Subscribe
Follow Us
There is one last Seattle Seahawks preseason game to go before their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams to start the 2023 NFL season. In that time, the team will have to cut down the current squad to make the 53-man roster for the upcoming season. There are several competitive position groups on the Seahawks roster, which means that there will be some surprising names, including wide receiver Dareke Young, who won’t make the team.
WR Dareke Young
The Seahawks' wide receiver group is set at the top and is one of the deepest positions on the team’s roster. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and rookie first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be the team’s starters, and two others will likely make the final 53-man roster.
The four players competing for those two spots are Jake Bobo, Cody Thompson, Dareke Young, and Tyjon Lindsey.
Thompson has struggled with injuries in his career and picked up another knock against the Cowboys in the Seahawks' last preseason game. He is a solid special teamer, too, so if he can get healthy, he should make the team. Jake Bobo is also impressing in camp. The undrafted rookie from UCLA has five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown in the team’s first two games and now has a real shot of playing this season.
Neither Tyjon Linsey nor Dareke Young have done all that much to earn a spot yet, but they are both young and have upside. This may come down to the final game of the Seahawks' preseason vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Injuries may play a role as well. In addition to Thompson, Smith-Njigba is also hurt right now and may need wrist surgery. Still, early reports are that he could still be ready to go for the Seahawks in Week 1.
If everyone is healthy in two weeks, Dareke Young is probably the odd man out.
EDGE Tyreke Smith
Article Continues Below
Seattle has a solid four-man pass-rush rotation this season with Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor, and second-round rookie Derick Hall. It’s the fifth spot on the Seahawks roster that is still up in the air.
Heading into camp, it seemed like second-year pro Tyreke Smith was a lock for the spot. However, former USFL standout Levi Bell is going to be hard for Pete Carroll to cut. The 5-foot-11, 260-pound pass-rusher is not your typical NFL edge, but he’s far outperformed the more traditional 6-foot-3, 265-pound Smith this preseason.
In the first Seahawks preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, Bell had five pressures, a sack, and two quarterback hits. If the team decides it wants production over potential, Bell could be in and Smith could be out.
TE Tyler Mabry
Whether or not tight end Tyler Mabry is on the Seahawks' Week 1 roster isn’t about another player at his position beating him out. It’s about roster construction and whether the team decides on three TEs or four.
Will Dissly, Noah Fant, and Colby Parkinson will all be on the squad next season. If offensive coordinator Shane Waldron decides the team needs a blocking TE in addition to these pass-catchers at the position, Mabry could stay.
However, with the team’s current injuries and needs at running back, wide receiver, and offensive line, it does seem like three TEs will be the number on the final depth chart and that Mabry will be a somewhat surprising cut.
