53 Man Roster, Practice Squad & Depth Chart Projection

The way-too-early projection thread for the 53 man roster, practice squad and depth chart. Much will change over the next several months, but I thought this would be a nice place to discuss and visualize how you think the roster will look (or should look) at the start of the 2016 season.

Here's mine:

Offense - 25 Players

QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin
RB: Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, Christine Michael
FB: Tre Madden
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett,
WR: Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kenny Lawler
TE: Jimmy Graham, Nick Vannett, Luke Willson
LT: Garry Gilliam, Bradley Sowell
LG: Rees Odhiambo, Justin Britt
C: Joey Hunt, Patrick Lewis,
RG: Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli
RT: Germain Ifedi, J'Marcus Webb

Defense - 26 Players

LDE: Michael Bennett, Frank Clark
LDT: Athyba Rubin, Quinton Jefferson, Brandin Bryant
RDT: Jarran Reed, Jordan Hill
RDE: Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Cassius Marsh
SLB: David Perkins, Mike Morgan
MLB: Bobby Wagner, Steve Longa
WLB: K.J. Wright, Kevin Pierre-Louis
LCB: Richard Sherman, Tye Smith
RCB: Brandon Browner, DeShawn Shead, Tharold Simon
NCB: Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley
SS: Kam Chancellor, Kelcie McCray
FS: Earl Thomas, Tyvis Powell

Special Teams - 2 Players (Bradley Sowell & Tyler Lockett count towards offense)

K: Steven Hauschka
P: Jon Ryan
LS: Bradley Sowell
KR/PR: Tyler Lockett

Practice Squad - 10 Players

RB Zac Brooks
QB Vernon Adams
TE Tanner McEvoy
WR Kevin Smith
WR Kasen Williams
CB DeAndre Elliot
CB Mohammed Seisay
CB George Farmer
DT Justin Hamilton
OL Terry Poole

Legend:
Italicized = Rookie
Green = Starter

BattleOfSeattle":2tddc4az said:

The way-too-early projection thread for the 53 man roster, practice squad and depth chart. Much will change over the next several months, but I thought this would be a nice place to discuss and visualize how you think the roster will look (or should look) at the start of the 2016 season.

Here's mine:

Offense - 25 Players

QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin
RB: Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, Christine Michael
FB: Tre Madden
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett,
WR: Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kenny Lawler
TE: Jimmy Graham, Nick Vannett, Luke Willson
LT: Garry Gilliam, Bradley Sowell
LG: Rees Odhiambo, Justin Britt
C: Joey Hunt, Patrick Lewis,
RG: Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli
RT: Germain Ifedi, J'Marcus Webb

Defense - 26 Players

LDE: Michael Bennett, Frank Clark
LDT: Athyba Rubin, Quinton Jefferson, Brandin Bryant
RDT: Jarran Reed, Jordan Hill
RDE: Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Cassius Marsh
SLB: David Perkins, Mike Morgan
MLB: Bobby Wagner, Steve Longa
WLB: K.J. Wright, Kevin Pierre-Louis
LCB: Richard Sherman, Tye Smith
RCB: Brandon Browner, DeShawn Shead, Tharold Simon
NCB: Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley
SS: Kam Chancellor, Kelcie McCray
FS: Earl Thomas, Tyvis Powell

Special Teams - 2 Players (Bradley Sowell & Tyler Lockett count towards offense)

K: Steven Hauschka
P: Jon Ryan
LS: Bradley Sowell
KR/PR: Tyler Lockett

Practice Squad - 10 Players

RB Zac Brooks
QB Vernon Adams
TE Tanner McEvoy
WR Kevin Smith
WR Kasen Williams
CB DeAndre Elliot
CB Mohammed Seisay
CB George Farmer
DT Justin Hamilton
OL Terry Poole

Legend:
Italicized = Rookie
Green = Starter

Click to expand...

