The Seahawks waited a few hours to release their initial 53-man roster, and like any good story, the suspense paid off with some unexpected twists and turns. Anyone who has followed their NFL team closely enough to pay attention to cut day knows the announcement is simply the first part of the puzzle. Teams announce their cuts in a way that leaves media and fans scrambling to fit all the puzzle pieces together and learn all the news buried within. Let’s cut right to the chase. Here is the full picture of who was kept, cut and placed on PUP today.
Unspoken are some of the key storylines, so here they are spelled out.
Uchenna Nwosu avoids IR…for now
Notice there is nobody listed as going on Injured Reserve. The expectation when the team made the trade for edge rusher Trevis Gipson and it was reported that Uchenna Nwosu had a 2-6 recovery timeline for an MCL sprain was that he would go on IR.
Nwosu posted this on Twitter
Still, one would think the injured player was being optimistic. The lack of IR transaction leaves open the possibility that Nwosu will recover prior to Week 5 of the season. Being placed on IR today would have meant he would have had to miss the first four games.
The team still could choose to place him on IR later this week or next. This gives them some additional time to assess his recovery and decide whether an IR stint is necessary, so do not exhale quite yet. It is undeniably a more hopeful sign than if the door had been closed today.
Youth on the offensive line
Seattle kept 11 offensive linemen, including four rookies. The biggest surprise was undrafted free agent center Jalen Sundell. Sundell has had a very solid camp and preseason, but the assumption was he was an easy guy to push through waivers to the practice squad. Keeping him is a vote of confidence in his performance, and also a possible hedge against Connor Williams’ health.
The team kept three centers, with Olu Oluwatimi and Sundell being exclusively centers, and Williams expected to only play center. That lack of flexibility for backups is something to monitor. Teams usually would want to have backups who can fill in at multiple spots.
Beyond Sundell, the other three rookies to make it were 3rd round pick Christian Haynes, and two 6th round picks, Sataoa Laumea and Mike Jerrell.
Jerrell was a player the coaches seemed enamored with throughout camp and the team appeared to be hiding a bit during the preseason. That made it seem like they might try to sneak him through waivers. They did not.
The reason could be because they did not think he would go unclaimed. It could also be that they believe he was the best backup at right tackle already. Stone Forsythe is a swing tackle and could help there as well, but there is not another viable option beyond Jerrell.
This could also be done with the belief that Abe Lucas is on target to return after four weeks, which would give them another tackle and come at a time when they would have a better idea if Williams will hold up at center.
Laumea was a slow starter in camp, but offensive line coaches Scott Huff and Brendan Nugent could be seen nodding to each other in a recent practice as Laumea went through a sled drill. They were excited about what they were seeing.
Jerrell has been getting coaches attention since early in camp. Laumea has clearly come on.
Sacrificed to make room for the rookies were McClendon Curtis and Raiqwon O’Neal. Curtis was seen as a near-lock to make the roster.
He had been running with the starters at right guard during OTAs and was asked to shift to right tackle during training camp when Lucas was not ready. That wound up working against him as he struggled at tackle.
Curtis might have won the starting right guard battle if he was allowed to stick at that position. Instead, he’s out.
O’Neal was another guy who had moved all around the line, even taking some snaps at center in recent weeks. He was among the most boisterous members of the offensive line room, and his presence will be missed.
Both Curtis and O’Neal were signed off other team’s practice squads last year and spent the year as backups on the roster. The assumption is the team will try to bring them back on the practice squad.
Players who have less than four years in the league are subject to waivers. Teams have the right to claim them in 2024 draft order (Seattle is 16th). Players who have more than four years of services are considered vested veterans and can sign with any team.
O’Neal and Curtis are subject to waivers, so the Seahawks will need to wait until 9AM PT Wednesday morning to learn whether any of their guys were claimed.
The expectation is that Curtis, O’Neal, and tackle Garrett Greenfield will be signed back to the practice squad. Greenfield might be their priority of that trio. Keep in mind that teams can call up players from the practice squad three times before they have to sign them to the active roster, so it acts as a taxi squad and additional depth should the team need to bring up some extra depth at a spot each week.
The Jerrell news is especially bright. He has potential to develop into a valuable player and significantly outperform his draft slot.
Michael Barrett…we hardly knew ya
It was just a few days ago that Seattle trade cornerback Mike Jackson for linebacker Michael Barrett. This was a player Mike Macdonald knew from Michigan, and was expected to slot in on special teams.
