Fuller. Heading into the Seahawks' preseason finale against the Chargers this upcoming Saturday, here's how the quartet stacks up.
Penny Hart
At the start of camp, Hart appeared to be a virtual lock to make the Seahawks' 53-man roster. But after suffering an ankle injury in the team's mock game earlier this month, he's missed both preseason games and a slew of practices. It's unclear if all that time away has put his spot in jeopardy, but they say the best ability is availability.
While it's an unfortunate situation that's ultimately out of his control, the reality is: Hart hasn't been available, whereas the likes of Johnson, Thompson and Fuller have. He did, however, return to practice this week and could play against Los Angeles. But Seattle already knows what he brings to the table on both offense and special teams and are excited by his skillset, so it shouldn't necessarily come down to his performance on Saturday. If he's healthy, that should be enough to get him on this team still; it's just no longer a guarantee.
Cody Thompson
Thompson may only have one catch for 15 yards to his name this preseason, but that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Seattle's coaching staff adore his receiving ability and view him as a potential core special teamer—an underrated but crucial piece to making the roster as a fifth or sixth receiver.
“He just continues to improve all of the time," offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said of Thompson on Wednesday. "He’s a great route runner, he’s done a really good job of picking up the system right away, he’s been out there all of the time and is able to play multiple spots. He’s done a great job in his one-on-ones and does a great job in the run game. He’s someone that shows up and you know he’s going to put in a great days work every day and continue to grow.”
Showing that he can fill multiple roles and do whatever is asked of him this camp, the University of Toledo alum offers the Seahawks a great deal of value that his peers simply do not. And their affinity for him is clear, working him with the No. 1 offense in practice and sending him out as one of their starting receivers against the Raiders and Broncos. He has the favor of the organization and that can go a long way.
Cade Johnson
The undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State has come as advertised, leading the Seahawks in receptions with seven this preseason. Considering how poor the offense has played the past two weeks, being one of the few bright spots in the unit is nothing to scoff at. In-game opportunities have been vastly limited because of these performances and Johnson has made the most of them despite some truly dreadful quarterback play.
Whether that equates to a roster spot or not remains to be seen, but he may be the receiver who would benefit the most from another strong showing against the Chargers. Given the talent he possesses, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he pops with a better passer in Geno Smith at the helm.
Aaron Fuller
It doesn't seem all too likely that Fuller makes it without getting some form of help. He's had a couple nice moments in the preseason, sure, but he hasn't necessarily moved the needle after building a ton of momentum heading into games. But as we went over with Johnson, the play of Seattle's quarterbacks thus far hasn't put its receivers in the best position to succeed.
Nevertheless, Fuller appears to have the lowest odds of the quartet at this point. Barring some drastic change, it's hard to envision him leapfrogging the other three and the expectation is he returns to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
