Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: WR Easop Winston - Sleeper in Kick Return Race?

Back with the team after spending several months on the practice squad last year, Easop Winston will be banking on his talents as a kick and punt returner to vault him onto the Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster this time around.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 15, 2023 5:44 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities well underway league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be detailing every member of 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 2023 campaign.

Easop Winston, Receiver

Height/Weight: 6-0, 192 pounds

2022 Stats: N/A

After producing nearly 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns in two seasons at Washington State, Winston signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent, but did not make the team out of training camp. The Saints signed him the following summer and after spending most of the 2021 season on the practice squad, he appeared in three games late in the season, returning 10 punts for 119 yards and catching one pass for five yards in his first NFL regular season action.

Winston spent time with the Saints and Browns during training camp last year, but was released by both teams, eventually joining the Seahawks practice squad in October. He did not appear in any game action and re-signed on a future/reserve deal in January.

Best-Case Scenario: With the kick and punt return specialist roles wide open going into camp, Winston delivers the goods with a pair of long kick returns during the preseason, winning a surprising spot as a sixth receiver and special teams ace on Seattle's 53-man roster.

Worst-Case Scenario: Too far down on the depth chart to stand out at receiver and in the middle of the pack in the race to replace Godwin Igwebuike returning kicks, Winston only lasts one preseason game before being waived.

What to Expect in 2023: A local product who shined in two seasons with the Cougars, fans will be pulling for Winston to make some noise during the preseason. Unlike some of the other young receivers he will be competing against, his return capabilities may give him a legitimate opportunity to crash the party and make the team, especially after spending time with the Seahawks last fall.

But for Winston to have any shot, he will need to be the clear cut winner in the return specialist competition, as snaps will be difficult to come by on offense even with second and third-string units. After drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba to go along with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Dee Eskridge, and Dareke Young, there may be only one roster spot left at receiver and special teams will likely be the deciding factor. If he isn't able to seize the return job, after bouncing around with four different teams, he could running out of chances to make it in the league.

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