After a close loss last week, the Seattle Seahawks closed out the preseason with their lone preseason home win, 37-33, against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night at Lumen Field.
It was by far Seattle's highest scoring game of the preseason, with the team scoring a combined 31 points in their first two games. The Seahawks' starters on offense and defense dictated the flow of the game, as they opened the game with a scoreless five-play, 62-yard touchdown drive that scored seven points.
Here are three Seahawks players who have improved and three who have fallen after the final preseason game (not including starters; if they had, Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, Jackson Smith-Njiba and Jarran Reed would be represented).
WR Cody White
Cody White's only highlight of the night didn't count, but it was a big one. White got a 73-yard touchdown reception that was negated by a holding foul on guard Christian Haynes early in the second quarter, but he showed good hands to keep enough separation from the Browns cornerback to catch a perfect pass from quarterback Sam Howell.
White only had one catch for 11 yards the rest of the game, but his play on the void was too impressive to not make this list. The competition for Seattle's sixth wide receiver position is even more intense now than it was in Tuesday's final cutdown. White will likely have a job this season, whether or not he makes Seattle's 53-man roster.
EDGE Jamie Sherriff
Undrafted rookie edge rusher Jamie Sherriff has done nothing but improve his standing since being added late to the Seahawks' 90-man roster in early August. Sherriff recorded four tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits on the night, solidifying his position as a contender for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Seattle traded fifth-year edge rusher Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears on Friday, leaving the Seahawks with just four outside linebackers on the roster. Sherriff could be the fifth addition, or Seattle could risk waiving him and trying to rejoin the practice squad. Either way, Sherriff should remain with the team in some capacity. He's shown too much potential.
WR/KR Dee Eskridge
Dee Eskridge's fate seemed sealed, but on Saturday he was back in the discussion about a possible roster spot. Eskridge scored on Crossfield's 79-yard punt return late in the second quarter and finished with three receptions for 19 yards on offense.
The notorious former second-round draft pick had barely produced any results in his first three seasons in Seattle, with his only preseason accomplishment before Saturday being a 22-yard jet sweep rush against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. But now, with a wide receiver-rich corps, Eskridge has at least given McDonald and his staff something to think about.
S Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant finished with four total tackles, but the third-year cornerback-turned-safety made some poor plays in coverage that plagued the Seahawks defense.
The faux pas came early in the second quarter when Bryant, playing as a deep safety, was forced into shallow coverage and allowed Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to connect with Jamari Thrash for a 46-yard touchdown. Bryant put rookie cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett one-on-one with Thrash and got no help from up top.
Bryant has been performing well in the preseason, so one bad night is unlikely to cost him a spot, but the competition between him and undrafted rookie Ty Okada (four tackles) for the final selection may be tougher than many think.
TE AJ Burner
Fourth-round rookie AJ Varner hasn't necessarily had a bad preseason, but he hasn't exactly lived up to expectations either: He showed some blocking ability at the line of scrimmage, but missed his lone target against the Browns and had just one catch for 17 yards in the preseason.
Berner is a mid-round pick and not in danger of being cut, but he's unlikely to play a significant role for Seattle in the regular season unless injuries continue throughout the season. Of course, McDonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb may think differently, but he looks like a player who will take time to develop.
S. Marquis Blair
It was easy to root for Marquise Blair, the Seahawks' second-round pick in 2019, but he likely didn't get enough playing time on tape in the preseason to stay on Seattle's initial roster or practice squad.
Blair played most of the second half and finished with three tackles, two of which came in the final seconds of the game. He was once a key defender for Seattle before suffering a devastating knee injury during the 2020 season, but he hasn't been a big presence since. Blair is here not because he made any obvious mistakes, but because he hasn't made enough of an impact to compete for the safety spot.
