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Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Dareke Young (83) carries the ball after making a catch during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

4 Seattle Seahawks veterans on roster bubble entering preseason Week 2

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 4:16 PM ET

Time is running out for Seattle Seahawks players looking to solidify their positions on the 53-man roster. The unfortunate reality of the NFL remains that less than 60% of the 90-man roster will be active with the team heading into Week 1 of the regular season.

As always, a few of those players who are cut will be veterans still trying to find their footing in the league. Thankfully, the practice squad exists — providing those players a chance to still be employed even if they aren't suiting up on Sundays.

Here are four players on the Seahawks' roster who might be on the outside looking in with just two weeks until cutdown day.

S Jerrick Reed II

Reed was a 2023 sixth-round pick out of New Mexico, and he was immediately a standout on special teams as a rookie. He totaled 11 tackles through his combined 186 snaps on both defense and special teams. However, Reed suffered a torn ACL in Week 11 of his rookie season and was placed on injured reserve.

The Seahawks placed Reed on the physically unable to perform list ahead of the team's 2024 training camp, and he only appeared in five games last season — totaling three tackles. Reed was listed as the last safety on the depth chart in Seattle's first unofficial depth chart last week.

Seattle has filled out its safety room since Reed was drafted. Julian Love, Coby Bryant and second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori are roster locks, and free agent signing D'Anthony Bell appears to leading the competition for the fourth safety spot. That would leave Reed and others on the outside.

WR Dareke Young

Young, a 2022 seventh-round pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne, was kept on the 53-man roster last season after beating out Easop Winston Jr. and Cody White for the sixth receiver spot. That position room got a lot more complicated this season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and now Tory Horton aren't going anywhere. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Bobo are most likely sticking on the initial roster. Young provides a special teams boost, but White appears to be making more plays in camp and Steven Sims provides kick return upside. Young might be left off the roster this season before potentially being brought back on the practice squad.

EDGE Tyreke Smith

Smith, among all four on this list, might actually have the best chance to make the initial roster. Uchenna Nwosu might begin the season on the reserve/PUP list, which would designate him to miss the first four games of the season while freeing up his roster spot. That leaves DeMarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall as the only three roster locks at edge rusher.

Originally a fifth-round pick by Seattle in 2022 out of Ohio State, Smith was placed on injured reserve before his rookie season began and he was eventually waived shortly after the start of the 2023 season. The Seahawks re-signed him to the practice squad before the Arizona Cardinals signed him from there. Seattle brought him back on its practice squad before the start of the 2024 season.

Smith flashed in the Seahawks' preseason opener against the Raiders, totaling four tackles, one pass deflection and a quarterback hit. He appears to be making strides in his fourth season.

TE/FB Brady Russell

This one might come as a shock, but Russell's positional versatility may not save his job this season. He appears to only be working at fullback currently, with Seattle's tight end room mostly filled out. The 2023 undrafted free agent is squarely behind rookie Robbie Ouzts in the fullback competition, and that doesn't seem like a position the Seahawks would keep two players on the initial roster.

Russell flashed in the preseason last year while being a pure tight end, and he was kept as one of four players there on the 53. However, it seems more likely that he is waived and stashed on the practice squad in 2025 as a backup to Ouzts. Russell might squeeze in, however, if Seattle keeps just three tight ends and wants him active as a plug-and-play at either spot.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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