Seahawks 53-man roster prediction 3.0: Preseason Week 3

Ok, so the Preseason goes on, and we've now reached "dress rehearsal week". The Seahawks should treat this week's game pretty seriously in terms of their projected starters, and we could see Russell Wilson and company play well into the third quarter. To preview the show on Saturday, here's my third take at guessing the Seahawks' 53-man roster for the opening of 2014.

You can check out 1.0 from Week 1 and 2.0 from Week 2 if you like, and this week there are a few additional changes.

Let's do this.

OFFENSE (25):

QUARTERBACKS (2):

Keep:

QB1 Russell Wilson 5'10, 215
QB2 Tarvaris Jackson 6'2, 215

Cut:

QB R.J. Archer 6'2, 220

Comments: Archer looked pretty good last Friday and may even find himself a job once it's all said and done, but I doubt it's in Seattle this year. T-Jack is due back "for the opener" says Pete Carroll, so we'll go with the experience factor. Jackson's been running this offense smooth since days of underoos.

RUNNING BACKS (4):

Keep:

RB Marshawn Lynch 5'11, 215
RB Robert Turbin 5'11, 220
RB Christine Michael 5'10, 230
FB Derrick Coleman 6'0, 233

Cut:

FB Will Tukuafu 6'4, 285
FB Rod Smith 6'3, 231
FB/TE Brandon Cottom 6'2, 262
RB Thomas Rawls 5'11, 215

Comments: I'm dropping Rawls this week, with the thought that it's much more likely he'd clear waivers and hit the practice squad. It's always a risk to try to sneak guys you like onto that team, but while there's potential there, I haven't seen anything shocking from Rawls quite yet. That could change this week, of course, but frankly I've liked what I've seen from Rod Smith even more. Smith's a non-prototypical size at 6'3, 230, but he runs with purpose and offers some nice value in the pass game. We'll see how this group shakes out, but on this iteration, I've got Turbin as Marshawn's backup, with a sprinkle of Christine mixed in.

At fullback, I'm rolling with Derrick Coleman for my final 53. Pete Carroll mentioned that with their defensive line-to-offensive line convert projects taking spots on the roster, these players give them gameday emergency options on the defensive line. This makes Tukuafu slightly less valuable, and I think Coleman's already got the edge.

WIDE RECEIVERS (6):

Keep:

WR Chris Matthews 6'5, 230
WR Doug Baldwin 5'10, 189
WR Jermaine Kearse 6'1, 215
WR Tyler Lockett 5'10 185
WR Ricardo Lockette 6'2, 211
WR B.J. Daniels 5'11, 218

PUP:

WR Paul Richardson 6'1, 183 [PUP]

Cut:

WR Kevin Smith 5'11, 215
WR Kevin Norwood 6'2, 200
WR Kasen Williams, 6'1, 210

Comments: Carroll was again effusive in his praise for B.J. Daniels, so despite the two drops and muffed punt in Week 2, I'm rolling with Daniels as the 6th and final receiver. He could end up being a game-day active over a guy like Ricardo Lockette because of his ability to play quarterback in a pinch.

Kevin Norwood and Kasen Williams caught a pass apiece last week, but I'm going to need to see something more from them this week to put them on my 53. I'm high on both in the potential department, but it's just tough when there's not much tangible production in games. With Russell Wilson playing deeper into this game, this could help things for the bubble guys in this group.

TIGHT END (3):

Keep:

TE Jimmy Graham 6'7, 265
TE Luke Willson 6'5, 260
TE Cooper Helfet 6'4, 240

Cut:

TE Anthony McCoy 6'5, 275
TE Rashaun Allen 6'5, 250

Comments: The third tight end spot is pretty much in the air, and I'm not confident in any guess for that role. This week, I'm going with Cooper Helfet in the experience/consistency department. You could talk me out of this pretty easily though.

OFFENSIVE LINE (10):

Keep:

LT1 Russell Okung 6'5, 315 
LG1 Justin Britt 6'6, 325
C1 Drew Nowak 6'4, 300
RG1 J.R. Sweezy 6'5, 320
RT1 Gary Gilliam 6'6, 306
OT Alvin Bailey 6'3, 335
OL Lemuel Jeanpierre 6'3 300
G/T Mark Glowinski 6'4, 307
T/G Terry Poole 6'5, 315
G/C Kristjan Sokoli 6'5, 300

Cut:

OT Jesse Davis 6'6, 309
OG Keavon Milton 6'4, 324
OL Will Pericak 6'4, 296
OC Patrick Lewis 6'1, 305

Comments: For this week's roster, I went with ten offensive linemen, adding depth to a group that looks to really need it. I think that Russell Okung, Justin Britt, Drew Nowak, J.R. Sweezy, and Garry Gilliam will end up being the starters here, with Alvin Bailey as the swing tackle, and Lemuel Jeanpierre as the swing interior lineman. I kept Glowinski, Poole, and Sokoli as developmental types, as I didn't see much from Milton, Pericak, Lewis, or Davis last week to put them ahead of the rookies. I think Sokoli could certainly be cut though, and in this group, he's the most on the bubble. His upside remains high, but he's so raw that Seattle may try to sneak him onto the practice squad.

