4 Seahawks who deserve mention as sleepers
Special teams will be their greatest chance to make Seattle's roster
In making the Tournament of THE Champions, including 24 players in the initial offense and defense brackets, plus 20 more in the survivor’s bracket, several more names stand out even beyond those 44.
These are some of those names.
In case you missed it: One “Last Gasp” vote to go between Devon Witherspoon and Abe Lucas!
TE Nick Kallerup
While considering undrafted free agent Lance Mason for this mention, it occurred to me that Kallerup has to have some leg up over the competition if the Seahawks keep four tight ends.
Mason’s potential is as a receiver and H-back, similar perhaps to Brady Russell, but Kallerup’s specialty—blocking—is probably more valuable on Seattle’s roster. Whereas Mason would never catch up to A.J. Barner and Elijah Arroyo as a receiver, Kallerup could already be the best blocking tight end on the Seahawks.
It’s the only reason he reached the NFL as a free agent after a career at Minnesota:
A Pro Football Focus scouting report assessed the 6-5, 270-pounder this way: “Kallerup was rarely used in the Gopher passing game, but his 81.8 run-blocking grade ranked second among all draft-eligible tight ends in 2024.” The Daily Gopher called Kallerup “a beast of a blocker for the Gophers over his four seasons (who) showed some pass catching ability.”
Teams can rarely hold roster spots for players who they didn’t make a huge investment in, but Kallerup made the 53 out of training camp and played 130 offensive snaps over 10 games, plus 13 more in the playoffs.
Should Seattle need a replacement for Eric Saubert, Kallerup is the easy choice. Even when they don’t, we’ve seen that Kallerup has value to the roster.
LB Patrick O’Connell
It can’t be easy for someone who was an All-American in college to then find out that he’s not quite good enough to play defense in the NFL, but the best thing any of those players can do for their careers is give 100-percent to special teams.
That’s been O’Connell’s journey, and while the Seahawks have shuffled through a half-dozen starting linebacker options since 2023, the fourth-year player out of Montana now has a better shot at playing for Jay Harbaugh next season than for Mike Macdonald.
That’s better than not playing at all.
Even though he’s been waived by Seattle many times in the last three years, he has never signed with or been claimed by another team. It goes to show how important O’Connell is to Macdonald’s “taxi squad”, the players who shuffle off and on the roster throughout the season. Since rejoining the team in Week 10, O’Connell became a mainstay on special teams, and also got a few snaps on defense.
And he’s not the only linebacker behind Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas worthy of inclusion in another “sleepers” bracket.
Tyrice Knight lost the starting role, but is only 25 and could end up becoming a starter again.
Chris Paul, Jr., a surprise cut by the Rams in 2025, could have a similar career arc to Thomas
Chazz Surratt showed out on special teams more than once last season and though he’s much older than these other linebackers, could be Harbaugh’s favorite
A position that was one of Seattle’s greatest weaknesses two years ago, the Seahawks now have a deep group of linebackers who they can count on for a variety of roles.
WR Emmanuel Henderson, Jr.
Sticking with another player expected to contribute more on special teams than offense or defense, Henderson may have an edge over trade acquisition Irvin Charles, if the Seahawks keep six receivers.
The problem for Henderson, if you can call it that, is that it seems impossible to move up any higher than sixth on the depth chart this year.
The sixth-round pick out of Kansas, and a former five-star running back recruit at Alabama, doesn’t appear to offer Seattle much as a receiver yet. Despite a breakout 766-yard season in 2025, there’s not enough upside to expect him to supplant any of the top-five investments made at the position before him: JSN, Shaheed, Kupp, Horton, or Bobo.
As Josh Hite of Field Gulls pointed out, he’s more of a “Dareke Young” than he is like anyone else:
At 6’1” and 185lbs, he is not the biggest receiver. He ran a 4.44 second 40 yard dash, 2.59 second 20 yard split, and 1.56 second 10 yard split. Henderson’s speed and vision is his best tool in his toolkit, which helps him in the return game and with go routes. He has a Relative Athletic Score of 6.37, which per their metrics is “Okay.” Per PFSN his closest athletic testing comp was Jerry Jeudy, his size measurement comp was Tre Turner, and an overall comp was Ladd McConkey.
Young is a fun player, and a regular on special teams, but also someone who caught just four passes in four years. Henderson is more likely to make the roster as a special teamer, perhaps as a kick returner, which is nothing to scoff at.
While Charles could make the team, and Cody White has made it in the past, none of Seattle’s other receivers on the depth chart bring the same level of intrigue and upside as Henderson. It’s an uphill battle, but even a spot on the practice squad now could lead to opportunities sooner than later.
Seahawks players not mentioned
By the way, not being mentioned in this article doesn’t mean that the players in question don’t deserve to be recognized. Offensively, I picked two players to highlight and tried to talk about a few others at the same position.
I didn’t talk about any offensive linemen or running backs, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get their own articles in the future.
OLB Jalan Gaines
In his first preseason game, Gaines blocked a field goal to force a tie against the Raiders. That’s probably a better way to stand out to coaches than a preseason sack would count for.
Gaines started his college career at Dubuque and then had to prove himself as a walk-on transfer to Illinois State in 2022:
It was a long transition coming from D-III to Division I (FCS). I had to walk on here at Illinois State last year. Then Coach Spack gave me a great opportunity to earn my spot and earn a scholarship. I’m very grateful for that opportunity. It involved a lot of hard work and a lot of time put in.
A lot of players have a chip on their shoulder. They’re doubted and perceived to be not good enough for higher levels. The difference between most of them and examples like Gaines is that he’s actually in the NFL now. The other 99-percent are not. Even as a player who spent most of last season on the practice squad, that’s still a thousand levels higher than Dubuque.
Better yet, Gaines, who had 112 tackles and 22 tackles for a loss in his final two seasons of college, is competing at a position with open spots for Seattle.
Not the biggest or fastest pass rusher (6’3, 242, 4.74), Gaines is up against players like Jared Ivey, Connor O’Toole, Jamie Sheriff, and Aidan Hubbard for a spot at outside linebacker. Even veteran Dante Fowler wasn’t signed for enough money to believe he’s guaranteed a roster spot.
Like O’Connell, his clearest path to a job is on special teams. If Gaines continues to serve as a barrier in between kickers and field goals, he could yet earn opportunities to chase quarterbacks instead.