Not bad. Mine is pretty close to that too.
I see:
Lewis @ Center (Hunt at backup)
Mad dog and Rees swap sides
Siliga > Bryant (PS maybe)
Marsh @ SLB > Perkins (PS maybe)
Shead @ RCB > Browner
Browner @ backup SS
McCray @ backup FS
I also see either Seisay or SJB making it over Simon. Simon is gone, and the whoever doesn't make it goes to PS. I think this will be a battle until the regular season.
I think George Fant will squeeze on to the PS as well. He's one to keep an eye on.

I think ultimately we will have a vet QB (T-Jack? EJ Manuel?) and let Boykin/Adams fight it out for the #3 QB spot (likely practice squad)

Thepeelsessions":ftcxeah3 said:

Not bad. Mine is pretty close to that too.
I see:
Lewis @ Center (Hunt at backup)
Mad dog and Rees swap sides
Siliga > Bryant (PS maybe)
Marsh @ SLB > Perkins (PS maybe)
Shead @ RCB > Browner
Browner @ backup SS
McCray @ backup FS
I also see either Seisay or SJB making it over Simon. Simon is gone, and the whoever doesn't make it goes to PS. I think this will be a battle until the regular season.

Click to expand...

I think Hunt and Bryant are going to surprise a lot of people. Their tape is extremely impressive to me.

Hunt is a willing blocker and seemingly always upright. Rarely did I see him get moved backwards or beaten, even against 1st round defensive lineman. One of the main criticisms I've been hearing is that he's 'undersized' and 'needs to add strength', and yet he's 6'2" (an inch taller than Patrick Lewis) at 300 pounds and put up 34 repetitions of 225 lbs on the bench press. Didn't test at the combine due to an injury, but he moves very well and can get to the second level with ease.

@PFF_College Joey Hunt led nation with 99.5 pass blocking efficiency allowing zero sacks and only three hurries

Click to expand...

@natetepp @FieldGulls On Hunt: didn't allow a single sack or hit on the quarterback in 445 pass-block snaps last season.

Click to expand...

@PFF_Jim New #Seahawk Joey Hunt has played 1827 of 1967 snap (92.9%) in the past two years. And effectively too…

Click to expand...

@ShanePHallam 215 #Seahawks Joey Hunt C Can play OG. Good athlete who shuffles his feet well. Not going to dominate, but rarely gets beat. Small.

Click to expand...

Bryant's tape is simply incredible. He absolutely lives in the opponents backfield and looks downright unblockable at times. Extreme athleticism paired with a very high motor. Consistently wins at the point of attack with explosion and technique. Full repertoire of skills: bull rush, rip, swim, swat, spin. Excellent hand usage. Runs from sideline to sideline chasing down quarterbacks and ball carriers. Never quits on a play. Anchors well against the run and is a tenacious tackler. Plays with good leverage, balance and pad level. Fast. Can be a dominant player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M5LKx5-Kp4

Here's how his measurables and production last year compare with Robert Nkemdiche, who went 29th overall:

https://imgur.com/dE5coN8

The big drawback is that Bryant played at a smaller D1 school (Florida Atlantic University) out of the Conference USA, so the level of competition is a consideration here and is probably the main reason he went undrafted. With that said, they played against some big time programs like Florida and Miami and Bryant still produced. He has a lot of potential. I think Seattle found a gem.

In the last three seasons his team has faced Miami twice plus single games against Auburn, Alabama, Nebraska and Florida, so he's definitely had some bigger school opponents to help raise the overall level of competition he's faced.

sc85sis":1o9nc1sf said:

In the last three seasons his team has faced Miami twice plus single games against Auburn, Alabama, Nebraska and Florida, so he's definitely had some bigger school opponents to help raise the overall level of competition he's faced.

Click to expand...

Yep, good points. I mentioned in my post that just last year they played against Florida and Miami. Still can't believe he wasn't drafted.