As mentioned above, though, his ability to fill in on the DL in an extreme pinch could potentially earn him a roster spot.

DEFENSE (25)

DEFENSIVE LINE INTERIOR (4)

Keep:

NT1b Brandon Mebane 6'1, 305
NT1n Ahtyba Rubin 6'2, 325
3T1n Jordan Hill 6'1, 305
NT/3T T.Y. McGill 6'0, 300

Cut:

3T D'Anthony Smith 6'2, 300
3T/NT Jesse Williams 6'3, 320

Comments: No changes here from last week. I like what I've seen from McGill and I doubt he'd make it through waivers. Smith cracked a rib last week so his health is an issue, and I think Jesse Williams is still a ways away from being full strength. Williams looked pretty good at times playing on the 5-technique strongside end this past week, so he's definitely someone to watch on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE LINE EDGE (4):

Keep:

LEO Cliff Avril 6'3, 260
5T/3T Michael Bennett 6'4, 275
5T/3T Frank Clark 6'3, 271
LEO Cassius Marsh 6'4, 255

Cut:

3T/5T Greg Scruggs 6'3, 275
LEO Obum Gwacham 6'5, 245
5T/DE David King 6'4, 270
5T/3T Demarcus Dobbs 6'2, 280
5T/DE Julius Warmsley 6'2, 285

Comments: I'm tempted to make room for Greg Scruggs or Julius Warmsley (or even Dobbs) here, but it's tough when I'm keeping 10 offensive linemen and 10 defensive backs. I'm adding numbers to the spots with the most tenuous depth, and defensive line seems like Seattle's best position group. With that in mind, Seattle, in this iteration, will once again roll with the four I've been rolling with all along.

LINEBACKERS (7):

Keep:

OLB1 K.J.Wright 6'4, 246
MLB1 Bobby Wagner 6'0, 241
LEO/DE Bruce Irvin 6'3, 263
OLB2 Kevin Pierre-Louis 6'0, 232
MLB2 Brock Coyle 6'1, 235
SLB Mike Morgan 6'3, 226
OLB Eric Pinkins 6'3, 230

Cut:

LB Alex Singleton 6'2, 242
LB Quayshawn Nealy 6'0, 236
LB Tyrell Adams, 6'2, 228

Comments: No changes. Pinkins has continued to make plays on special teams, which really helps his cause for the roster.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (10)

Keep:

CB1 Richard Sherman 6'3, 195
CB2 Cary Williams 6'1, 190
FS1 Earl Thomas 5'10, 202
SS1 Kam Chancellor 6'3, 232
NB1 Marcus Burley 5'10, 189
FS/SS Dion Bailey 6'0, 215
SS/FS Ronald Martin 6'2, 220
CB/FS/SS DeShawn Shead 6'1, 225
CB Tharold Simon 6'2, 205
CB/NB Tye Smith, 6'0, 190

PUP:

CB Jeremy Lane 6'0, 190 [PUP]

Cut:

NB Will Blackmon 6'0, 204
SS Ryan Murphy, 6'3, 214
CB Douglas McNeil 6'3, 212
CB Mohammed Seisay 6'1, 202
FS Triston Wade 5'11, 185
SS Keenan Lambert 6'0, 209
SS Tyrequek Zimmerman 5'11, 213
SS Keelan Johnson 5'11, 210
FS/NB Steven Terrell 5'10, 197

Comments: Here's where, as per usual, things get interesting.

With Will Blackmon still sitting out, it's tough to know what the Seahawks have with him. He could certainly leap-frog Burley and land on the roster once it all shakes out, but right now I've got Burley (age and club control) making the roster as the starting nickel.

I've also got a surprise swap, sending Steven Terrell off the bubble and throwing Ronald Martin on the roster. Martin's drawn rave reviews from Pete Carroll and made a few plays on Friday night, so with his ability (per Richard) to play both free safety and strong safety, he sneaks on in this edition. Bailey, as you well know, has also gotten a lot of praise from Pete Carroll and flies around like a bat out of Hades, so he makes my roster 3.0.

Terrell may be back on this list come next week, but he has been very quiet (maybe that's a good thing?) thus far. In reality he will probably make the roster, but I wanted to present this as a scenario.

Ryan Murphy is practicing again this week so we'll finally get a chance to see what he can do, and hopefully Mohamed Seisay and Douglas McNeil get some game snaps on Saturday.

SPEC (3):

Keep:

P Jon Ryan 6'0, 217
LS Clint Gresham 6'3, 240
K Steven Hauschka 6'4, 210

Cut:

LS Nate Boyer, 5'10 215

Comments: No surprises here, no changes here.

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Ok, so 3.0 is in the books.