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Brady HendersonESPN
RENTON, Washington, USA – The Seattle Seahawks open the 2021 NFL regular season at the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 12 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Last season they finished 12-4, winning the NFC West and losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoff round of the playoffs.
Will there be Duane Brown? The veteran left-back attack holds up because he wants a new deal and the Seahawks don’t want to extend it right now, and no one knows for sure if he will play his current contract. All of this adds another layer of uncertainty when it comes to predicting the Seattle list.
On Tuesday it will be reduced to 53 players at 16.00 ET. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Russell Wilson, Geno Smith
The offense that new coordinator Shane Waldron is installing puts more emphasis than before on short, intermediate passes that get the ball out of Wilson’s hands quickly. This would be even more of a priority if Brown misses the regular season games in the middle of his contract dispute. Smith is the favorite to keep Sean Mannion’s backup job, which could serve as QB3 in the training squad.
RUNNING BACK (5): Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer and Nick Bellore
Carson is the undisputed starter and Penny is probably still No. 2, though Dallas and Alex Collins were more impressive in the preseason. Dallas advocated more snapshots as an option to change pace and catch passes. If it was just who is the best back, Collins would be a look at Homer for fourth place. But these battles are often reduced to special teams and Homer has more value in them. The versatile Bellore has been occupying the striker, the place he occupied before his career before moving to the side.
TIGHT END (3): Gerald Everett, Will Dissly, Tyler Mabry
Last season’s new rule that reduced the minimum stay on the injured reserve could provide the Seahawks with some flexibility with Colby Parkinson, whose condition is open in question due to a foot injury. If they determine that it needs more time, they could include it in the initial 53, put it in IR towards the opening and return it immediately three weeks (according to the new rule) instead of six (which was previously the minimum) . Everett, a Rams free agent, is an intriguing player. The Seahawks signed him to be one more weapon in the passing game and to facilitate the transition to Waldron’s offense.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, D’Wayne Eskridge, Freddie Swain, Penny Hart
These five seem pretty fixed. The questions are whether the Seahawks will carry a sixth receiver and where Eskridge falls in order to peck. The rookie second-round pick missed much of the spring and first three weeks of camp due to a toe injury, but has withdrawn the list of physical disabilities and is trying to make up for lost time. . We know this: Lockett and Metcalf give the Seahawks one of the best duos in the NFL.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Duane Brown, Damien Lewis, Ethan Pocic, Gabe Jackson, Brandon Shell, Cedric Ogbuehi, Stone Forsythe, Kyle Fuller, Jordan Simmons, Jamarco Jones
Jones and Ogbuehi have returned to the wounds that left them out on the field. They would be the two best options left to replace Brown. Center is also a dubious-looking place, with Pocic missing much of the camp in the middle of his battle with Fuller for the initial job. Ogbuehi handed out reps with Shell on his right side before his injury. So even if Brown plays, the five starters won’t have spent much time on the field together this summer, if any.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Carlos Dunlap, Poona Ford, Al Woods, Kerry Hyder Jr., Benson Mayowa, LJ Collier, Rasheem Green, Alton Robinson, Bryan Mone, Robert Nkemdiche
Still it looks like a deep group of sliders, even without Aldon Smith, who was released after an offside mishap. The question is where will the inner race come from other than Ford and Hyder. So the Seahawks brought Geno Atkins for a workout and took him to the radar.
LINEBACKER (5): Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Darrell Taylor, Cody Barton, someone not on the list
Don’t expect someone to be KJ Wright. Ben Burr-Kirven’s knee injury at the end of the season made this group of positions even thinner. But the problem is with the depth, not with the first ones. Given all that Wright has accomplished throughout his career and how well he’s played the last two seasons, it’s hard to imagine him wanting to come back for anything other than a starting role and starting money. Bellore’s ability to play on the defensive line with a little skin mitigates the problem of depth.
CANTONER (5): Ahkello Witherspoon, DJ Reed, Tre Flowers, Tre Brown, Damarious Randall
This is the Seahawks’ most questionable group of positions. Are they solid in terms of depth, but are they good enough at the top to compete against NFC West’s elite receivers and masterful players? Seattle acquired John Reid in a trade with the Houston jeans, but did not give up nearly enough (a conditional seventh-round pick) to turn him into a lock for the 53-man roster. This move was more about consolidating depth, as Brown faced a knee injury. Randall has to hold Reid and Gavin Heslop for last place.
SECURITY (5): Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Ugo Amadi, Ryan Neal, Marquise Blair
These five seem to be set up. Blair and Amadi are the two best nickelback options. Neal played well while replacing Adams last season. The Seahawks are hoping better that this group, led by the initial Adams and Diggs duo of the Pro Bowl, can help cover the shortcomings of their high school abroad.
SPECIALIST (3): Michael Dickson, Jason Myers, Tyler Ott
This trio returns after helping lead the Seahawks to No. 3 in the Football Outsiders DVOA special team rankings. Myers came out 24 against 24 on field goal attempts, Dickson continued to bet well enough to get a contract extension and Ott converted the Pro Bowl as a long parameter.