OP forgot presumptive DT Silliga

Offense - 25 Players

QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin
RB: Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, Christine Michael
FB: Brandon Cottom, (Brandin Bryant)
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett,
WR: Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kenny Lawler
TE: Jimmy Graham, Nick Vannett, Luke Willson
LT: Garry Gilliam, Bradley Sowell
LG: Mark Glowinski, Rees Odhiambo
C: Joey Hunt, Patrick Lewis
RG: Germain Ifedi, Kristjan Sokoli
RT: J'Marcus Webb, Germain Ifedi

Defense - 26 Players

LDE: Michael Bennett, Frank Clark
LDT: Athyba Rubin, Quinton Jefferson, Brandin Bryant
RDT: Jarran Reed, Sealver Sillaga, Jordan Hill
RDE: Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Cassius Marsh
SLB: Mike Morgan, David Perkins
MLB: Bobby Wagner, Steve Longa
WLB: K.J. Wright, Kevin Pierre-Louis
LCB: Richard Sherman, Tharold Simon
RCB: Brandon Browner, DeShawn Shead
NCB: Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley
SS: Kam Chancellor, Kelcie McCray
FS: Earl Thomas, Tyvis Powell

Special Teams

K: Steven Hauschka
P: Jon Ryan
LS: Bradley Sowell
KR/PR: Tyler Lockett

Only 5 wideouts?

HoustonHawk82":1hwo849n said:

Only 5 wideouts?

Click to expand...

They started the season with 5 in 2010 and 2013.

The most they've ever started with was 7 in 2014. It seemed really high at the time, then the Harvin issues came to light.

Brooks and CJ afford Pete the luxury to carry only 5 WR, IMO. CJ will flex out, alot.

pehawk":14qmf2r2 said:

Brooks and CJ afford Pete the luxury to carry only 5 WR, IMO. CJ will flex out, alot.

Click to expand...

As well as, our versatility at the TE position. 5 WR's should be fine with a UW PS WR call up ready to go. Farm team? :stirthepot:

Thepeelsessions":1sz5jbvu said:

BattleOfSeattle":1sz5jbvu said:

The way-too-early projection thread for the 53 man roster, practice squad and depth chart. Much will change over the next several months, but I thought this would be a nice place to discuss and visualize how you think the roster will look (or should look) at the start of the 2016 season.

Here's mine:

Offense - 25 Players

QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin
RB: Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, Christine Michael
FB: Tre Madden
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett,
WR: Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kenny Lawler
TE: Jimmy Graham, Nick Vannett, Luke Willson
LT: Garry Gilliam, Bradley Sowell
LG: Rees Odhiambo, Justin Britt
C: Joey Hunt, Patrick Lewis,
RG: Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli
RT: Germain Ifedi, J'Marcus Webb

Defense - 26 Players

LDE: Michael Bennett, Frank Clark
LDT: Athyba Rubin, Quinton Jefferson, Brandin Bryant
RDT: Jarran Reed, Jordan Hill
RDE: Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Cassius Marsh
SLB: David Perkins, Mike Morgan
MLB: Bobby Wagner, Steve Longa
WLB: K.J. Wright, Kevin Pierre-Louis
LCB: Richard Sherman, Tye Smith
RCB: Brandon Browner, DeShawn Shead, Tharold Simon
NCB: Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley
SS: Kam Chancellor, Kelcie McCray
FS: Earl Thomas, Tyvis Powell

Special Teams - 2 Players (Bradley Sowell & Tyler Lockett count towards offense)

K: Steven Hauschka
P: Jon Ryan
LS: Bradley Sowell
KR/PR: Tyler Lockett

Practice Squad - 10 Players

RB Zac Brooks
QB Vernon Adams
TE Tanner McEvoy
WR Kevin Smith
WR Kasen Williams
CB DeAndre Elliot
CB Mohammed Seisay
CB George Farmer
DT Justin Hamilton
OL Terry Poole

Legend:
Italicized = Rookie
Green = Starter

Click to expand...

