A player-by-player look at the Seahawks' 2017 53-man roster following Saturday's roster moves.
Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Isaiah Battle (62) pass blocks in action against the San Francisco 49'ers Friday August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Mo. (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
Kansas City Chiefs, Preseason, Seattle Seahawks, Kam Chancellor
New England Patriots defensive back Justin Coleman (22) runs in pass coverage during an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Detroit. The Patriots won 30-28. (Scott Boehm via AP)
Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls leaps in the end zone after scoring on a four-yard touchdown run to extend Seattle's lead to 19-6 over Detroit.
New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) during an NFL regular season game against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 in East Rutherford, N.J. The Dolphins won, 34-13. (Ric Tapia via AP)
The Seattle Seahawks made a ton of moves this weekend, including five trades, to reach the 53-man roster limit by the league's 1 p.m. Seattle time deadline on Saturday.
The Seahawks' initial 53-man roster has 26 players on offense and 24 on defense, with the offensive line and defensive backs having the most players among position groups. With teams making waiver wire signings and more trades over the weekend, there surely are more transactions that can happen to change what is currently listed before the season opener in Green Bay.
With that said, let's take a position-by-position look at how the Seahawks roster currently shapes up:
Quarterback (2): Russell Wilson, Austin Davis
Trevone Boykin loses out on the backup quarterback spot after being the No. 2 last year and throughout most of preseason. Veteran Austin Davis, who the Seahawks signed as a free agent this offseason, wins the job after a close battle with Boykin that came down to the last preseason game. Leading a clutch drive in the Seahawks' preseason finale against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday might've given Davis the final edge in the race. In recent seasons, the Seahawks have kept two quarterbacks on the roster during the regular season.
Running Back/Fullback (6): Thomas Rawls, Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, Chris Carson, J.D. McKissic, Tre Madden
The Seahawks are going with five running backs this year after going with four in 2016. The odd man out in Seattle's crowded backfield is second-year back Alex Collins. Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy look to split the main bulk of carries, with C.J. Prosise and/or rookie Chris Carson contributing on third downs. J.D. McKissic worked as a returner during the preseason and figures to continue that role early on as Tyler Lockett returns to full-go.
Tre Madden's versatility as a running back and fullback gave him an edge over veteran Marcel Reece for now.
Wide Receiver (5): Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, Amara Darboh, Tanner McEvoy
Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson and Tyler Lockett were clear locks from the group of receivers, with the remaining spots being up for grabs. Amara Darboh will get a chance to build off his preseason finale in the regular season, while Tanner McEvoy enters his second year. The biggest absence here is Kasen Williams — the most productive Seahawks receiver this preseason — who was waived.
The Seahawks kept five wide outs on their 53-man roster last season, too,
Tight End (3): Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson, Nick Vannett
No real shocks here as the Seahawks are going with the same trio of tight ends they had in 2016.
Offensive Line (10): Rees Odhiambo, Luke Joeckel, Justin Britt, Mark Glowinski, Germain Ifedi, Oday Aboushi, Ethan Pocic, Matt Tobin, Jordan Roos, Isaiah Battle
Four of the starting offensive line jobs look set, with Odhiambo taking over at left tackle for George Fant, Luke Joeckel at left guard, Justin Britt at center and Germain Ifedi at right tackle. The opening at right guard has been a tight competition between Mark Glowinski — who started at left guard last season — and free agent signee Oday Aboushi. Rookie Ethan Pocic's versatility beyond being Britt's backup at center gives him a lot of value across the line. Matt Tobin, who the Seahawks recently traded a fifth-round pick for, is still competing for the left tackle position, while Jordan Roos and Isaiah Battle add depth.
Defensive Line (8): Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Jarran Reed, Sheldon Richardson, David Bass, Marcus Smith, Nazair Jones
Some surprises came in this group after the trade for Sheldon Richardson. The Seahawks sent defensive end and special teams ace Cassius Marsh to New England for multiple draft picks and terminated the contract of veteran defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin. There's no way to really put it other than this defensive line group is pretty loaded and there wasn't going to be enough room for many given the caliber of this starting group. For depth, the Seahawks are going to rely on rookie Nazair Jones, former first-round pick Marcus Smith and free agent David Bass. Smith and Bass were great in the preseason finale against the Raiders.
Linebackers (6): Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, D.J. Alexander, Michael Wilhoite, Terence Garvin, Dewey McDonald
The Seahawks are actually going with one more linebacker than they did in 2016, but that's probably because of new addition D.J. Alexander, who was a Pro Bowl special teams player for Kansas City last year. That's where he'll get the majority of his reps as Michael Wilhoite and Terence Garvin compete for the strongside linebacker spot. Dewey McDonald will also have a role on special teams.
A notable absence from this position is Mike Morgan, who occupied the strongside linebacker spot last season and played the past six seasons in Seattle.
Defensive Backs (10): Richard Sherman, Jeremy Lane, Shaquill Griffin, Neiko Thorpe, Justin Coleman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson
The Seahawks have some new wrinkles in their secondary, with three rookies and two veterans as new additions. With DeShawn Shead starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, Jeremy Lane and rookie Shaquill Griffin are set to get a lot of snaps at outside cornerback and nickel. Behind them, Neiko Thorpe gives them depth after DeAndre Elliott's broken ankle injury along with new addition Justin Coleman. Bradley McDougald, who the Seahawks signed in free agency, gives the team a veteran presence in case Earl Thomas or Kam Chancellor miss time. Rookies Delano Hill and Tedric Thompson are likely to carve out roles on special teams while adding depth behind Thomas and Chancellor, too.
Specialists (3): Blair Walsh, Jon Ryan, Tyler Ott
Nothing really surprising here after Blair Walsh finished a perfect 12-for-12 on extra points and 9-of-11 kicking in the preseason. Being the only long snapper on the roster, Tyler Ott was a lock.
