SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks open the 2023 NFL regular season against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10 at Lumen Field.
That game will mark Bobby Wagner's return to the middle of their defense, as well as the debut of the new-look front seven that general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll overhauled during the offseason in an effort to improve one of the NFL's worst run defenses in 2022.
The back end has its question marks, too -- like where top pick Devon Witherspoon will play -- but there's no doubt about the talent level. The Seahawks are so loaded at cornerback that some have wondered whether Mike Jackson could be a trade candidate on cut-down day if he doesn't win back his starting job on the left side.
That would be justifiable if the Seahawks could get a defensive lineman in return, or another player who could help them in 2023. But it wouldn't make nearly as much sense to part with a starting-caliber player on a cheap contract just to pick up another midround pick next April.
After all, it's not like the Seahawks are in a rebuild. They're coming off a playoff season and have designs on catching the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Seahawks:
QUARTERBACK (2): Geno Smith, Drew Lock
Smith is trying to follow up his Pro Bowl breakout season from 2022. The Seahawks gave him a three-year, $75 million deal in March and also re-signed Lock to be his backup. They didn't draft any quarterbacks in April despite repeatedly saying they might, only signing Holton Ahlers as an undrafted rookie. They'll be scouring the waiver wire for upgrades to their practice squad quarterback.
RUNNING BACK (4): Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas, Kenny McIntosh
This foursome seems set, assuming McIntosh doesn't suffer a setback in his return from a knee sprain he suffered early in training camp. Walker missed time with a groin injury, giving Seattle an extended look at Charbonnet. The rookie second-round pick has had a strong summer and appears ready for a sizable role -- perhaps even 10 or so touches per game -- as the RB2.
FULLBACK (1): Nick Bellore
Bellore has only averaged about one fullback snap per game in Shane Waldron's two seasons as offensive coordinator. He's here to play special teams, where he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 and a Seahawks captain the past two years. Bellore, the oldest player on Seattle's roster at 34, can also play inside linebacker in a pinch.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo, Cody Thompson
Smith-Njigba, the 20th overall pick, suffered a wrist injury that required surgery and puts his status for Week 1 in question. Dee Eskridge will miss the first six games while serving an NFL suspension. Dareke Young may also need surgery for a groin injury -- and thus begins the season on IR in this projection. Those issues open the door for Bobo and Thompson. Bobo ran a 4.99 40-yard dash at UCLA's pro day -- an extremely slow time for a receiver -- but the undrafted rookie has been sensational this summer.
TIGHT END (3): Will Dissly, Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson
The Seahawks leaned on their tight ends last season, running the second-most plays with at least two of them on the field, according to TruMedia. With Smith-Njigba in the fold, Waldron's offense may shift to favoring packages that feature a third receiver, as opposed to an extra tight end. Fant and Parkinson are in contract years, while Dissly will have no more guaranteed money on his big deal after 2023, so it's an important season for all three.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Evan Brown, Phil Haynes, Abe Lucas, Olu Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford, Stone Forsythe, Jake Curhan
Lucas and Cross finished second and third, respectively, among rookies last season in ESPN's Pass Block Win Rate. Brown is on track to win the competition at center with Oluwatimi, the rookie fifth-round pick. Fourth-rounder Anthony Bradford hasn't given Haynes much of a run for the starting job at right guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Dre'Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, Mike Morris, Mario Edwards Jr., Cameron Young, Myles Adams, someone not currently on the roster
No position group saw more turnover from last season than this one, with Seattle moving on from Poona Ford, Al Woods, Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson and L.J. Collier. Of the six names above, only Adams was with the Seahawks in 2022. They're counting on Jones to be a difference-maker after splurging on him in March, a major departure from their free agency M.O. Day-three picks Morris (shoulder) and Young (calf) have both been slowed by injuries in camp, making it hard to gauge how much they can help Seattle as rookies.
LINEBACKER (9): Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Devin Bush, Jon Rhattigan, Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor, Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, Tyreke Smith
Brooks has made a remarkably speedy recovery from his Jan. 1 ACL tear and is on track to be ready by the opener, which will be less than eight and a half months after his injury. Seattle signed Bush as insurance for Brooks and brought back Wagner to reprise his role at middle linebacker. Look for Brooks to share time with Bush -- especially early on as he gets reacclimated -- and for Seattle to occasionally play all three at the same time.
CORNERBACK (5): Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Mike Jackson, Coby Bryant, Tre Brown
Witherspoon is on track to be ready by Week 1 after re-injuring his hamstring Aug. 7, but his role is still to be determined. The fifth overall pick has been competing with Jackson and Brown at left cornerback, and with Bryant at nickelback. The only certainty among the top three spots is that Woolen will be starting on the right side. Regardless of which combination the Seahawks go with, this is their deepest and most talented group of corners since the Legion of Boom days.
SAFETY (5): Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Julian Love, Joey Blount, Jonathan Sutherland
Adams was just activated off the physically unable to perform list and is taking part in walk-throughs with the plan to be eased into practice. He may not be ready by Week 1, but Seattle has Love as a short-term fill-in -- and potentially a long-term replacement if Adams has another down season. Look for the Seahawks to employ packages that use all three at once, with Adams playing weak-side linebacker in passing situations. Sutherland beats out sixth-round pick Jerrick Reed in this projection. Bryant has been getting reps at safety and provides extra depth there.
SPECIALISTS (3): Jason Myers (K), Michael Dickson (P), Chris Stoll (LS)
The Seahawks made Myers the NFL's second highest paid kicker when they re-signed him in January. Dickson is the league's top-paid punter. They're preparing to go young and inexpensive at long snapper with Stoll, an undrafted rookie. It's a curious approach, as Stoll would only save them less than $200,000 against the cap compared to the minimum salary deal that their former Pro Bowl snapper, Tyler Ott, signed with Baltimore. Carson Tinker, who took over last season when Ott went down with a shoulder injury, is unsigned and could be a fallback option.