Seahawks roster check-in
Who is under contract and what are the Seahawks biggest needs?
At the start of the 2026 league year, the Seahawks have 67 players under contract and that would presumably give Mike Macdonald 23 more theoretical spots to fill by the time Seattle needs a 90-man roster. Theoretical because the Seahawks are going to release players who are currently signed (especially on futures contracts) and a few players are still probably going to come back like Brady Russell.
The Seahawks signed 17 undrafted free agents last year so if they repeated that number and drafted 4 players, that gets us pretty close to 90. So even though John Schneider will make more additions before the draft, Seattle is fairly close to having the team that they’re going to have at the start of training camp + rookies.
Current Roster (51)
QB (3) - Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe
RB (4) - Zach Charbonnet, George Holani, Kenny McIntosh, Robbie Ouzts
WR (5) - Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Tory Horton, Jake Bobo
TE (4) - A.J. Barner, Elijah Arroyo, Eric Saubert, Nick Kallerup
OL (11) - Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, Abraham Lucas, Josh Jones, Amari Kight, Olu Oluwatimi, Mason Richman, Bryce Cabeldue, Christian Haynes
DL (5) - Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, Jarran Reed, Mike Morris, Rylie Mills
EDGE (5) - DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, Jared Ivey, Connor O’Toole
LB (4) - Ernest Jones, Drake Thomas, Tyrice Knight, Patrick O’Connell
CB (3) - Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Nehemiah Pritchett
S (4) - Julian Love, Nick Emmanwori, Ty Okada, A.J. Finley
ST (3) - Jason Myers, Michael Dickson, Chris Stoll
Futures Contracts (16)
RB - Jacardia Wright, Cam Akers, Velus Jones
WR - Ricky White, Tyron Broden, Montorie Foster
OL - Federico Maranges, Logan Brown
LB - Jamie Sheriff, Chris Paul, Ja’Markis Weston, Jalan Gaines
DL - Bubba Thomas, J.R. Singleton
DB - Tyler Hall, Maxen Hook
The list includes veteran running backs Velus Jones Jr. and Cam Akers, both of whom were elevated for and played in Seattle's Super Bowl LX victory over the Patriots. Also on the list was the only 2025 draft pick on the practice squad, receiver Ricky White III. Two players signed to future deals, receiver Tyrone Broden and running back Jacardia Wright, were on practice squad injured reserve to finish the season, while the other 13 were on the practice squad at season's end.
Gaines, who blocked a field goal for the Seahawks in the preseason, was added the day after Seattle signed the first 15.
Unsigned Seahawks
TE/FB Brady Russell*, LB Chazz Surratt, WR Dareke Young, DT Brandon Pili*, WR Cody White*
*RFA
The first three players were key special teamers in 2025, especially Russell who has been a mainstay in that phase for the past three seasons, ranking first, fifth, and seventh for coverage guys.
If Klint Kubiak needs a fullback in Las Vegas would he be toying with signing Russell for the Raiders? Russell is a restricted free agent so it feels like he will be secured soon.
Seahawks Roster Needs
#1: Cornerback
If Seattle had to field a defense today then yes you could call Emmanwori the Big Nickel and have Witherspoon starting opposite of Jobe. It’s obvious that although the decision to let Riq Woolen walk was wise, there’s a hole there.
Among the remaining free agents are:
Marshon Lattimore
Trevon Diggs
Tre’Davious White
Martin Emerson
Kader Kohou
Cam Taylor-Britt
Rasul Douglas
Shaquill Griffin is also out there.
#2: Running Back
Of course running back is the most visible need on the roster, more than cornerback, but does it feel scary to not really have a starter in March? Charbonnet could be out into October or later so yeah, the Seahawks do need somebody. Rachaad White is still out there, as is Joe Mixon, Najee Harris, Brian Robinson, and Kareem Hunt.
A draft pick feels like an appropriate answer.
#3: Edge Rusher
We do not know if Lawrence or Nwosu are locked in yet and if they aren’t then this need shoots up to the top of the list. Even if they are then edge rusher can’t be lower than #3, can it?
This is a typical first round target position and Seattle won’t need to go after Maxx Crosby.
Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa, Leonard Floyd, Von Miller, and former Mike Macdonald edge rusher Kyle Van Noy remain unsigned. Given Lawrence’s surprising resurgence, Macdonald could go in any direction and I’d still have hope it’s a good way.
It would be surprising if a running back, a cornerback, an edge rusher, and possibly a safety and a wide receiver weren’t added prior to the draft. If not prior to, then possibly in the summer or during training camp. Sometimes Schneider does wait until the very last second.
What are you seeing from the roster?
Update: We’re up to 72 players now with 5 signed today. TE/FB Russell, DT B Pili, Safety Thomas, RB Wilson, and someone familiar, D Bell also a safety ST player from this past season.
I was actually doing this exercise last night, so thank you for doing a better job of it! I agree with you on the biggest holes and I think the Seahawks met with just about every available CB at the combine. It may not be a deep draft class, but id does have very good depth at CB and good depth at edge. I think the replacements for Woolen and Mafe could lie in rounds 1, 2 or 3. I think an RB replacement could lie in rounds 2 or 3. Okada could be the replacement for Bryant, and Findlay could be the replacement for Okada. It wouldn’t surprise me to see D’Anthony Bell back in camp along with a safety in round 6 or UDFA. Pili should get signed to be there if J Reed can’t give us the snaps he did last year. Another old vet edge might be needed in addition to a day one or two edge in the draft. I expect Ivey and number 57 to be given another chance to see where their game is at this year. Jacardia Wright and Vellus will be competing at RB with an old vet and day two draft pic. Anyway, that’s what I came up with last night.
Looking at the roster in detail, I see this:
RB: We have depth galore. We have no #1 and our #2 won’t arrive until the 2nd act. Bottom heavy.
DB: Seriously lacking in depth, but with Witherspoon, Jobe, Emmanwori, Love, and Okada, we have excellent, young talent. Top heavy.
DL + Edge: Everyone is here, except Mafe. But Lawrence, Reed, and Williams are older vets, and Nwosu has a burdensome contract. Veteran heavy.
So, the top three needs are very different.
My feeling is that skilled RBs could be available via trade. DB depth can be handled via a late pick, UFDAs, waiver wires, or inexpensive trades.
That leaves the sharp end of the draft for DL & Edge. With Pili and Mills, JS has a succession plan in place for the interior. I expect that JS has some clear targets at Edge for this draft, as well as strategies to get one regardless of how the first 31 picks fall. May the first 31 teams over draft bad QBs.
Regarding timing, the draft is April 23-25. I expect JS to be very patient for RB. Expect some teams to get rookie RB hype in preseason, pushing some undervalued veterans down the depth chart. In other words, don’t panic. We have enough depth to build a team. The high value RB candidates won’t present themselves until late summer.