Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: S Jonathan Sutherland - Ryan Neal Replacement?

Making waves during the offseason program while receiving first-team reps, Jonathan Sutherland has put his best foot forward so far competing for a roster spot with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 15, 2023 4:40 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.

Jonathan Sutherland, Safety

Height/Weight: 6-2, 198 pounds

2022 Stats*: 58 tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups

*College stats at Penn State

After being recognized as a two-time First-Team All-State performer at Episcopal High School in Virginia, Sutherland committed to Penn State and redshirted his first season on campus. From there, though snaps were tough to come by on defense, he emerged as a leader on special teams. One of only two four-time captains in school history, he cut his teeth in the third phase of the game, including blocking a pair of punts against Idaho in a single game in 2019, while seeing limited action on defense in his first three seasons with the Nittany Lions.

As a senior in 2022, Sutherland transitioned full-time from safety to a "money" linebacker role, starting eight games and producing 38 tackles and a sack for Penn State and only missed four tackles, proving to be a reliable situational contributor on defense. With limited starting experience under his belt, he went undrafted and the Seahawks signed him to a contract as a priority free agent.

Best-Case Scenario: Emulating the departed Ryan Neal as a plug-and-play safety who excels near the box and can cover tight ends effectively, Sutherland builds off a stellar offseason program by impressing throughout camp and the preseason, earning himself a roster spot over Joey Blount as a reserve behind Jamal Adams and Julian Love.

Worst-Case Scenario: Despite seeing snaps with the first-team defense in the spring, once Adams returns healthy in training camp, Sutherland doesn't have a spot for him on the roster and after being cut, he signs with Seattle's practice squad.

What to Expect in 2023: Coach Pete Carroll rarely delves into specifics on undrafted rookies during the spring, but Sutherland has drawn rave reviews from him and veterans on the roster, which explains his presence on the first-team defense. A savvy player who handled numerous roles at Penn State and possesses many of the same qualities as Neal in terms of physicality, toughness, and special teams acumen, he has stood out as one of the undrafted rookies with the best chance to make Seattle's roster.

But with Adams likely to return from a torn quad tendon at some point in training camp and Love's arrival adding extra depth at strong safety, Sutherland still faces an uphill climb to earn a spot on the 53. He will have to be dynamic on special teams and when he does receive chances to play on defense in the preseason, he will have to come through with impact plays to give himself a chance to beat out Blount in August. Otherwise, he should be viewed as a top candidate to return on the practice squad or join another team's active roster off waivers.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles