The first preseason game for the Seahawks is in the books and its already clear that three players are heading for the chopping block.
The Seahawks opened the 2023 preseason with an encouraging win over the Vikings, 24-13. There were plenty of standouts to warrant praise but always remember that the NFL preseason is a zero-sum game. With the 53-man roster cuts always looming, one player's big game can spell bad news for another.
The NFL has changed the cut process. Teams don't have to dump players in waves during the preseason. Instead, they'll trim the roster from 90 to 53 in one big cut at the end of August.
Even so, the first week of preseason action for Seattle made it clear which cuts are coming.
Seahawks who should be cut after preseason Week 1: Holton Ahlers
Former East Carolina quarterback Holton Ahlers got his first taste of NFL action on Thursday and he looked decent doing it.
The undrafted free agent went 4-for-4 for 43 passing yards and a touchdown. He also ripped off a 22-yard gain on a designed QB run.
Unfortunately, there's basically nothing Ahlers could do to secure a roster spot with the Seahawks so long as Drew Lock solidifies his place as QB2 behind Geno Smith. And Lock did that against the Vikings.
Lock went 17-of-24 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw an interception but that didn't marr his performance enough to suggest he's in danger of being caught by the rookie.
The Seahawks have to feel good about Smith as their quarterback in 2023 and they've got to feel even better about Lock as the backup after the win. Ahlers won't make the roster, but he can still use his preseason opportunities to get try to land a gig somewhere else.
Seahawks who should be cut after preseason Week 1: DeeJay Dallas
Last year, the Seahawks held on to four runningbacks when they cut down to 53 with DeeJay Dallas making the roster. He went on to rush for 186 yards on 35 carries, heavily mirroring the production he had the two previous seasons with the team.
Basically, Seattle knows what they have in Dallas and, truthfully, it's not that much.
Kenneth Walker is the top dog in the running back room and the Seahawks drafted Zach Charbonnet out of UCLA to be his running mate. They also picked up Kenny McIntosh from Georgia in the seventh round. Even though he picked up a knee sprain in training camp that will limit him, he's still in a good spot to make the roster.
So Dallas is facing competition from the likes of Bryant Koback, SaRodorick Thompson Jr. and Wayne Tualapapa for what might be the roster spot. One of those backs looked like an absolute baller on Thursday night.
Koback picked up 32 yards on six carries while adding 43 yards on three receptions. He looked explosive and capable of possibly commanding a roster spot.
Meanwhile, Dallas got the start and managed one yard on two carries, offering very little to the offense by comparison.
Seahawks who should be cut after preseason Week 1: Dee Eskridge
Dee Eskridge already had a problem with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy stemming from an arrest for domestic violence.
Then he picked up an apparent injury on the opening kickoff of Thursday's preseason opener for the Seahawks, further putting his battle for a roster place in question.
But his biggest setback comes in the form of Jake Bobo.
The undrafted free agent out of UCLA thrilled in his NFL preseason debut, catching three passes for a team-best 55 yards and a touchdown. He also made showed value on special teams, nearly setting up a downed punt at the goal line.
The Seahawks are likely to carry six receivers into the season with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and first-round draft pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the way. The remaining three spots need filling and Dareke Young appears to have enough potential to hold one, leaving two spots for Cody Thompson, Cade Johnson, who suffered a scary injury but appears okay, Bobo, Eskridge and others.
After Thursday, Bobo looks far more likely to grab that roster spot and push one of the veterans out. And one of those veterans won't be available for the first six games of the season.
At a certain point, Eskridge's off-the-field trouble and injury history have to catch up to him and this feels like the moment.