Not bad. Mine is pretty close to that too.
I see:
Lewis @ Center (Hunt at backup)
Mad dog and Rees swap sides
Siliga > Bryant (PS maybe)
Marsh @ SLB > Perkins (PS maybe)
Shead @ RCB > Browner
Browner @ backup SS
McCray @ backup FS
I also see either Seisay or SJB making it over Simon. Simon is gone, and the whoever doesn't make it goes to PS. I think this will be a battle until the regular season.
I think George Fant will squeeze on to the PS as well. He's one to keep an eye on.

Click to expand...

Seisay was waived, cleared waivers and is now back on IR.

FlyingGreg":27mhxpc0 said:

Thepeelsessions":27mhxpc0 said:

BattleOfSeattle":27mhxpc0 said:

The way-too-early projection thread for the 53 man roster, practice squad and depth chart. Much will change over the next several months, but I thought this would be a nice place to discuss and visualize how you think the roster will look (or should look) at the start of the 2016 season.

Here's mine:

Offense - 25 Players

QB: Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin
RB: Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, Christine Michael
FB: Tre Madden
WR: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett,
WR: Jermaine Kearse, Paul Richardson, Kenny Lawler
TE: Jimmy Graham, Nick Vannett, Luke Willson
LT: Garry Gilliam, Bradley Sowell
LG: Rees Odhiambo, Justin Britt
C: Joey Hunt, Patrick Lewis,
RG: Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli
RT: Germain Ifedi, J'Marcus Webb

Defense - 26 Players

LDE: Michael Bennett, Frank Clark
LDT: Athyba Rubin, Quinton Jefferson, Brandin Bryant
RDT: Jarran Reed, Jordan Hill
RDE: Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Cassius Marsh
SLB: David Perkins, Mike Morgan
MLB: Bobby Wagner, Steve Longa
WLB: K.J. Wright, Kevin Pierre-Louis
LCB: Richard Sherman, Tye Smith
RCB: Brandon Browner, DeShawn Shead, Tharold Simon
NCB: Jeremy Lane, Marcus Burley
SS: Kam Chancellor, Kelcie McCray
FS: Earl Thomas, Tyvis Powell

Special Teams - 2 Players (Bradley Sowell & Tyler Lockett count towards offense)

K: Steven Hauschka
P: Jon Ryan
LS: Bradley Sowell
KR/PR: Tyler Lockett

Practice Squad - 10 Players

RB Zac Brooks
QB Vernon Adams
TE Tanner McEvoy
WR Kevin Smith
WR Kasen Williams
CB DeAndre Elliot
CB Mohammed Seisay
CB George Farmer
DT Justin Hamilton
OL Terry Poole

Legend:
Italicized = Rookie
Green = Starter

Click to expand...

Not bad. Mine is pretty close to that too.
I see:
Lewis @ Center (Hunt at backup)
Mad dog and Rees swap sides
Siliga > Bryant (PS maybe)
Marsh @ SLB > Perkins (PS maybe)
Shead @ RCB > Browner
Browner @ backup SS
McCray @ backup FS
I also see either Seisay or SJB making it over Simon. Simon is gone, and the whoever doesn't make it goes to PS. I think this will be a battle until the regular season.
I think George Fant will squeeze on to the PS as well. He's one to keep an eye on.

Click to expand...

Seisay was waived, cleared waivers and is now back on IR.

Click to expand...

He has been now. He wrote this soon after the draft.

The real question marks with who we'll keep on the roster are in our backfield, OL, SLB, CB

We have an abundance of good RB candidates. Full back is another interesting situation. Any ideas here?

OL is more of a question of who's going to play where. Gilliam looks like a lock at LT. Ifedi is a huge variable in the equation. Rees probably can play both guard spots, but he played LG in college and we have Glow penciled in there. We can assume Ifedi moves out to RT soon or later, freeing RG for one of Rees or Glow. I'm excited for Sokoli, dude's a monster. Britt at Center is meh, many say it's his last shot, but given the C competition he's got his work cut out for him. OL is a really competitive this year and the result should be a effective starting 5.

