RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks open the 2022 regular season on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 12 at Lumen Field.
And now they know which quarterback will start against their old one when Russell Wilson makes his much-anticipated return to Seattle. Coach Pete Carroll announced after the final preseason game Friday that Geno Smith will get the nod over Drew Lock in Week 1.
There's plenty more that Seattle has to sort out before the opener, with position battles still undecided at cornerback, nickelback, right tackle and No. 3 receiver.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here's a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Geno Smith, Drew Lock
By picking Smith to start the opener, the Seahawks are going with experience over upside. It's not that Smith ran away with the competition by lighting it up. It's more so that he began in the lead thanks to his understanding of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's offense, and Lock never did enough to catch up -- at least in Carroll's eyes. It certainly didn't help that Lock missed the second preseason game -- which he was set to start -- with COVID-19.
RUNNING BACK (4): Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Walker III, Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas
Walker's status for the opener is in question as he recovers from a mid-August hernia procedure. Whenever he returns, the Seahawks' second-round pick is expected to fill a significant role alongside Penny in their post-Chris Carson backfield. Homer and Dallas were virtual locks already because of what they do on special teams, but especially now with the Walker situation.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Marquise Goodwin, Dee Eskridge, Penny Hart, Dareke Young
The Seahawks have one of the NFL's best receiver duos in Lockett and Metcalf, then a whole lot of question marks after that. Freddie Swain goes from last year's No. 3 receiver to the odd man out in this projection because of his disappointing summer. With Swain underwhelming and Eskridge sidelined again for most of camp because of a hamstring injury, Goodwin looked like the group's third-best player but is now working back from a hamstring injury of his own. Bo Melton, like Young a rookie seventh-round pick, has also made a case for a back-end spot, but Young has been ahead of his fellow seventh-round pick.
TIGHT END (3): Will Dissly, Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson
Parkinson, a 2020 fourth-round pick, looks like he's ready to make a jump after two nondescript seasons. It's a strong group that has a chance to be more involved in the passing game than Seattle's tight ends were with Wilson at quarterback.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Austin Blythe, Gabe Jackson, Abraham Lucas, Phil Haynes, Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe, Kyle Fuller
Five penalties for Cross in the second preseason game overshadowed what has been a strong summer for the No. 9 overall pick. Between Cross and third-rounder Lucas, who seems to be leading the competition at right tackle, the Seahawks have to be excited about the bookends of their O-line. Haynes, who has been playing well enough to push Jackson at right guard, will fill in on the left side while Lewis recovers from his ankle sprain. Fuller makes the cut in this projection as an interior backup, but Seattle could look elsewhere for that depth.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Al Woods, Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, Shelby Harris, Bryan Mone, Myles Adams
Cutting L.J. Collier, a 2019 first-round pick, would be a tough pill to swallow, but defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt seemed to foreshadow the move this week. After praising Collier earlier this summer, Hurtt evoked the NFL saying that "it's hard to make the club from the tub," a reference to the time Collier had missed because of an elbow injury. Moments later, Hurtt said Adams has been "unbelievable" this summer.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Darrell Taylor, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Alton Robinson, Vi Jones
Mafe has drawn comparisons from Carroll and others to former Seahawks pass-rusher Cliff Avril. He's expected to factor heavily into the rotation on passing downs, but the second-round pick is currently sidelined because of a shoulder strain. Fifth-rounder Tyreke Smith (hip) has missed most of camp, so Jones -- an undrafted free agent -- makes the cut in this projection.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton, Nick Bellore, someone not currently on the roster
Barton is joining Brooks in the starting lineup in what will mark the Seahawks' first season without either K.J. Wright or Bobby Wagner at linebacker since 2010. Jones began the offseason playing inside and could effectively give the Seahawks another backup there if he makes the team, but it's still by far the Seahawks' biggest area of concern depth-wise. It seems likely that they'll make an addition here, if not two.
SAFETY (5): Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Ryan Neal, Josh Jones, Marquise Blair
Jones has taken advantage of the extra reps he has gotten with Ugo Amadi traded and Neal (ankle sprain) sidelined. Blair, on the other hand, has missed a lot of tackles and is no longer in the mix at nickel.
CORNERBACK (6): Sidney Jones IV, Coby Bryant, Tariq Woolen, Artie Burns, Justin Coleman, Mike Jackson
This group got hit hard by injuries early this summer but is getting healthier, with Jones and Burns -- the two starters at the beginning of camp -- on their way back. It's been a mixed bag for Bryant and Woolen, with plenty of splash plays but some rookie mistakes as well. Bryant has been competing with Coleman for the nickel job of late.
SPECIALIST (3): K Jason Myers, P Michael Dickson, LS Tyler Ott
It's a surprise that Seattle didn't bring in another kicker to compete with Myers, who has been up and down in three seasons with Seattle and is set to make a non-guaranteed $4 million in the last year of his deal. But he had a nice preseason, going 6 of 7 with a 53-yarder against Dallas on Friday.