Analysis: 5 Takeaways Examining Seahawks Initial 53-Man Roster
Waiving 26 players, releasing three vested veterans, and agreeing to terms on a trade with the Jaguars in the process, the Seahawks trimmed their roster down to the NFL's required 53-man limit on Tuesday.
While there were a few mild surprises who didn't make Seattle's initial roster, including receiver Penny Hart, the end result mostly proved to be chalk for coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider. And as the past has shown, additional transactions will certainly be coming in the next few days as roster churning takes place across the league, so this iteration of the 53-man roster is guaranteed to look much different a week from now.
Examining the initial 53-man roster, here are five quick thoughts on what to expect before the Seahawks play their season opener against the Colts:
1. There's absolutely no way the Seahawks will have three quarterbacks on their roster in Week 1.
Throughout Russell Wilson's nine-year career, Seattle has been fortunate not to have to worry about carrying multiple backup quarterbacks on the roster. The eight-time Pro Bowler has been an iron man, never missing a single regular season or playoff start. For that reason, they have rarely had three quarterbacks on the roster, with B.J. Daniels dressing for six games behind Wilson and backup Tarvaris Jackson as an exception in 2015.
Even given Mannion's knowledge of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's system dating back to their time together with the Rams, don't expect that trend to change, as the roster spot he's currently holding will be valuable at positions of far greater need. Before the regular season begins, the team will likely waive the veteran with hopes of bringing him back on the practice squad as an insurance option.
2. For that matter, numbers at receiver and along the offensive line look likely to change as well.
It isn't that uncommon for the Seahawks to have only four receivers on the active roster. In fact, that was the case on several occasions last year. With practice squads being expanded and teams able to elevate players to the active roster for game day, they were able to employ that strategy frequently during the season to ensure they had five receivers available if needed.
With that being said, the decision to waive Hart and Cody Thompson, two players who spent extensive time working with the first-team offense in training camp, likely means Seattle has sights on a receiver or two on the waiver wire. Five receivers has typically been the sweet spot for the team under Carroll and Schneider, so it would be surprising if there isn't movement to add at that position in the next few days. They could aim to sign a veteran such as Phillip Dorsett or John Brown or it's possible they put in a waiver claim on an intriguing young receiver to add depth.
As for the offensive line, the Seahawks clearly didn't think they could sneak rookie Jake Curhan through waivers to the practice squad and opted to keep him on the roster. They also retained Jamarco Jones and Cedric Ogbuehi, creating a bit of a logjam at the tackle spots and leaving the team with 11 linemen total. Normally, the team only carries eight or nine players in that position group, so there will surely be later movement in the trenches as well.
3. Expect some movement on the injured reserve front to open up a spot or two.
In the past, teams would have been cautious about placing players with minor injuries on injured reserve, as only one or two of them could be activated later in the season. But now, teams are allowed to put any player on injured reserve with the opportunity to bring them back to the active roster three weeks later, which changes the game.
Going into the season, the Seahawks have a number of banged up players who could be possible candidates to start on injured reserve. Offensively, tight end Colby Parkinson continues to work his way back from a broken foot, while Ogbuehi has been nursing a bicep injury for several weeks. On defense, rookie cornerback Tre Brown sat out the preseason finale with a sore knee and safety Ryan Neal has been battling through an oblique strain.
If any of those players do wind up on injured reserve, Seattle would create an additional roster spot for at least three weeks that could be used to bring back players who were initially released or add players who spent training camp and the preseason with other teams. This allows great roster flexibility, which could be used to add a receiver or player at another position lacking depth, while still allowing the team to bring back injured players in quick fashion once they have fully recovered.
4. Free agent reinforcements remain on the table, including Geno Atkins.
While the Seahawks should have one of the more talented edge rushing groups in the NFC, depth along the interior defensive line remains a concern, as evidenced by their visit with Atkins last week. Injuries prevented Robert Nkemdiche from building off a strong start to training camp and led to his release on Tuesday, leaving the team with L.J. Collier, Rasheem Green, and Kerry Hyder as the backup options behind Poona Ford at the 3-tech position.
It's possible Nkemdiche could return on the practice squad and contribute down the road once he's healthy, but Seattle remains interested in bringing Atkins into the fold. Though the two-time All-Pro isn't the player he used to be and is coming off of surgery, his athleticism and pass rushing savvy could allow him to remain a functional rotational 3-tech. Based on what Carroll said recently, the door remains open for him to sign if he wishes and it's possible he could be a player who is added after Week 1 when his contract becomes non-guaranteed.
Though it remains slim it will happen, such a strategy could be used to bring back beloved star K.J. Wright if he hasn't signed with any other team. The Seahawks remain light at linebacker after cutting undrafted rookies Jon Rhattigan and Aaron Donkor, but the 11-year veteran would need to be willing to accept a lesser role for lesser money for there to be any chance of a reunion.
5. Seattle should continue to scan the market for running back-needy trade partners.
Over the past decade, the value of running backs compared to other offensive skill positions has plummeted, but plenty of teams such as the Ravens find themselves in a tough spot after losing key runners to injury. Even though the Seahawks retained Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas, Alex Collins, and Travis Homer on the initial roster, however, Schneider should stay on alert looking for a potential deal to acquire draft capital or a player at another position of need.
As Seattle has learned the hard way over the past several seasons, there's no such thing as too much depth at running back, especially given Carson and Penny's injury histories. Still, it will be near-impossible to get all five players involved on game day if everyone is healthy, even from a special team standpoint. Once injuries strike elsewhere, they won't be able to afford to hold onto all of them anyway, so trying to get a draft pick for a player if possible would be a prudent move.
