Seahawks 53-Man Roster Prediction: Take 1
By Justin Floor
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Contenders: Justin Hamilton, Jordan Hill, Quinton Jefferson, Jarran Reed, Ahtyba Rubin, Sealver Siliga
Winners: Rubin, Reed, Hill, Jefferson
Practice Squad: Hamilton
The Skinny: Poor Sealver Siliga. He goes from a starting gig as 1-Tech DT to the roster bubble and in my estimation off the roster completely with the addition of Jarran Reed. Offering no pass rush, Siliga would see limited snaps in run-heavy situations only. Reed offers the same run-stuffing pedigree in a younger, cheaper body.
Rubin can also play 1-Tech if needed but will start out as the 3-Tech tackle on early downs. Jordan Hill will look to bounce back from another injury-riddled year that also featured long bouts of being invisible on the field. It’s a contract year and I expect to see more of the 2014 version of this player before he is ultimately allowed to move on in free agency. Jefferson is an intriguing option as a 3-Tech rusher but also could be the 5-Tech end in certain situations.
Hamilton is a talented player that you’d like to have on the PS. Promising defensive linemen don’t grow on trees, so teams do all they can to hold on to them.
DEFENSIVE END/EDGE
Contenders: Cliff Avril, Tavaris Barnes, Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, Chris Clemons, Christian French, Cassius Marsh, Montese Overton, David Perkins, Ryan Robinson, DeAngelo Tyson
Winners: Bennett, Avril, Clark, Marsh, Clemons, Robinson
Practice Squad: Overton, Perkins
The Skinny: Bennett and Avril are stars. Clark is an emerging force and Clemons will be asked to be a situational pass rusher. Marsh will play part of the role of Bruce Irvin by being part-time linebacker and part time end, along with a special teams stalwart.
The wildcard here is Robinson, who impressed in OTA’s last year before suffering an achilles injury. If he shows the same juice as a pass rusher as he did before the injury, he may displace Clemons on the roster if the team needs to keep an extra player at another position. In this case both players are kept and are used as a means to reduce and maximize snaps for vets like Avril.
Overton and Perkins are EDGE players that may be worth developing as depth pieces in the future.
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