As far as SLB, it's Mike Morgan's job to lose. It would take a FA signing (Obrien Schofield, Stephen Tulloch, etc.) or young player such as David Perkins or Eric Pinkins to really show off something to the coaches this TC to beat out Morgan. Something tells me there next man up approach will have Morgan starting week 1 at SAM. Longa? French?

At Cornerback, after your obvious ones... (Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, DeShawn Shead, Jeremy Lane and Marcus Burley) My favorites to grab the last 1-2 spots are Tharold Simon, DeAndre Elliot, Tye Smith in that order. I watched some DeAndre Elliot film and saw Seahawky play style and can't wait to see him match up with our WR's in TC.

Does anyone have any in depth knowledge about these specific position groups as we go forward with the competition leading up to the season?

skater18000":e3tbvu8v said:

OP forgot presumptive DT Silliga

Click to expand...

I didn't forget him. This is a roster projection thread. I can't envision the Seahawks keeping more than 5 DT's on the 53-man roster and I think Rubin, Reed, Jefferson and Hill are locks to make it. The 5th spot, at least in my thinking at the time, would come down to either Siliga or Brandin Bryant.

Shortly after my original post, John Schneider was asked in an interview who he thought had the most upside of all of the undrafted free agents the Seahawks had signed this year. Schneider directly named Bryant "at fullback and defensive tackle" despite him having never played fullback before. They know he likely will not make it past waivers if released and they probably also don't want to cut a solid rotational player like Siliga if they don't have to. Having him compete for the starting fullback position is a brilliant move if he can win that job--it would save a roster spot and improve depth while also retaining a talented, cost-effective young player that can potentially contribute at multiple positions. So if Bryant makes the roster at FB, I think they keep Siliga.

As far as the SLB is concerned it sounds like the Hawks are prepared to play a lot of dime this season with
Browner playing the extra safety role.

While I've read a lot about Proise the last week or so, and he seems like an exciting player with a lot of upside, I think Collins will eventually prove to be a more effective every down back, better suited and keeping the chains moving.

24 Offensive Players
2 QBs
4 RBs
1 H-Back
5 WRs
3 TEs
9 OL

QB: Wilson, Boykin
RB: Rawls, Collins, Prosise, Brooks
HB: Cottom

WR: Baldwin, Kearse, Lockett,
WR: Richardson, Lawler
TE: Graham, Willson, Vannett

LT: Gilliam, Sowell
LG: Glowinski, Odhiambo
OC: Lewis, Hunt
RG: Ifedi, Britt
RT: Webb

If Rawls to PUP then Michael.
If Graham to PUP then Cottom at TE, Madden or Tupou to FB.

Notes:
Prosise/Brooks adds WR versatility
Cottom adds Lead-Blocker/ Y TE versatility
Would love Britt to be starting OC but is highly valuable as a guy who can potentially back-up all spots.

26 Defensive Players
10 DL
06 LB
10 DB

LEO: Clark, Perkins
RDE: Bennett, Jefferson (280-285)
3T: Rubin, Bryant
1T: Reed, Siliga
LDE: Avril, Clemons

SLB: Marsh, Morgan
MLB: Wagner, Coyle
WLB: Wright, Pierre-Louis

RCB: Shead, Simon
LCB: Sherman, Smith
NCB: Lane, Browner
FS: Thomas, McCray
SS: Chancellor, McEvoy

Notes:
-Perkins tweens between LEO/SAM
-Jefferson loses weight to understudy Bennett
-Bryant over Hill, optimistically they trade Hill for late round conditional pick.
-Marsh like Perkins tweens
-All CBs plus Thomas learn to play NCB
-Browner is really a big Safety
-McEvoy also is emergency Nickel LB,
-Although completely optimistic, in 2-3 years it would be cool a starting D-Line of:

LEO: Perkins (6'2, 250)
RE: Jefferson (6'4, 275)
3T: Bryant (6'2, 310)
1T: Reed (6'3, 315)
LE: Clark (6'4, 265)

With all of them developing into well-rounded, above-average players.

