At long last, the NFL's almost-interminable offseason is coming to an end. Today rookies reported to training camp for the Ravens, the first team to bring players in this year. As for the Seahawks, their own rookies will be reporting for training camp at the VMAC in Renton next Wednesday the 17th, followed by veterans on the 23rd.
Every year there are inevitably surprise cuts when teams have to trim their rosters from 90 players down to 53 for the regular season. With a new head coach, this year it will be more difficult than usual to predict who will make the team and who won't, but let's see if we can guess which players might be on the roster bubble going into training camp. Here are four players who we can see getting the boot if things don't go right over the next few weeks.
1. WR/KR Dee Eskridge
Eskridge probably should have gone out the door with former head coach Pete Carroll. However, he's been given another chance by Mike Macdonald and his staff. At this point Eskridge will not be able to crack one of the league's deepest rotations at wide receiver, so to avoid getting cut he's going to have to make a difference on special teams as a return specialist for the new kickoff rules. If Eskridge can't make a splash there, his roster spot could well end up going to an undrafted rookie like Hayden Hatten or Dee Williams.
2. RB Kenny McIntosh
McIntosh might seem like a surprise to make this list, as he's only entering his second year in the NFL out of Georgia. However, McIntosh was only a seventh-round draft pick and he happens to play the most-expendable position in the modern game. He's also well behind the top two running backs on the depth chart after missing his entire rookie season due to injury. If McIntosh doesn't impress during camp and the preseason, the new regime may feel his spot should go to a promising UDFA like George Holani, instead.
3. OT Stone Forsythe
Forsythe had been serving as Seattle's swing tackle the last couple of years, but the return of veteran George Fant knocks him down a peg or two. Fant re-signed with the Seahawks on a two-year deal and has far more experience than Forsythe (99 games vs. 44 games) at this level. After bombing at right tackle last year following Abe Lucas' knee injury, Forsythe may be up against the wall as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
4. OLB Darrell Taylor
Seattle's defense is more settled compared to the offense, but there's at least one veteran who should be sweating his situation this summer. That would be edge Darrell Taylor, who signed a one-year deal worth a total of over $3.1 million but only has $20,000 guaranteed. That means Taylor may need to outplay younger edge rushers like second-year OLB Derick Hall and rookie Nelson Ceaser in order to avoid getting cut.
