It’s a holiday weekend with the slowest part of the annual NFL news cycle just over the horizon, meaning it’s time for the annual way-too-early 53 man roster projection.
No point wasting time with foundational fluff, because the debate that will rage will be about the content below, so it’s right to the projections on which members of the roster will survive through final roster cuts at the end of training camp.
Defensive End (3):Keep: DeMarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Rylie MillsCut: Mike Morris
Williams and Lawrence aren’t going anywhere as long as they stay healthy.
The Seahawks kept just three players who carried the defensive end position designation on the initial 2024 roster, and if that proves to be the case again in 2025, as of right now it’s either Morris or Mills. Morris turned 24 in April, and Mills will turn 24 during training camp, so there is meaningful difference in age between the two. Morris comes in having played just 96 defensive snaps during his two seasons in the NFL, but logged the third most special teams snaps of any player on the roster in 2024, so could have an advantage there.
Of course, the third most special teams snaps may not be a great selling point given the struggles of the group in 2024, which means Morris may need to put himself far enough ahead of Mills to justify two fewer seasons of team control.
Interior Defensive Line (3):Keep: Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy, Johnathan HankinsCut: Quinton Bohanna, Bubba Thomas, Brandon Pili, Demeco Roland, J.R. Singleton
Reed and Murphy are locks, while Hankins showed enough on his 390 defensive snaps in 2024 that as long as he can continue to keep father time at arm’s length, he should be a member of the roster.
Bohanna and Pili each spent time on the practice squad in 2024, so come in with the advantage of knowing the coaching staff and system, but displacing any of the three veterans could prove an uphill battle.
Linebacker (9):Keep: Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, Jared Ivey, Ernest Jones, Tyrice Knight, Josh Ross, Drake Thomas, Connor O’Toole Cut: Seth Coleman, Jalan Gaines, D’Eryk Jackson, Patrick O’Connell, Jamie Sheriff, Tyreke Smith
Hall, Mafe and Nwosu aren’t going anywhere and as long as they stay healthy should provide a very solid foundation on the edge. On the interior, the starting roles likely belong to Jones and Knight, while Ross and Thomas established themselves as significant enough members of the special teams that they should have a step up on the competition for their roster spots.
That effectively means the rest are competing for a pair of spots, with the final decision most likely coming down to which of them are able to best contribute on special teams. With that said, shot in the dark/pulling names out of a hat, Ivey and O’Toole get named to the final two spots. Ivey gets the nod because he was lauded enough during draft season that he may not make it through waivers, with O’Toole grabbing the last spot because he converted from wide receiver to defensive end in college and that’s unique. The fact that his contract also included guarantees among the highest given to any undrafted free agent in the NFL this season also doesn’t hurt.
(Author’s Note: This is where someone will race to the comments below and complain that these need to be divided into inside and outside linebackers, but any time spent on that is part of one’s life they will never get back because I absolutely do not care even one little bit.)
Cornerback (5):Keep: Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Josh Jobe, Nehemiah Pritchett, JT Woods Cut: Zy Alexander, Tyler Hall, Shemar Jean-Charles, Isas Waxter
Barring injury, Witherspoon and Woolen are the unquestioned top two at the position. Jobe and Pritchett hold the inside track based on their experience with the coaching staff and system, but it’s wouldn’t be unfathomable to see either bumped off the roster for one reason or another.
Of those competing for the final spot, the former third-round selection of the Los Angeles Chargers, Woods, gets the nod here. The reasons are due to a combination of his experience and athleticism. He ran a 4.36 at the 2022 NFL Combine and is the only member of the group with agility testing that would project to playing in the slot in the NFL, and the idea of Mike Macdonald toying around with an athletic member of the secondary who could play in the slot and is just 24 years old (will turn 25 in a couple of weeks) is intriguing.
Safety (5):Keep: Julian Love, Coby Bryant, Jerick Reed, Nick Emmanwori, D’Anthony BellCut: Ty Okada, AJ Finley
Bryant and Love were among the team leaders in defensive snaps played in 2024, a feat that could easily be repeated in 2025. Barring any kind of offseason issues, like an ATV accident, Emmanwori isn’t going anywhere after the Seahawks traded into the 35th pick to select him.
Reed gets the nod as he looks to cement his position as a key member of special teams, while special teams is where Bell is most likely to punch his ticket to the 53-man roster after logging more than a thousand special teams snaps for the Cleveland Browns over the past three seasons.
And now it’s on to the comments for the debate to rage.
