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It’s a summer Friday and the Seattle Seahawks are off until training camp opens in late July. That said, there are certainly several key questions for the team in the weeks between now and the opening of camp when it comes to matters off the field, with DK Metcalf extension eligible and two open spots on the roster.
Whether or not a deal gets done for Metcalf likely isn’t known until after training camp opens, however, in the meantime there will likely be plenty of speculation regarding those two open roster spots. So, in an attempt to gain some insight into where the Seahawks could add competition or depth over the next four plus weeks, here is a look at the current breakdown of the 90-man roster by position. In addition to the current roster breakdown, the breakdown for the 90-man roster for each training camp since 2012 has been included. (Author’s note: For those curious, the reason 2010, 2011 and 2020 are not included in this chart is because during those years teams were limited to just 80 players on the roster during training camp.)
Training camp roster breakdowns for Seahawks compared to current roster contstruction
| Position | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 4/17/2022 | 6/24/2022 | Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 4/17/2022 | 6/24/2022 | Average | Difference |
| QB | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.33 | -0.33 |
| RB | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5.89 | 1.11 |
| FB | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.89 | -1.89 |
| TE | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5.89 | -0.89 |
| WR | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 12.67 | 0.33 |
| C/G | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 9.00 | -2.00 |
| T | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 5.89 | 0.11 |
| DE | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6.89 | -0.89 |
| DT | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8.11 | -5.11 |
| LB | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 10.44 | 5.56 |
| CB | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9.67 | 1.33 |
| S | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 6.56 | 2.44 |
| P | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.11 | -0.11 |
| K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.33 | -0.33 |
| LS | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.44 | -0.44 |
| Total | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 69 | 89 | N/A | N/A |
As a reminder, the reason the Seahawks have two open roster spots even though they sit at 89 players is that as a participant in the International Pathway Program the team has a roster exemption for Aaron Donkor, meaning he does not count against the 90-man limit.
So, Looking at the last column and analyzing the difference in the number of players on the roster currently and the number of players the team has traditionally held at the position, the defensive tackle and linebacker groups obviously instantly jump out. This is in large part due to the scheme adjustments the team is making for the 2022 season on defense, but the total number of players in the defensive front seven remains consistent with seasons past. That said, positions where it appears the team could be light relative to years past and at which it would not be a surprise to see the Hawks make roster additions include at quarterback, on the interior of the offensive line or at tight end.
Add in the possibility that a player like Chris Carson could be released for injury reasons around the start of camp, and it would not be a surprise if the team were to add a running back. On top of that, with both Ben Burr-Kirven and Jon Rhattigan still recovering from knee injuries according to the last update from head coach Pete Carroll, and combining that with the potential for Cody Barton to see his special teams snaps reduced as he is expected to take on a greater role for the defense, and a player with significant special teams experience would not be a shock.
Putting it all together, while there are no glaring holes on the roster that require immediate attention, the Seahawks certainly won’t open training camp with a pair of open roster spots. That said, there’s no rush to fill them until they have better visibility into who will and will not be available for camp, giving them insight into the positions which could need extra bodies on July 26.
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