Other Offensive Notes:
-Bryant is also backup FB
-McEvoy is emergency big WR, move TE, and 3rd QB.
-Chancellor would be 4th QB
-Tarvaris Jackson is on speed dial, if ever a serious Wilson injury.

Special Teams: Hauschka, Ryan, Ferris

Notes: Would love for Sowell to LS but typically you have the guy and an emergency role. If Sowell long snaps, I dont see another guy than can do it unless Hunt can.

Out of all 50 non-ST players, with Bryants potential versatility and McEvoy versatiliy, it could be a O:24<-2->D:24 split.

Practice Squad Initial Hopefuls:
QB Heaps
RB/FB Madden
WR/CB McNiel
WR Williams
TE/LT Fant
G/C Soloki
T/G Poole
LB Longa
CB Elliot
DB Powell

BattleOfSeattle":1dqs1as2 said:

Thepeelsessions":1dqs1as2 said:

Not bad. Mine is pretty close to that too.
I see:
Lewis @ Center (Hunt at backup)
Mad dog and Rees swap sides
Siliga > Bryant (PS maybe)
Marsh @ SLB > Perkins (PS maybe)
Shead @ RCB > Browner
Browner @ backup SS
McCray @ backup FS
I also see either Seisay or SJB making it over Simon. Simon is gone, and the whoever doesn't make it goes to PS. I think this will be a battle until the regular season.

Click to expand...

I think Hunt and Bryant are going to surprise a lot of people. Their tape is extremely impressive to me.

Hunt is a willing blocker and seemingly always upright. Rarely did I see him get moved backwards or beaten, even against 1st round defensive lineman. One of the main criticisms I've been hearing is that he's 'undersized' and 'needs to add strength', and yet he's 6'2" (an inch taller than Patrick Lewis) at 300 pounds and put up 34 repetitions of 225 lbs on the bench press. Didn't test at the combine due to an injury, but he moves very well and can get to the second level with ease.

@PFF_College Joey Hunt led nation with 99.5 pass blocking efficiency allowing zero sacks and only three hurries

Click to expand...

@natetepp @FieldGulls On Hunt: didn't allow a single sack or hit on the quarterback in 445 pass-block snaps last season.

Click to expand...

@PFF_Jim New #Seahawk Joey Hunt has played 1827 of 1967 snap (92.9%) in the past two years. And effectively too…

Click to expand...

@ShanePHallam 215 #Seahawks Joey Hunt C Can play OG. Good athlete who shuffles his feet well. Not going to dominate, but rarely gets beat. Small.

Click to expand...

Bryant's tape is simply incredible. He absolutely lives in the opponents backfield and looks downright unblockable at times. Extreme athleticism paired with a very high motor. Consistently wins at the point of attack with explosion and technique. Full repertoire of skills: bull rush, rip, swim, swat, spin. Excellent hand usage. Runs from sideline to sideline chasing down quarterbacks and ball carriers. Never quits on a play. Anchors well against the run and is a tenacious tackler. Plays with good leverage, balance and pad level. Fast. Can be a dominant player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M5LKx5-Kp4

Here's how his measurables and production last year compare with Robert Nkemdiche, who went 29th overall:

https://imgur.com/dE5coN8

The big drawback is that Bryant played at a smaller D1 school (Florida Atlantic University) out of the Conference USA, so the level of competition is a consideration here and is probably the main reason he went undrafted. With that said, they played against some big time programs like Florida and Miami and Bryant still produced. He has a lot of potential. I think Seattle found a gem.

Click to expand...

This post has me optimistic.