No point beating around the bush, because everyone is here for the projections, so here is a way too early shot at predicting the 2025 Seattle Seahawks roster on the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback (3): Keep: Sam Darnold, Jalen Milroe, Drew Lock Cut: N/A
Darnold is the unquestioned starter given his contract, though the instant Darnold has even the slightest bit of struggles there will be calls for the team to turn to Milroe and/or Lock. It will be annoying, but at least it will make content generation easy, and that’s the important thing.
Running Back (3):Keep: Zach Charbonnet, Kenneth Walker III, Damien MartinezCut: Kenny McIntosh, George Holani, Jacardia Wright
Here come the McIntosh fans screaming about how he’s super versatile and is so good in the passing game he could play in the slot as a receiver while McIntosh has played 75 offensive snaps in two seasons. Simply put, at this point McIntosh hasn’t put enough on tape to warrant a waiver claim from another team. He will clear waivers, especially following the 2025 NFL Draft which was extremely deep at the position, meaning teams that wanted a young running back have added one who is under contract for four seasons, as opposed to a pair of seasons for McIntosh.
Fullback (1):Keep: Brady RussellCut: Robbie Ouzts
This will be one of the camp battles to watch. Russell comes in as someone who proved his worth on special teams to two different coaching staffs, and Seattle would need to replace those snaps should they choose Ouzts. Ouzts would obviously be expected to make a significant contribution on special teams, but decisions at other roster spots could influence this position. The performance of the 2024 special teams units early in the season showed the impact of moving on from four of the top six special teamers by snaps played from 2023 (Nick Bellore, Jon Rhattigan, DeeJay Dallas and Michael Jackson), and hopefully the coaching staff learned their lesson and won’t make that same mistake.
Tight end (3):Keep: Noah Fant, Elijah Arroyo, A.J. BarnerCut: Nick Kallerup, Marshall Long, Eric Saubert
Everyone is in a rush to move on from Fant, but unless another team is desperate for his services or Arroyo comes in and demonstrates a level of performance that is atypical for a rookie, Fant likely sticks around until he hits free agency again next spring and signs elsewhere.
The surprise cut here is Saubert, but just think of Saubert as the 2025 version of Artie Burns. A veteran, Saubert can be released outright without having to clear waivers, and his contract is structured in such a way that he can spend the first month of the season on the practice squad without it costing him a penny in lost salary. With that in mind, I’d guess he is released, signed to the practice squad, and as things settle at other positions or someone lands on injured reserve, Saubert will eventually be moved to the 53 man roster, just like the Seahawks did with Burns each of the past two seasons.
Wide Receiver (6):Keep: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tory Horton, Jake Bobo, Steven SimsCut: Tyrone Broden, Nate McCollum, John Rhys Plumlee, Cody White, Ricky White III, Dareke Young, Montorie Foster Jr.
JSN, Kupp, MVS and Horton are the locks. Bobo has the inside track over the others competing for the final spot or two because of his special teams experience and because, at least in theory, he’s a post up/jump ball threat in the red zone Seattle hasn’t had since Jimmy Graham left. Now it’s a matter of seeing whether the coaching staff will use him in that manner.
Sims gets the last spot because he’s the only member of the roster who has actually returned punts and kicks in the NFL, though his hold on that spot it tenuous given his proclivity to fumble. However, when taking his educational background into consideration, it could prove difficult to bump him off the roster.
Tackle (3):Keep: Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas, Joshua JonesCut: Michael Jerrell
The Seahawks new offensive coaches were apparently so thrilled with Jerrell’s 2024 tape that they went out and signed an experienced swing tackle to replace him. As a second year player he certainly still has upside, but how much upside he might have at 26 is debatable.
Interior Offensive Line (6):Keep: Bryce Cabeldue, Olu Oluwatimi, Jalen Sundell, Grey Zabel, Anthony Bradford, Mason RichmanCut: Federico Maranges, Mala Aumavae-Laulu, Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea
Center is easy. Maranges qualifies for an IPP exemption as a native of Puerto Rico, so unless he proves to be worthy of a starting spot, giving him time to develop on the practice squad is just fine.
Guard is the position group where the debate among fans is likely to rage all summer through training camp and then continue largely unabated into and through the regular season, as whichever of the youngsters make the roster inevitably struggle at times.
Zabel is a lock, and Bradford comes in with a leg up on the competition having been named by two separate coaching staffs as a starter during his two seasons in the league, which would seem to mean he shows something in practice that coaches like. Next up, Cabeldue gets the nod thanks to his pedigree, having played his college ball at one of the best universities in the known universe, leaving one spot up for grabs.
Richman gets the last spot simply because he was drafted by the new coaching staff, rather than the prior coaching staff that was around way back in 2024 when the Seahawks selected Sataoa Laumea and Christian Haynes. So, just as Solari moved on from Cable’s guys, and Dickerson moved on from Solari’s guys, and Huff moved on from Dickerson’s guys, the time has arrived for Benton to move on from Huff’s guys.
And now it’s on to the comments for the debate.
