A big point of emphasis for the Seahawks under the leadership of general manager and president of football operations John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald is that they don't view the team through the lens of a 53-man roster, with a practice squad off in the background helping get those 53 players ready for gameday.
No, the way Schneider and Macdonald see it, the Seahawks have a 70-man roster, made of the 53 on the active roster as well as a 17-player "ready squad" which is also very much a part of the team's success.
It takes depth to get through an NFL season, and the Seahawks want to be able to count on all 70 players currently with the team, not to mention others who were with the team in camp and might be called upon if there's an opening, to maintain the standard that helped make the Seahawks a championship team.
"There's a confidence and a belief in the 70," said veteran receiver Cooper Kupp. "There's an expectation there's not going to be a drop off. Those guys are called the 'ready squad' because you're anticipating those guys being ready to come in and do what they need to do. We've seen it over and over again, the belief in those guys, you're continuing to coach those guys as well that aren't getting as many reps. There's still an onus on them to go out and understand the game plan and if their numbers called, we need you to come up, there's an expectation no matter who you put out there in the receiver room. Whoever runs out onto the field, it doesn't change our expectation, our standard for how we operate. That's what it needs to be. They've done a great job here of being able to understand the waiver wire. It's a huge thing. There's some people are subjected to the waiver wire and some people that aren't. How do you make sure you get guys that can build that 70 as best as you possibly can and allow as much flexibility as possible. You never know in this game what you're going to need, who you're going to need. It's something that we take a lot of pride in."
But as much as the Seahawks go into a season knowing they will need to tap into their 70-man depth at various points of the year, they probably didn't necessarily plan on needing the ready squad depth to come through in a such a big way, but that's what ended up happening when starting safety Ty Okada was unable to play in the opener due to a hamstring injury.
With Okada sidelined, the Seahawks turned to Rodney Thomas II, a free-agent addition who was released, then re-signed to the practice squad prior to Week 1. Thomas, a former starter for the Colts, stepped in for Okada and more than held his own in his Seahawks debut.
Among the highlights for Thomas was an outstanding open-field tackle to help pin the Patriots deep, which in turn gave the offense a short field it turned into a score; and most importantly, Thomas had the pass breakup on a deep ball that led to a game-changing interception by Nehemiah Pritchett. With the Patriots leading by 7 points early in the fourth quarter, Drake Maye launched a deep pass towards receiver Romeo Doubs, and Thomas was able to outleap Doubs to tip the ball, allowing Pritchett to then tip the ball again to himself before securing the interception and a 30-yard return. That turnover set up Seattle's first, and only, touchdown of the game in a big fourth-quarter comeback.
"Credit to Rodney for staying ready," Macdonald said. "That's a great example of the 70 going to work. The play he made in the flat on one of (Devon Witherspoon's) pressures was a tremendous play. Making an open field tackle, running out of the post on a hot throw in the flat for a like a no-yard gain. That's something he's been working on, and it shows you that if you put intent behind areas of improvement, you can make all that stuff come to life. Very excited for him. He should be proud of himself, but it's just the beginning."
It remains to be seen if Okada will return this week and what type of role Thomas, or AJ Finley, who was signed off the practice squad, might have in Week 2. But as Thomas showed in Week 1, the Seahawks will count on their depth, whether in the form of practice squad call-ups or backups stepping into starting roles and thriving, something that current starters like Okada, Drake Thomas and Josh Jobe have all done in recent years, to step up when called upon.
"The more you have depth in a team—John (Schneider) and the guys, you can see the depth they've put in this team—it raises the level of competition," defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. "When you've got the right type of people and the right mentality and the culture that Mike (Macdonald) has set, competition's good. Competition is what you want. With the front, it brings the best out of people because you're fighting for snaps. You're fighting to get on the field. Then what happens is when you get your reps, it's like, I've been around guys who can't get in the flow. You have to get in the flow. You have to have the right mindset, the right moment when you touch the grass that, 'I know what the call is. I know my job. I know the look. I can operate. I could make a play.' Drake's (Thomas) done that. (Josh) Jobe's done that. Ty's (Okada) done that. When you take the field, make use of the opportunity that you have, and then what happens is you get more opportunity. The whole defense grows into that."
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 (23)
Seahawks cornerback Avery Smith (27).
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)
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 AJ Finley of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety AJ Finley (30)
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 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 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 (70)
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 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)
