RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks open the 2026 NFL regular season against the New England Patriots on Sept. 9 at Lumen Field. But first, they play one more preseason game Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs and then must cut their roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Who will make the team? Which positions have tough decisions on deck? And where might the lineup be deepest and thinnest this season?
Cornerback is the position with the most current intrigue. The Seahawks recently signed Trevon Diggs and have agreed to a deal with Terrion Arnold. But with the NFL expected to place Arnold on the NFL commissioner exempt list amid an ongoing legal case that could lead to a suspension, he won't be available anytime soon. Arnold, 23, was released by the Detroit Lions in June as he faces eight felony charges stemming from a kidnapping and robbery in Tampa, Florida, in February.
Here is our projection for the 53-man roster for the Seahawks.
Quarterbacks (3)
Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe
Milroe has made improvements from his rookie season, but he doesn't appear ready to overtake Lock for the No. 2 job. That would be his best path to seeing the field in specialty packages that take advantage of his athleticism.
Running backs (3)
Jadarian Price, George Holani, Emanuel Wilson
It doesn't seem out of the question that Zach Charbonnet could come off the physically unable to perform list before the season opener and play sometime before Week 5. But in this projection, he stays on PUP and misses the first four games. Wilson's status for Week 1 also seems a bit iffy. The Seahawks can't afford for Price to get hurt, which is why they might be content to not play their top pick in the preseason even though he could use the reps as he prepares to lead Seattle's backfield until Charbonnet is ready. With Robbie Ouzts (neck) out for the season, Russell is the next man up at fullback.
Fullbacks (1)
With Robbie Ouzts (neck) out for the season, Russell is the next man up at fullback.
Tight ends (4)
AJ Barner, Eric Saubert, Elijah Arroyo, Nick Kallerup
New coordinator Brian Fleury likes to use a fullback, but he has said that doesn't necessarily have to be a traditional fullback. Blocking specialists Saubert and Kallerup look like options in that regard.
Wide receivers (5)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Tory Horton, Montorie Foster Jr.
Jake Bobo's season-ending knee injury opens up a spot, and in this projection, Foster wins it while Cody White begins the season on the practice squad. Horton was having an excellent camp before suffering an injury that has kept him out for over a week. It does not appear serious, but his durability remains a big question mark. The guess here is that rookie sixth-round pick Emmanuel Henderson Jr. starts the season on the practice squad and gets called up for gamedays early on.
Offensive linemen (9)
Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford, Abraham Lucas, Josh Jones, Olu Oluwatimi, Beau Stephens, Bryce Cabeldue
Oluwatimi has been a candidate to be traded, but the Seahawks may not want to further weaken their O-line depth after Mason Richman suffered a serious injury Sunday in their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Stephens, a sixth-round pick, is not yet ready to challenge Bradford for the starting job at right guard.
Defensive linemen (6)
Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, Rylie Mills, Mike Morris, Brandon Pili
The Seahawks are hoping that Mills can break out in Year 2. Neither seventh-round pick Deven Eastern nor undrafted rookie Uso Seumalo appear to have done enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Outside linebackers (5)
Uchenna Nwosu, DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Dante Fowler Jr., Connor O'Toole
O'Toole and Jared Ivey both made the team as undrafted rookies last season but were regularly inactive as healthy scratches. Clearly, the Seahawks were afraid to lose them on waivers. They might have a similar fear this summer with O'Toole after his 1.5-sack performance against the Titans.
Inside linebackers (4)
Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas, Tyrice Knight, Chazz Surratt
Knight is making a push for playing time after losing his starting job to Thomas last season. Just like he did a year ago, Patrick O'Connell is making a strong case for a roster spot.
Cornerbacks (5)
Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Julian Neal, Nehemiah Pritchett, Trevon Diggs
Diggs might not be an immediate, surefire upgrade over Noah Igbinoghene or Pritchett, who are battling for the CB3 job. But he can at least reinforce the depth, as Neal, a rookie third-round pick, has likely fallen behind due to an undisclosed injury that has sidelined him for much of camp.
As a vested veteran, Igbinoghene would not be subject to waivers if he's released, meaning the Seahawks could get him onto their practice squad and call him up if needed -- thereby saving a roster spot for someone else -- without fear of another team claiming him. The No. 3 cornerback spot looks like it will be a question mark regardless of who wins the job.
Safeties (5)
Julian Love, Ty Okada, Nick Emmanwori, D'Anthony Bell, AJ Finley
Immediately after Emmanwori had ankle surgery in July, the Seahawks believed he would be ready for the opener. That now seems uncertain, as Emmanwori is off the PUP list but has yet to begin practicing. Bell is his backup as the third safety in their big nickel package. Rookie second-round pick Bud Clark broke his ankle against Tennessee and will be out for multiple months, according to Mike Macdonald.
Special teams (3)
Jason Myers (PK), Michael Dickson (P), Chris Stoll (LS)
The Seahawks ranked first in ESPN's Football Power Index special teams rankings last season. Stoll, their long-snapper, was an underrated part of that, which is why he got a new two-year contract over the offseason.