Grading the Seahawks' 53-Man Roster, Practice Squad

The Seattle Seahawks are moving on as the regular season is less than a week away.

The team has its 53-man roster and 17-man practice squad built, but changes will be coming throughout the season. For the time being, I'm getting out my red pen and grading the job general manager John Schneider and the rest of the front office and coaching staff did with their decision-making skills.

Offense

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr runs with the ball during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks didn't have too many prizes on the offensive side of the ball. The main decision they made that could have gone in a different direction was deciding the fifth wide receiver spot. Despite drafting Emmanuel Henderson Jr. in the sixth round of the draft out of Kansas and having 2025 seventh-round pick Ricky White and Cody White on the roster, the team decided to go with Montorie Foster Jr. instead.

Foster scored a touchdown in the team's preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys and had a tremendous ascent during the offseason. The Seahawks wanted to reward that progress with a spot on the 53-man roster, as they feel he can be a huge benefit on special teams.

Defense

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs participates in pregame warmups against the Los Angeles Chargers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The defense also was pretty standard in the front seven, but the secondary had a couple of surprises. The team opted to cut veterans Trevon Diggs and Noah Igbinoghene in favor of third-year pro Nehemiah Pritchett and trading for undrafted free agent Avery Smith out of Toledo.

The team also only decided to keep three safeties on the 53-man roster: Ty Okada, Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori. There are three safeties on the practice squad: Rodney Thomas II, AJ Finley and Maxen Hook. It may be a detriment to have so few defensive backs on the roster, but that is made up for by the fact that there are almost just as many on the practice squad.

Final Grade

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks definitely made some questionable decisions when it came to the roster, however, Schneider has a really good pulse on the players and the roster as a whole.

Seattle is more focused on the fit with certain players as opposed to positions. He isn't afraid to dig deep into the practice squad throughout the year. Instead of looking for free agents to boost the depth of the roster, the Seahawks are counting on the players that have been in training camp and helping build the foundation and culture since last season.

It could be a mistake to not look outside the organization a little more, but it's a sign that the Seahawks trust those in the building.

With a roster that has the majority of the players fresh off of a Super Bowl win, there wasn't a need to completely tear it down. Schneider is trusting the players he's invested in and believing in them to get the job done once again.

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