Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Ben Burr-Kirven

After an impressive college career at Washington, Burr-Kirven has found his niche in the NFL as a core special teams player in Seattle. Will he be able to maintain his roster spot out of training camp with several intriguing newcomers joining the team?

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 23, 2021 6:39 PM EDT

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs recently wrapping up, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Ben Burr-Kirven, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 230 pounds

2020 Stats: Eight tackles, one tackle for loss in 16 games

As a senior at Washington, Burr-Kirven seemed to be in on every single play, leading the nation with 186 tackles and earning First-Team All-American honors. He finished his illustrious collegiate career with 338 combined tackles. Since being selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Seahawks, however, he has been almost exclusively relegated to special teams due to the experienced talent in front of him on the depth chart, playing a grand total of 14 defensive snaps in his first two seasons. The ex-Husky star has been a reliable contributor on kick and punt coverage, finishing fourth on the team with five special teams tackles last season after producing eight special teams tackles in 2019 as a rookie.

Best Case Scenario: Racking up tackles in bunches during the preseason at middle linebacker, Burr-Kirven holds off several contenders pushing for his roster spot and remains a core special teams player for the Seahawks.

Worst Case Scenario: Unable to advance up the depth chart, Burr-Kirven loses hold of his roster spot with a lackluster preseason and receives his walking papers in early September as Seattle goes with undrafted rookie Jon Rhattigan instead.

What to Expect in 2021: At the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, coach Pete Carroll reiterated Burr-Kirven would be competing for snaps on defense during training camp and the preseason. But with Bobby Wagner returning and Jordyn Brooks ready to transition into being an every down player at weakside linebacker, there's not currently a spot for him without injuries occurring. Due to his athleticism, high football IQ, and tackling proficiency on special teams, it's hard to see him not making the final roster, especially after opting not to re-sign Shaquem Griffin. But he could realistically be pushed by Rhattigan, German rookie Aaron Donkor, or second-year defender Nate Evans in August and if he's outperformed by one or more of those players, he could find himself on the waiver wire.