A 53 man roster projection for 2022 Seahawks defense as camp opens

Thursday here on Field Gulls a prediction on the initial 53-man roster for the Seattle Seahawks offense was posted, and for this final Friday of July, a projection of the defense is in order. So, without wasting any time, here it is in all of its glory.

Defensive Line (6)
Keep: L.J. Collier, Shelby Harris, Poona Ford, Quentin Jefferson, Bryan Mone and Al Woods
Cut: Myles Adams, Matt Gotel and Jarrod Hewitt

Just as in the post OTAs roster projection, the players in the defensive front seven are grouped by weight, specifically:

For simplicity, the players in the defensive front seven have been grouped by weight, with those players checking in above 280 as defensive linemen and those coming in below that threshold as linebackers. It’s not perfect, but it works.

With that in mind, when it comes to the defensive line, players are broken into two groups. The first group are those players who are simply massive and can play the nose tackle position. These include Bryan Mone, Al Woods and Matt Gotel. From there, those who are above 280 but not quite as big as the potential nose tackles and get categorized as defensive ends. That breakdown makes things significantly easier, and keeping the players who would basically fall on the first or second string units leads the team with the six defensive linemen noted as kept.

Linebacker (9)
Keep: Jordyn Brooks, Darrell Taylor, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Cody Barton, Nick Bellore, Tyreke Smith, Alton Robinson and Joel Iyiegbuniwe.
Cut: Aaron Donkor, Vi Jones, Tanner Muse, Jon Rhattigan, Lakiem Williams and Joshua Onujiogu

The linebacker group is, of course, far more difficult to project than in seasons past, given the fact that Bobby Wagner now plays for the Los Angeles Rams, and the adoption of the new scheme up front will, at least in theory, create a greater need at off ball linebacker.

In any case, the outside linebackers are much simpler to project given the investments both in free agency and through the draft, and one of the most interesting competitions during will be at off ball linebacker. In particular, the battle for the depth spots behind Brooks and Barton will be very interesting to watch play out. The biggest comment I have for this group is that I really, really hope Iyiegbuniwe makes the roster, just to watch commenters try to spell his name.

Cornerback (7)
Keep: Sidney Jones, Artie Burns, Coby Bryant, Tariq Woolen, Ugo Amadi, Tre Brown and Mike Jackson
Cut: Josh Turner, John Reid, Elijah Jones and Justin Coleman

One of the biggest questions at this position will obviously be the health and recovery of the knee of Trey Brown. Brown has started camp on the pup list, head coach Pete Carroll noted he’s very close to being ready. So, based on Pete speak that means he’ll likely be ready to go sometime between tomorrow and the trade deadline in November.

Safety (4)
Keep: Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Ryan Neal and Bubba Bolden
Cut: Deontai Williams, Scott Nelson, Josh Jones, Marquise Blair, Joey Blount,

This is a position group which should be easy, given that the Seahawks have two of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL in Diggs and Adams. Adding Neal, who has shown to be a more than adequate backup at both spots, and that would appear to leave just the fourth and final roster spot up for grabs. However, if whatever the issue is with the hand of Jamal Adams that kept him out of training camp Thursday proves significant, that could have a material impact on how this position group looks after final roster cuts.