A 9-9 tie is rarely much fun for football fans. When it comes in the final preseason game, it carries the extra burden of featuring plenty of players who will not be on the final roster. That was certainly the case in the Seattle Seahawks game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.
For the Seahawks' coaches, however, the game was essential. They were able to evaluate the players competing for depth roles on this year's squad. I think they came out of this game with a fair amount of clarity.
The biggest difficulty grading players in this type of game comes from the opponent. The Chiefs started many of their regulars. By the beginning of the second half, they were fielding third- and fourth-teamers. Consequently, the Seahawks offensive linemen are apt to look far better against a third-team UDFA than against Chris Jones .
Many of the Seahawks on the field Friday evening entered the preseason as longshots. So saying they played themselves off the roster against Kansas City is relative. It is more accurate to say most of them simply did enough to demand serious consideration.
Did Andre Fuller's failure to secure the edge on a kickoff return cost him a spot? He probably didn't have a spot to begin with. But that misstep on special teams certainly didn't help.
These players were not necessarily bad on Friday, but they needed to be great to force a decision. None did enough to survive the final cuts.
Wright's sensational 69-yard touchdown run against Tennessee in preseason Week 2 showed everyone that the young running back has skills. This week, behind a lot of backups on the offensive line, he didn't get the chance to produce similarly.
Early in the second half, against a lot of Kansas City's third-team defense, he did show a couple of flashes of the talent that earned him a spot on the practice squad last year. But for the most part, he had a very quiet game.
That, in a vacuum, doesn't doom his chances for a roster spot. His first-half misplay of a Jalen Milroe lateral is a different story. The play resulted in a fumble credited to the quarterback, but Wright was at fault. He simply dropped the pitch. For a player trying to vault over reliable veterans like George Holani and Emanuel Wilson , that is a major mistake.
Mason Richman 's injury last week opened a door for an additional interior lineman. Christian Haynes entered the Chiefs game in position to seal one backup line spot, and he played reasonably well, especially in pass protection. That left Cabeldue and rookie Beau Stephens competing for a spot that may not even be available.
Cabeldue played as well as Stephens. Perhaps even better, though he was also going up against lesser talent. But he did nothing to stand out. I think the Seahawks are more heavily invested in Stephens at this point.
They traded up for him in last year's draft. Though I don't think he has done enough to earn a roster spot, if they do indeed keep a second backup guard, it will probably be Stephens and not Cabeldue.
The oddest part of Seattle's preseason roster has been the sheer number of nose tackles they have. Holdovers from last year include elite starters Leonard Williams (who plays anywhere he wants along the line) and Byron Murphy II , the veteran Jarran Reed and the youngster Rylie Mills , and perhaps the purest actual nose tackle of them all, Brandon Pili .
Still, the Seahawks have looked at four other potential interior linemen who can line up in 1, 2, or 3-technique positions. None of them played especially well on Friday. Seumalo has been the most up-and-down, making one good play and then being invisible for several. Thomas may be the steadiest of the group, and Eastern, a rookie who missed some time during camp, may have the farthest to go.
But what became very clear against Kansas City is that none of them can challenge any of the incumbents at this point. The Chiefs' drive to close out the first half on Friday was a disaster, as they were able to run right at the Seahawks' line and reverse what should have been a Seattle advantage. It will now be interesting to see which, if any, of the young interior linemen stick on the practice squad.
For many of these players, the practice squad is a very positive outcome. Every player who is released on Sunday will be disappointed, but we cannot call most of them disappointments. They entered as longshots, and if they are not yet ready for Sundays, some time on the practice squad may give them a chance to grow into that role.
If I am right and players like Wright, Cabeldue, and Thomas did not play themselves onto the roster on Friday, any or all could be called on to step in later this season.
This article was originally published on www.12thmanrising.com as 6 Seahawks who played themselves off the roster after preseason Week 3 .
