The Seahawks made a series of roster moves on Sunday to reduce their roster to 53 players, including a trade for cornerback Avery Smith. As is the case every year, it's worth remembering that this is an initial 53-man roster, which can and almost certainly will change between now and the team's September 9 regular-season opener against the Patriots. And many of the players who were released on Sunday will be back on the team by Monday when NFL teams are allowed to establish a 17-player practice squad, or as the Seahawks prefer to call it, the Ready Squad. And because players on the practice squad can be elevated on gamedays, the 70-man roster that will be established on Monday is actually the more significant one than the initial 53 that is set with Sunday's roster moves.
"Shout out to the staff upstairs, all the personnel people, all the coaches, everybody working through everything," general manager and president of football operations John Schneider said. "We have some work to do to establish our 70. As you guys know, we don't refer to it to our 53, or did you make the team or did you not make the team, all that kind of stuff. Armani (Perez) and his staff, and Willie (Schneider) and Matt Berry and Aaron (Hineline) and everybody upstairs just did a great job.
"We're just excited to continue this tonight as we get into the waiver wire coming out this evening and establishing our initial practice squad tomorrow. There's a lot of moving parts over the next, especially I'd say two weeks as we kind of figure out what the landscape looks like for our team as well as the rest of the National Football League as we prepare for the 2026 regular season."
With those caveats out of the way, here is a position-by-position breakdown of the Seahawks' initial 53-man roster.
Quarterback (3)
- Sam Darnold
- Drew Lock
- Jalen Milroe
There wasn't really any mystery when it came to this position group heading into camp, and if there were anyone out there with questions about Milroe's spot on the team as a developmental third quarterback, he erased those with a very strong performance in Friday's preseason finale in Kanas City.
Running Back/Fullback (4)
- Geoge Holani
- Jadarian Price
- Emanuel Wilson
- Brady Russell
Russell's spot on the team was secure regardless due to his role on special teams, but with Robbie Ouzts on injured reserve, Russell will also play an important role on offense, both as Seattle's fullback and also as a player who can give the team depth at tight end.
Wilson has been limited by injury in camp but looked good when he was available. Price, Seattle's first-round pick in this year's draft, and Holani figure to split the workload early on, then at some point this season the Seahawks will welcome back Zach Charbonnet, who opens the year on the physically unable to perform list due to the ACL injury he suffered late last season. If the Seahawks want to add more depth to this group, they could bring back Velus Jones Jr., who as a vested veteran, is not subject to waivers and can be added to the practice squad on Monday.
Receiver (5)
- Tory Horton
- Cooper Kupp
- Rashid Shaheed
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- Montorie Foster Jr.
The top four of Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Kupp and Horton has been locked in since the start of camp, but with Jake Bobo going down with an unfortunate knee injury, there was opportunity for the final spot, and Foster. earned that spot with a great training camp and preseason. Cody White, another vested veteran who doesn't have to go through waivers, would seem a likely practice squad candidate. Rookie Emmanuel Henderson Jr., a sixth-round pick, would also seem a likely practice squad addition if he clears waivers, as would 2025 seventh-round pick Ricky White III, who spent last season on the practice squad.
Tight End (4)
- Elijah Arroyo
- AJ Barner
- Nick Kallerup
- Eric Saubert
Arroyo looks like a potential breakout candidate after a strong camp and preseason, while Barner leads the way as an emerging standout at the position. Saubert brings a solid veteran presence, leadership, physicality and special teams ability, while Kallerup, who made the team last year as an undrafted rookie, is a big physical presence on special teams and in the run game.
Offensive Line (10)
- Anthony Bradford
- Bryce Cabeldue
- Charles Cross
- Christian Haynes
- Abraham Lucas
- Josh Jones
- Beau Stephens
- Jalen Sundell
- Grey Zabel
- Olu Oluwatimi
Seattle's starting five of Cross, Zabel, Sundell, Bradford and Lucas has been locked in throughout camp, while most of the top depth pieces are also returning players. Stephens, a fifth-round pick out of Iowa, is the lone newcomer at this spot. Mason Richman would have likely made the team as well had he not suffered a season-ending injury in Seattle's second preseason game.
Defensive Line (6)
- Rylie Mills
- Mike Morris
- Byron Murphy II
- Brandon Pili
- Jarran Reed
- Leonard Williams
Williams, Murphy and Reed lead the way for this group. Mills had a great camp and looks ready to have a significant role, Morris provides versatile depth and special teams ability, and Pili gives the Seahawks another big, physical presence at nose tackle. Among those who were released who could be a practice squad candidate is rookie Deven Eastern, a seventh-round pick.
Outside Linebacker (5)
- Dante Fowler Jr.
- Derick Hall
- DeMarcus Lawrence
- Uchenna Nwosu
- Connor O'Toole
Lawrence, Hall, Nwosu and Fowler lead the edge rotation and were all locks to be on the team, while O'Toole edged out several intriguing young players for the fifth spot at this group. Among those waived who could be practice squad candidates are Jared Ivey, Jamie Sherrif and Jalan Gaines.
