The Seattle Seahawks finalized their 53-man roster last weekend. This is one of the best rosters in the league, so most of the roster decisions were easy.
There weren’t any huge surprises. A few camp standouts earned spots, and a couple of spots were kept surprisingly thin. Of course, there could still be roster shuffling between now and Week 1, but let’s go ahead and make some observations.
Which of these roster decisions will the Seahawks end up regretting?
Not Adding More Depth at Running Back
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The Seahawks only kept three running backs on the final roster. Two of those running backs have dealt with injuries this summer, and one is a special teams ace almost exclusively.
Rookie Jadarian Price was a first-round pick this year, so obviously the team expects big things out of him. However, it’s tough to rely on a rookie to be the workhorse immediately, especially off an injury. George Holani won’t offer much on offense, and Emanuel Wilson is returning from an injury as well.
Yes, Zach Charbonnet is coming back eventually, but the team has to get by until then. It would’ve been smart to add a veteran backup.
Not Adding More Depth at Wide Receiver
Sticking with the theme here, the Seahawks also only kept five wide receivers. The top three, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed, are elite, but the last two are big question marks.
Will Tory Horton take a step? Will Montorie Foster be able to contribute? The Seahawks better hope so, because teams are going to be able to lock in on Smith-Njigba otherwise.
None of the depth options the Seahawks cut were that great, but they could’ve been a nice fit for a veteran free agent. Instead, the team is hoping the top trio will carry the offense again this season.
Only Keeping Two Safeties
The oddest position decisions came at safety, as the team only kept two. Don’t get me wrong, Ty Okada and Julian Love are great starters, but it’s bewildering to not keep any backup options at all.
The Seahawks did add a few safeties to the practice squad, but having no proven backups is still an interesting choice. Nick Emmanwori is technically a safety, too, but he’s going to play all over the field and in the slot mostly.
