Seattle Seahawks Active Roster: How Many Spots Are Presumably Open?

Normally you'll see me go into some long introduction for an article, but there's really not much to say about today's topic. Seattle can carry 90 players during the offseason and then when the season starts it goes down to 53. We have a lot of time before we have to really start worrying about position battles and roster spots, but it's never to early to get a head start and take a look at just who the Seahawks got.

Now that the draft is complete and undrafted free agency and free agency mostly finished, Seattle has a bunch of players. Seahawks.com lists 85 players on the active roster, which includes the just-drafted rookies but not the UDFA's.

My job here was pretty simple, list the most likely candidates to make the final 53, then list all of the other players and try to figure out where Seattle is thin, where they're deep, and which of your favorite players might not make the cut. The Hawks have a whole lot of wide receivers and linebackers and yet I'm stumped on who will make the roster after the first few of those names on each respective list. I mean, we can make our best guess and that's all I can do. Don't get mad at me for not listing a player on my "likely" list. In fact, I'm willing to make adjustments to this list based on feedback and reader consensus.

I just threw some names up. For instance, I only listed two quarterbacks because I am still not sure what's going to happen with that third spot. I even threw on a few names that I am not entirely sure will make the team. Many of the 6th and 7th round guys could end up on the practice squad. Or not. It's far too early to tell.

But it's not too early to start guessing.

Let's take a look:

Offense

QB

Matt Flynn

Russell Wilson

RB

Marshawn Lynch

Robert Turbin

Michael Robinson

Leon Washington

WR

Sidney Rice

Doug Baldwin

Mike Williams

Golden Tate

Kris Durham

TE

Zach Miller

Cameron Morrah

Anthony McCoy

T

Russell Okung

James Carpenter

Paul McQuistan

Frank Omiyale

Breno Giacomini

G

John Moffitt

Deuce Lutui

JR Sweezy (Practice Squad Likely?)

Lemuel Jeanpierre

C

Max Unger

Defense

DT

Brandon Mebane

Alan Branch

Clint McDonald

Jaye Howard

DE

Chris Clemons

Bruce Irvin

Red Bryant

Jason Jones

LB

LeRoy Hill

K.J. Wright

Bobby Wagner

Korey Toomer

Barrett Ruud

DB

Brandon Browner

Richard Sherman

Marcus Trufant

Jeremy Lane

Walter Thurmond

Byron Maxwell

S

Earl Thomas

Kam Chancellor

Winston Guy

Jeron Johnson

Special Teams

Steven Hauschka

Jon Ryan

Clint Gresham

Total: 49

Other Active Players That I Didn't List:

Deon Butler, WR

Ben Obomanu, WR

Ricardo Lockette, WR

Charly Martin, WR

John Nalbone, TE

Allen Barbre, T/G

Vai Taua, RB

Tyrell Sutton, RB

Kregg Lumpkin, RB

Josh Portis, QB

Tarvaris Jackson, QB

Brent Osbone, OL

Malcolm Smith, LB

Adrian Moten, LB

Mike Morgan, LB

Matt McCoy, LB

Jameson Konz, LB

Heath Farwell, LB

Allen Bradford, LB

Tressor Baptitse, LB

Paul Fanaika, G

Adrian Taylor, DT

Lazarius Levingston, DE

John Graves, DE

Dexter Davis, DE

Pierre Allen, DE

Coye Francies, DB

Philip Adams, DB

Ron Parker, CB

Chris Maragos, CB

Roy Lewis, CB

Jesse Hoffman, CB

UDFA

- Ohio WR Phil Bates
- McNeese St CB London Durham
-California (Pa.) G Rishaw Johnson
- Washington WR Jermaine Kearse
- Henderson State TE Sean McGrath
- Montana OT Jon Opperud
- Portland St. DB Deshawn Shead
- Cincinnati DE/LEO Monte Taylor
- Oregon WR Lavasier Tuinei
- Purdue K Carson Wiggs.

If Sweezy is put on the practice squad, that gives Seattle 48 and a total of 5 spots open for grabs. Presumably, a third QB could be put on the active roster and if Tarvaris Jackson it will almost definitely carry 3 QBs and if not, then Josh Portis could wind up on the practice squad again and Seattle will have four roster spots open.

I only listed four wide receivers because I was more sure about those guys but we would presume that at least two more will make the team. There's no telling who, after Doug Baldwin made the team last season unexpectedly and then Ricardo Lockette being activated. Will Mike Williams be cut at some point of another player steps up?

The other current WRs on the active roster: Deon Butler, Ben Obomanu, Lockette, and Charly Martin. UDFA's Jermaine Kearse, Phil Bates, and Lavasier Tuinei will try to be this years UDFA surprises.

That's eight receivers on the active roster and three undrafted free agents for a total of eleven guys fighting for six or seven spots. I really don't know what to guess, my only locks actually are Rice and Baldwin. I could see a scenario in which every other player was a surprise (or non-surprise) casualty although I think that Golden is safe and I think that the team still loves Durham.

Another position that I am still unsure about is the depth at linebacker. There are 13 linebackers on the roster and which ones are locks? I have Hill, Ruud, Wagner, Wright, and Toomer. But it's also important to note that the team isn't afraid to cut a draft pick and could Toomer disappoint enough to risk losing him? Malcolm Smith, Farwell, McCoy, Bradford... these guys are comin' after a roster spot hard.

And then there's the defensive backs and safeties. I listed Lane, but I hardly find that to be a guarantee. Practice squad could be more likely. Will Thurmond survive another year based on potential or will his health get the best of him? Players like Maragos and Lewis seem like guys that can make this roster again unless another DB really steps up.

And what about the depth at safety, still? Earl is technically the only "Free Safety" listed by Seahawks.com. Is Jeron Johnson safe? Winston Guy?

And the depth at guard and tackle? It's probably good enough but the loss of Jarriel King didn't help.

There are definitely a lot of interesting names and roster battles there. Which players are going to step up in the off-season and make this list a lot easier to guess? What do you think?

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