Bubble Watch: Which Seahawks Have Most to Gain/Lose in Preseason Finale?

After concluding their training camp on Thursday, the Seahawks have one last dress rehearsal coming up on Saturday against the Chargers at Lumen Field before ushering in the regular season.

For 27 players, the preseason finale may be the last time they wear a Seattle uniform with final cutdowns coming early next week. All teams will be required to reach the 53-man limit for the regular season by 1 PM PST on Tuesday, August 31 and many of those cuts will trickle in earlier, making Saturday's contest a critical one for fringe players squarely on the roster bubble.

Which Seahawks have the most the gain or lose against the Chargers? Paying homage to "March Madness," here are five positional groups that still remain unsettled with guaranteed locks, players who should be on the roster, and players who still have work to do with four quarters of play to prove themselves.

Running Back

Locks: Chris Carson, DeeJay Dallas

Should Be In: Rashaad Penny

Work To Do: Alex Collins, Travis Homer, Josh Johnson

Seattle has kept Carson in bubble wrap most of training camp and for good reason. With the few carries he's had, he's looked dynamic and ready to go for the regular season as he resumes his bell cow role. Dallas moved into lock status with another outstanding preseason showing against the Broncos, returning a kick past midfield and blocking a punt on special teams.

But behind those two, four players continue to battle for two spots in the backfield. Penny has had his moments on the practice field where he's exhibited elite burst and busted a few big runs, but durability remains a concern and he didn't do much with a handful of carries last weekend against Denver. This is a big game coming up for the former first-round pick and he will get plenty of action. Collins has been impressive throughout camp except for the fact he has struggled with ball security, fumbling four times in practice scrimmages. That's not a positive development in a tight race for a roster spot and a strong final preseason outing would bolster his chances.

Just coming off the PUP list on Tuesday, Homer likely won't be ready to play this weekend and if he makes the team, it will be for his pass protection skills, special teams ability, and the fact coach Pete Carroll holds him in high regard. As good as Johnson has looked at times, the undrafted rookie appears to be a long shot at this point and likely will be playing for a shot elsewhere or a spot on the practice squad.

Receiver

Locks: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Dee Eskridge, Freddie Swain

Should Be In: Penny Hart

Work To Do: Cody Thompson, Aaron Fuller, Cade Johnson

Even after opening camp on the PUP list, Eskridge never had to worry about his spot being in limbo and the speedy playmaker enjoyed a strong week of practice to close out camp, hauling in a 50-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson. He and Swain have both done enough to enter lock status behind Metcalf and Lockett, giving the Seahawks a quality receiving quartet with four players offering different skill sets.

Who will fill out the depth chart behind them? And how many receivers will Seattle keep? Those are the two big questions left unanswered. If the team only plans to keep five, even after missing two weeks with what Carroll called a "legit" ankle sprain, Hart got off to a fast start and Wilson trusts him as much as any receiver on the team. It'd be a major surprise if he wasn't the fifth receiver given his special teams ability. Assuming the team keeps six receivers, Thompson appears to have a narrow edge over Fuller and Johnson after seeing extensive first-team snaps over the past few weeks in practice. But he certainly could use a strong finish to the preseason to secure a roster spot and the other two players may be one quality performance away from leap-frogging him, especially if either stands out on special teams.

Offensive Tackle

Locks: Duane Brown, Brandon Shell, Stone Forsythe

Should Be In: N/A

Work To Do: Jamarco Jones, Cedric Ogbuehi, Jake Curhan

While the Seahawks continue to try to work things out with Brown, who wants a new contract, he will be back in action for the season opener in Indianapolis and Shell hasn't had to worry about battling for his job with Ogbuehi missing most of camp due to a biceps injury. Just like a year ago, both of those players will be the bookends protecting Wilson and Forsythe is a lock to make the team as a potential swing tackle behind them.

Where things get a bit more murky is figuring out which player will win the second reserve tackle spot. Durability and club control will be two important underlying factors in that decision-making process. Jones and Ogbuehi have been out for large chunks of training camp and both players will be free agents next March. Though each has started several games in the league, the emergence of undrafted rookie Jake Curhan during camp and the preseason has suddenly put both of them in a precarious spot. Seattle could try to sneak Curhan onto the practice squad, but with many teams lacking depth at tackle, there's a decent chance another team could claim him off waivers.

It's also possible Ethan Pocic losing out on the starting center job to Kyle Fuller could bounce a backup guard off the roster, further hurting Jones' stock after seeing some snaps there over the past two years. There's no question this will be a big game for all three players, who might be playing for one spot on the 53.

Defensive Tackle

Locks: Poona Ford, Al Woods

Should Be In: Bryan Mone

Work to Do: Robert Nkemdiche, Jarrod Hewitt, Myles Adams

For the most part, the defensive tackle position looks to be settled in stone with Ford returning as a budding star and Woods showing no signs of decline at 34 years of age. Those two should be the starters in Week 1 against the Colts, while Mone will serve as the rotational big-bodied nose tackle behind Woods.

What the Seahawks have to figure out is whether or not Nkemdiche is part of their plans or not. The former first-round pick had a strong offseason program and opened training camp on a roll, but a groin injury kept him out for nearly two weeks and prevented him from playing in the first two preseason games. He may have done enough before the injury to earn a roster spot, but the team's apparent interest in veteran Geno Atkins indicates they aren't necessarily thrilled with their options at the 3-tech spot away from Ford.

An undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech, Hewitt generated his first NFL sack against the Broncos in the second preseason game and has legitimate pass rushing potential, but at 290 pounds, he has had his share of issues against the run so far. Adams has made a couple nice plays near the goal line as a starter in both preseason games and might be a sleeper worth watching heading into the finale.

Cornerback

Locks: Ahkello Witherspoon, D.J. Reed, Tre Flowers

Should Be In: Tre Brown

Work to Do: Damarious Randall, Gavin Heslop, John Reid

Speaking with reporters after Wednesday's practice, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. suggested he isn't in a rush to name Seattle's starting cornerbacks. While some could point towards a great competition causing the prolonged decision, the position group as a whole has underwhelmed in preseason play to this point and injuries have also kept Reed, Randall, and now Brown out for multiple practices. Those reasons may have more to do with starters not yet being determined than anything else.

With that said, even after struggling a bit in the first two exhibition games, Witherspoon and Flowers look like safe bets to make the team. They both offer the size and length Carroll prefers and have performed well on the practice field throughout camp. Reed also played well before injuring his groin and has looked healthy since returning to practice earlier this week, so his spot should be notched as well and he will likely be the starter on the right side.

As for the rest of the depth chart, Brown's sore knee kept him out of practice all week and Carroll indicated Seattle's choice to trade a conditional seventh-round pick to Houston to acquire Reid stemmed from the rookie's injury. It remains unseen how long he will be out, which could help Reid's chances of making the team despite being such a late addition. But he will have to beat out Randall, who has more than 30 NFL starts at cornerback under his belt and can also play safety, along with Heslop, who has enjoyed a fine camp while playing snaps on the outside as well as in the slot. Saturday's finale could ultimately decide who gets the fifth cornerback spot between those three players.