Seattle Seahawks 2025 training camp: 4 key position battles to follow

The Seattle Seahawks finally released starting tight end Noah Fant yesterday, saving around $9 million in salary cap space heading into the start of training camp tomorrow.

In addition to creating some cap room, the move makes room for an exciting summer competition to determine who will become Seattle's new starter at this spot.

On the other side of the ball, head coach Mike Macdonald's defensive rotation is likely already set in stone - assuming DeMarcus Lawrence is taking Dre'Mont Jones' old spot opposite Uchenna Nwosu.

However, in addition to the tight end competition there are a few other big offensive position battles that need to be decided. Here are four to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Tight end: AJ Barner vs. Elijah Arroyo

With Noah Fant out of the picture, this battle will now come down to rookie Elijah Arroyo and second-year stud AJ Barner, who's coming off a strong rookie year - having posted four touchdowns and showing respectable chops as a blocker. While Barner has the edge in experience, Arroyo is the more athletic of the two and is a greater threat as a receiver. Whoever wins this battle could wind up carving out a huge chunk of Klint Kubiak's new offense.

Right guard: Anthony Bradford vs. Christian Haynes

The most-problematic position for the Seahawks over the last couple of years has been right guard, where Anthony Bradford has struggled in pass protection. Unfortunately, nobody else Seattle has tried here has done any better. Christian Haynes was a third-round draft pick last year but only wound up playing 167 snaps as a rookie and did not start a single game. One of these two will have to step up, or the Seahawks will have no choice but to sign a proven vet before the season starts.

Center: Olu Oluwatimi vs. Jalen Sundell

Seattle looked to have found a proven vet at center last year when they signed Connor Williams. However, his sudden retirement in the middle of the season opened another hole in the middle of their offensive line. Oluwatimi earned solid grades for his run blocking (65.8) but has work to do in pass protection (54.8). Jalen Sundell has a size advantage here but he only played 57 offensive snaps as a rookie.

WR4: Jake Bobo vs. Tory Horton Jr.

We know that Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdez-Scantling will be the team's starting combo at wide receiver to start the year. However, the rest of the rotation is as-yet unsettled. The next-man-up could be undrafted darling Jake Bobo for the third-straight season, or it could be rookie Tory Horton Jr., who's a superior athlete and totaled 27 touchdown catches in college.