Seahawks Roster Ranked 1 to 53
By Justin Floor
Seahawks Roster: Offensive Linemen and More Trying to Move Up
31. Justin Britt (39)– A move to center after struggling mightily at left guard last year and right tackle before that seemed to reek of desperation and likely be a last ditch effort to squeeze anything positive out of this player before his Seahawk career mercifully ended. Then a funny thing happened. Relieving him of having to protect in space or block uber-talented tackles one-on-one has allowed Britt to blossom just a bit at center, where he typically holds up well double-teaming opponents with a guard and fires out sharply in the run game. The jury is still out but the early returns are actually encouraging.
32. Garry Gilliam (34)– Gilliam, like most of the O-line last year, seemed to play much better in the second half of the season than he did the first, though that was an incredibly low bar to clear. After failing to impress at left tackle this season, he was moved back to the right side and is currently just ahead of awful journeyman J’Marcus Webb on the depth chart. The hope is he picks up where he left off in late 2015 and improves upon that level of play in 2016. We’ll see.
33. Brandon Williams– A complete surprise addition to the 53-man roster is the former Oregon Duck and Carolina Panther tight end. From the beginning of training camp, he impressed coaches with his ability to block, play special teams and catch what was thrown to him. A beneficiary of Cooper Helfet and Brandon Cottom’s injuries, we’ll see if Williams can positively contribute to the team in the regular season as Graham gets up to speed and Vannett heals from a high ankle sprain.
34. Cassius Marsh (27)– Marsh is fast becoming the Justin Britt of the defense- a jack of many trades but master of none. Whether his weight is up or down, whether he is deployed at defensive end or outside linebacker, Marsh always seems to come up a day late and a dollar short of impacting the game in a positive way. The effort is certainly there, but the results thus far are not. He excels on special teams and will again need to at least be a positive contributor there.
35. Joey Hunt– The Seahawks just never were comfortable with Patrick Lewis at center, for whatever reason. Hunt, the sixth round pick out of TCU, played well enough in camp and the preseason to make the team feel comfortable enough to jettison Lewis and leave the backup line-calling duties to the smallish but smart, communicative pivot. Could he be the center of the future? Time will tell, but if he develops into just reliable depth at the position, consider it another draft choice win for John Schneider.
36. Tharold Simon (31)– Simon is entering his fourth year as a Seahawk having played in only 11 career games, including just one last year. The perpetually injured but willing cornerback has been afforded one last chance to impress the team and earn his place in the DB room. Richard Sherman said Simon could be better than him one day. Richard Sherman was wrong. Simon remains a penalty magnet and philanthropist of cheap first downs who can’t be trusted to not screw up when the ball comes his way.
37. Kevin Pierre-Louis (24)– Possessing great speed for the position, KPL’s tenure to this point has been rather disappointing, having never been able to seize a starting outside linebacker spot or contribute much as a reserve. Pierre-Louis seems to distrust his eyes and react much slower to the action than his physical attributes would suggest. Can he free his mind and play instinctually in year three? Preseason film suggests not.
38. Rees Odhiambo– He may not play a lot in 2016, but the future looks bright for Odhiambo on the inside of Seattle’s offensive line. His blend of size, strength and footwork will position the rookie front and center in Seattle’s future plans on the line of scrimmage. If he can cure his propensity to be injured, the combination of Odhiambo and Glowinski at guard could actually be prove to be a strength of this team in the long term when Ifedi graduates to right tackle.
39. Mike Morgan (51)– Morgan is a Pete Carroll favorite. He’s a solid core four special teamer and will play some SLB this season, too. In probably his last year with the team, Morgan quietly does his job and will look to contribute any way he can to the team’s success. However, it would behoove the team to get far more dynamic at his linebacker position in the future.
40. Tanner McEvoy– Breaking news- a UDFA outta nowhere makes the team. This time it’s 6’6” switchblade Tanner McEvoy, who has played more football positions than he hasn’t, sticking as a WR/TE option thanks in part to injuries at those spots. Still, McEvoy has impressed with sticky pass-catching hands and a willingness to block and play an active role in special teams. He could provide a nice target in the red zone in a specialty role for Russell Wilson as well.
41. Bradley Sowell– Sowell isn’t good. Ok? The reason you can sign an experienced, 27-year-old left tackle for $800,000 is because he isn’t good. He tries, he’s ornery and he at least wasn’t a defensive lineman or a basketball player or a line cook last year. As big a question mark as the left tackle position already is with Sowell there, it would be an unmitigated disaster if left in J’Marcus Webb’s lap for any length of time, so let’s hope Sowell just isn’t horrible.
42. J’Marcus Webb– a mountain of a man yet a journeyman in the league- had been given the keys to the right tackle position, immediately dropped them, and it’s up to Tom Cable to make sure it works out better for this offense than it has for Webb’s previous employers if he ever sees the field. Color me skeptical, cross-armed and with a dismissive smirk on my face about the chances of this ending well.
Next: 43 to 53: Depth Chart Pieces