Seeing him on the cut list was unexpected. The implication is that the team wanted to establish a connection that could increase the odds of a practice squad spot.
Cutting Barrett left the team with only four inside linebackers. Keeping Drake Thomas over Barrett was an eye opener.
Thomas, however, was a standout for the Raiders last year during preseason and a guy the Seahawks were excited to steal away when he was put on waivers. He came off PUP late in camp this year and caught my attention immediately with a unique physical profile for the position. He is thick through the thighs, and looks fast and powerful.
Teammates clearly respect him as a number of guys came over to dap him up on the first day he practiced in a way that stood out relative to other similar moments I have witnessed in past years.
Barrett was a 7th round pick. The team feels more comfortable exposing him to waivers than Thomas. That says something about both of them. This could also have been a decision influenced by Jay Harbaugh on special teams.
This may also imply the team is feeling good about Jerome Baker’s availability for the start of the season. The only backup who has seen real snaps is Tyrice Knight. Thomas has only been at practice for a little over a week.
It would not be a surprise if the team brings in another linebacker or resigns a guy like Patrick O’Connell or Jon Rhattigan in coming days for special teams and more backup depth.
Rhattigan was hurt by his contract that was due to pay him $3M, all of which was not guaranteed. The team could choose to resign him after week one so his full contract would not be guaranteed. Seattle has done things like this in the past with players like Clinton McDonald.
Artie Burns vanishes
Artie Burns was one of the stories of camp as he moved up the depth chart by making a number of plays in practice and in games. He was playing well enough that there were times the team was running with Devon Witherspoon outside and Burns at nickel instead of Tre Brown outside and Witherspoon at nickel.
That option no longer exists as Burns had his contract terminated. The question after Saturday’s game was whether he would go on IR.
He limped off the field with a non-contact injury and then was carted off the sideline into the locker room.
The assumption here is that his injury was serious enough that he will miss the season. Given that he was on a one-year deal, they simply terminated his contract. It is a brutal turn of events for a guy who has had to earn his roster spot every year the last few seasons.
He was due to earn over $1M a few days ago. He limps away with just $75K.
Nehemiah Pritchett and Dee Williams are the only backups
The loss of Burns, along with cutting DJ James, Lance Boykin, and Carlton Johnson leaves the Seahawks with only Nehemiah Pritchett and Dee Williams as backups to the three starters of Witherspoon, Brown, and Riq Woolen.
Williams played receiver primarily in college and switched back to corner in Seattle. He had some good moments, but is not ready for NFL action at the position. He was kept to be the kick and punt returner, not to play corner.
Pritchett struggled a lot in camp, giving up a lot of receptions. The team clearly sees something in him.
Do not be surprised if the Seahawks look outside the organization to find another nickel corner. Two, Desmond King and Samuel Womack, are of particular interest after they were cut by the Texans and 49ers, respectively.
The other option would be to consider Coby Bryant the backup nickel or possibly K’Von Wallace. Both have spent time there in past years.
Farewell Eskridge
Dee Eskridge’s career in Seattle has been snakebitten with injury. He leaves the Seahawks after making his most memorable play, a 79-yard punt return touchdown that had his teammates carrying him off the field.
Eskridge can sign with any team. It would be a surprise if he returned to Seattle, even on the practice squad. It is probably in his best interest to get a fresh start with a new organization and new fan base.
He will forever be remembered more for the opportunity cost of who the team could have selected at his draft slot (All-Pro Center Creed Humphrey) than for his own play.
Moves not over
The dizzying array of roster moves is not likely to end quite yet. The roster numbers and positions do not make perfect sense quite yet.
Seattle has 11 offensive linemen. There is no way they keep that many around for long. They also have 26 players on offense and only 24 on defense. One of those 24 is Nwosu, who still is likely to be unavailable for a while even in the optimistic scenario.
Myles Adams was part of the initial 53, but the team is known to want a backup nose tackle. Keep an eye on whether they made a waiver claim for that position or sign someone or make a trade.
It will be surprising if they stick with just the four inside linebackers, both from a depth and a special teams perspective. The team may also look different for week one than they will after veterans can be signed in week two without guaranteeing their deals.
For now, some rookies can take a moment to celebrate being a step closer to their dream of being an NFL player. Seven of the eight Seahawks picks made the roster, as well as undrafted rookies Dee Williams and Sundell.
Your 2024 Seahawks season is just around the corner.