Analysis: The 5 Non-Rookie Receivers Vying For Seahawks' Remaining Roster Spots

Much has been made about the Seahawks' talented rookie receiver class, but the handful of players that have paid their dues on the practice squad should not be overlooked heading into the summer. Here's what you need to know about the five receivers who will go neck-and-neck with the likes of Tamorrion Terry, Cade Johnson, and Connor Wedington in training camp.

Coming off a season in which their two top receiving options set franchise records, receiver was still very much a position of need for the Seahawks this offseason. With David Moore now in Carolina, Phillip Dorsett in Jacksonville, and Josh Gordon a free agent - and still suspended - they were lacking considerable depth behind the star duo of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

After countless rumors that linked them to the likes of Antonio Brown, Willie Snead, and Sammy Watkins proved fruitless, the Seahawks headed into the 2021 NFL Draft still empty-handed. As a result, receiver became major focus of theirs in the draft. 

With the first of their three eventual picks in the event, they selected Western Michigan speedster D'Wayne Eskridge. Then, following the draft's conclusion, they came to agreements with undrafted free agents Tamorrion Terry, Cade Johnson, and Connor Wedington.

Johnson and Terry, specifically, stood out due to their relatively high pre-draft rankings. Various draft outlets were in agreement the two were worthy of early day three consideration, with some even giving them day two buzz. As such, most way-too-early roster projections you'll find on the Internet have them slotted in the back-half of the Seahawks' receiving corps behind Metcalf, Lockett, Eskridge, and Freddie Swain.

But before the arrival of this quartet of rookie pass-catchers, the Seahawks weren't completely devoid of potential at the position. Five receivers were signed to future/reserve contracts once the team's season came to an end in January, giving them plenty of options to mull over to fill out their group. Now that the competition for roster spots is a lot tighter post-draft, and seems to be led by the new faces, fans shouldn't sleep on the possibility of any of these following names breaking camp with the team this summer. 

Penny Hart

Hart was active for a good portion of the 2020 season, registering 114 special teams snaps in all, but didn't factor much into the Seahawks' offensive gameplan. He had one catch for three yards and took a sweep play for 19 against the Jets in Week 14, but that's all. However, with good speed and feel for special teams, he may be the likeliest out of the names on this list to crack Seattle's 53-man roster.

Cody Thompson

Impressing in training camp last July, Thompson may have become a bigger factor in the competition had there been a preseason. Instead, he remained on the team's practice squad for the entirety of 2020 with sights set on getting a more favorable opportunity this summer. He'll have an uphill battle to do so, but there's reason to believe he can overcome the challenges ahead. At the University of Toledo, he holds the second-highest career total for receiving yards in school history (3,312). 

John Ursua

The former seventh-round pick out of Hawai'i has yet to live up to the hype that was built around him in 2019. To this day, his late-game grab in the Seahawks' division-losing defeat to the 49ers that year remains his only recorded catch at the NFL level. Unable to earn a call-up from the team's practice squad in 2020, Ursua remains a Seahawk but appears to be on the outside looking in as the new season fast approaches.

Aaron Fuller

Seattle sports fans should be familiar with Fuller from his days at the University of Washington. Like Thompson, he impressed Pete Carroll and his coaching staff during training camp, but never saw an opportunity to show what he could do in game action. That'll change this August when the preseason returns, but it's going to take a lot for him to make it over the handful of talented players seemingly ahead of him. 

Darvin Kidsy

The third of the five names on this list that has some form of regular season experience, the 6'0" Kidsy is likely at the bottom of the Seahawks' receiving depth chart right now. Signed to the practice squad in the middle of the 2020 season, the former Washington Football Team wideout has some experience returning kicks dating back to his college days at North Texas and Texas Southern. That said, Seattle has plenty of options on that front and will likely go elsewhere unless Kidsy erupts this summer.