Sep 10, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Kansas Jayhawks offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue (77) pauses before a snap during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Seahawks Rookie Roundup: Is sixth-round offensive lineman roster sleeper?

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Seattle Seahawks began training camp on Wednesday, July 23, and started the preseason on Aug. 7, officially kicking off the second season under head coach Mike Macdonald.

Seattle's rookie class — draft pick and undrafted free agent alike — will be among the most closely watched additions to the team until the final roster cutdown.

This season, the Seahawks began camp with 29 total rookies on their 90-man roster. As camp progresses, we will profile each of the team's first-year players and project their chances of making the final 53-man roster in late August. Seemingly climbing up the depth chart in the preseason, can offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue stick on the 53-man roster?

Path to the NFL

Cabeldue (6-foot-4, 306 pounds) was a three-star recruit out of Clovis High School in New Mexico by 247Sports, ranking third among all recruits in the state. He had just four offers, choosing Kansas over Texas State, New Mexico and Incarnate Word.

Joining the Jayhawks' 2020 recruiting class, Cabeldue played in four games as a freshman — including two starts. He immediately became the full-time right tackle in his second season, starting 45 games over the next four Kansas campaigns.

Cabeldue was projected to be a fourth or fifth-round pick by NFL.com, especially because of his lengthy college experience. Due to his lack of length, however, it was projected that he would move inside at the NFL level.

The Seahawks selected Cabeldue 192nd overall (sixth round) in the 2025 NFL Draft, planning to originally try him out at tackle. He was the second offensive lineman the team selected behind first-round pick Grey Zabel.

Outlook

Making an appearance at guard for the Seahawks in their dominant 33-16 preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Cabeldue had a bit of an injury scare that could have nearly cost him his roster chances. The sixth-rounder went down with an apparent upper-body injury, exiting the game.

Cabeldue, however, returned to the game in the second half. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said it was a minor elbow injury after the game. If Cabeldue was forced to miss significant time in a highly competitive guard competition, he may not have done enough to convince the coaching staff to keep him on the 53-man roster.

Considering he was playing in the second quarter, it seems he is currently rising on the depth chart.

Cabeldue was listed behind Sataoa Laumea in the team's first unofficial depth chart before the preseason, but he was in the game before Laumea on Friday. That means he could have a good chance to push Laumea to a potential practice squad spot after the 2024 sixth-round pick started six games for the Seahawks last season.

Thus, there's a solid chance Cabeldue squeezes onto the roster as a backup to Zabel. That still means Cabeldue would likely be a special teams contributor most of the season, but it's better than having to put a draft pick through waivers.