Entering the first offseason of the Mike Macdonald era, the Seattle Seahawks will be hard-pressed for success heading into the 2024 NFL season. With most of its core offensive players returning, the upcoming preseason slate will be the first chance to see what kind of team they can be.
While the likes of Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, and others are back to fill the veteran leadership roles, the defense will need to find its identity. With Macdonald coming over from running the defense in Baltimore, his fingerprints will be all over this unit.
With this roster a bit in flux, it will be interesting to see which players stand out and which players fall onto the roster bubble during the preseason. While there are plenty of candidates for this list, let’s take a look at the three following players who will need strong showings to make the regular season roster.
D’Wayne Eskridge
It’s more of a numbers game for D’Wayne Eskridge than anything, as the former Western Michigan Bronco is fighting for a WR5/6 spot currently. With Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett locked into the top three spots for the Seahawks, and Jake Bobo all but having the WR4 spot secured, it looks like Eskridge and Laviska Shenault are duking it out.
Shenault signed a one-year deal this offseason with Seattle, coming over from the Panthers, and he received over $1 million guaranteed with his deal. For Eskridge, 2024 marks the final year of his rookie contract, and releasing him would save Seattle over $1 million.
After being suspended for six games last season after violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Eskridge saw time in four games (18 snaps) but recorded no stats. Having recorded just 122 receiving yards and one score across his three professional seasons, the former second-round pick likely will need a monster preseason performance to make this roster.
Kenny McIntosh
It may seem a bit interesting to think that a second-year back would be a potential roster cut, but Kenny McIntosh could have a lukewarm seat entering the preseason slate. After a three-game stint as a rookie saw him record no stats, McIntosh now has to fight out undrafted free agent George Holani for the RB3 role.
Holani was handed $115,000 in guaranteed money to sign in May, a hefty sum for the former Boise State running back. His collegiate career gives him not only a solid chance of making the roster but also potentially playing a role on special teams to earn his keep.
McIntosh will need to show why the Seahawks should keep four running backs this season – while they typically have, that was from a previous regime, so Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb may think differently.
Marquise Blair
The lone defender on our roster bubble preview is safety Marquise Blair, who just signed on July 26 for his second stint with Seattle. After having been drafted in the second round by the Seahawks back in 2019, Blair was released in 2022 and has bounced around the league a bit.
With safety Jerrick Reed II still recovering from his torn ACL suffered last season, Blair was signed to pick up some Seahawks training camp work at safety. But Blair has a checkered injury history himself, having suffered two multi-week injuries during his Seattle tenure.
It might come down to a numbers game for Blair, and joining a team this late in the offseason is tough. If Blair shows up in the preseason, both on defense and special teams, then he may make a big enough impression to factor into the final roster. But if not, he would unfortunately be an easy-cut candidate for the Seahawks.
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