Inside linebacker (5)
- Ernest Jones IV
- Tyrice Knight
- Patrick O'Connell
- Chazz Surratt
- Drake Thomas
Jones and Thomas return as starters to lead the way, while Knight, who was a starter for the second half of his rookie season, is coming off a strong camp that might force coaches to find a way to get him on the field. Surratt and O'Connell will be big special teams contributors in addition to providing strong depth at the position.
Cornerback (5)
- Josh Jobe
- Julian Neal
- Nehemiah Pritchett
- Avery Smith
- Devon Witherspoon
Avery Smith, a rookie who was acquired in a trade with the Chargers on Sunday, gives the Seahawks another option at nickel, while Pritchett and Neal, when he's game-ready after an injury layoff, give the Seahawks added depth behind Witherspoon and Jobe. Veteran Trevon Diggs, who signed less than two weeks ago, is expected back on the practice squad, Schneider confirmed, while the Seahawks could also look to bring back veteran Noah Igbinoghene. Seventh-round picks Andre Fuller and Michael Dansby would also be practice squad options if they get through waivers.
Safety (3)
- Nick Emmanwori
- Julian Love
- Ty Okada
The Seahawks open the season with just three safeties, and it's still uncertain if Nick Emmanwori will be available for the opener or not. But while the Seahawks look a little light, numbers wise, at safety, they have multiple quality options they can add to the practice squad who could then be elevated on gameday, including vested vets D'Anthony Bell and Rodney Thomas II, who aren't subject to waivers, as well as AJ Finley and Maxen Hook, who would have to clear waivers.
Specialists (3)
- P Michael Dickson
- K Jason Myers
- LS Chris Stoll
No mystery at this position, with the Seahawks returning the same kicker/punter/long snapper trio for the fourth straight year. Dickson, a 2018 fifth-round pick, and Myers, a 2019 free-agent signing, are the longest continuously tenured players on the roster (Jarran Reed was a 2016 pick of the Seahawks but spent a year in Kansas City and a year in Green Bay before returning to Seattle in 2023.)
Check out photos of the Seahawks 53-man roster for the 2026 season.
This is a 2026 photo of DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence (0)
This is a 2026 photo of Julian Neal of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Julian Neal (1)
This is a 2026 photo of Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2)
This is a 2026 photo of Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3)
This is a 2026 photo of Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4)
This is a 2026 photo of Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5)
This is a 2026 photo of Jalen Milroe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe (6)
This is a 2025 photo of Uchenna Nwosu of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7)
This is a 2026 photo of Jadarian Price of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8)
This is a 2026 photo of Cooper Kupp of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10)
This is a 2026 photo of Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11)
This is a 2026 photo of Ernest Jones IV of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13)
This is a 2026 photo of Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14)
This is a 2026 photo of Tory Horton of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15)
This is a 2026 photo of Elijah Arroyo of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18)
This is a 2026 photo of Julian Love of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20)
This is a 2026 photo of Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21)
This is a 2026 photo of Rashid Shaheed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22)
This is a 2026 photo of Emanuel Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson (27)
This is a 2026 photo of Nehemiah Pritchett of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28)
This is a 2026 photo of Josh Jobe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29)
This is a 2026 photo of Drake Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (32)
This is a 2026 photo of George Holani of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back George Holani (36)
This is a 2026 photo of Brady Russell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks fullback Brady Russell (38)
This is a 2026 photo of Ty Okada of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39)
This is a 2026 photo of Chris Stoll of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41)
This is a 2026 photo of Chazz Surratt of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Chazz Surratt (44)
This is a 2026 photo of Tyrice Knight of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48)
This is a 2026 photo of Patrick OíConnell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Patrick O'Connell (52)
This is a 2026 photo of Olu Oluwatimi of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (55)
This is a 2026 photo of Dante Fowler of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (56)
This is a 2026 photo of Connor OíToole of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole (57)
This is a 2026 photo of Derick Hall of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58)
This is a 2026 photo of Beau Stephens of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Beau Stephens (60)
This is a 2026 photo of Jalen Sundell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61)
This is a 2026 photo of Christian Haynes of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64)
This is a 2026 photo of Charles Cross of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67)
This is a 2026 photo of Abraham Lucas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas (72)
This is a 2026 photo of Josh Jones of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Josh Jones (74)
This is a 2026 photo of Anthony Bradford of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75)
This is a 2026 photo of Grey Zabel of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76)
This is a 2026 photo of Bryce Cabeldue of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Bryce Cabeldue (77)
This is a 2026 photo of Eric Saubert of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Eric Saubert (81)
This is a 2026 photo of Montorie Foster of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. (87)
This is a 2026 photo of A.J. Barner of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88)
This is a 2026 photo of Nick Kallerup of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Nick Kallerup (89)
This is a 2024 photo of Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90)
This is a 2026 photo of Byron Murphy II of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91)
This is a 2026 photo of Mike Morris of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Mike Morris (94)
This is a 2026 photo of Brandon Pili of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Pili (95)
This is a 2026 photo of Rylie Mills of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills (98)
This is a 2024 photo of Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99)
Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Avery Smith (36) runs during an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
