Winning a Super Bowl sounds great until you have to build the next roster. The Seattle Seahawks are living that reality right now. Every spot on the depth chart is getting picked over, and some guys who thought they had a future here are finding the math doesn’t work in their favor anymore.
General manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald have loaded up at nearly every position. That’s a good problem to have when you’re defending a title. But for players on the edge of the roster, it means every rep in practice and every snap in preseason games carries weight. Two names keep coming up in conversations about who might get squeezed out: offensive lineman Olu Oluwatimi and linebacker Patrick O’Connell.
The center who got caught in a numbers game
Oluwatimi came to Seattle with a decorated college resume from Michigan. The Seahawks drafted him expecting he’d anchor the interior for years. But the NFL doesn’t wait for development to catch up. While Oluwatimi was learning the pro game, Jalen Sundell jumped ahead of him at center. Grey Zabel locked down a spot. Beau Stephens kept showing versatility Seattle values. Then the front office added veteran Josh Jones and Christian Haynes, both of whom can play multiple positions along the line.
That’s the problem for Oluwatimi. His best spot is center. He doesn’t really play guard or tackle. Macdonald has made it clear he wants guys who can slide around when injuries hit. Sundell is the starter. Haynes can back up inside. Carrying a third center who can’t do anything else is a tough sell when you need depth at tackle or the defensive line.
Oluwatimi is smart. He reads defenses well and calls protections like a veteran. But intelligence alone doesn’t save a roster spot when the guy ahead of you is also smart and the guy behind you can play three positions. He needs a dominant preseason to force the coaching staff to keep him. Otherwise he’s the kind of tough cut that comes with having a deep roster.
A linebacker with no room to breathe
Patrick O’Connell is the kind of player coaches love. He works hard, plays special teams, never complains. But the Seahawks linebacker room got crowded in a hurry. Ernest Jones IV is the leader. Drake Thomas signed an extension and locked in his role. Tyrice Knight is developing into a three-down player. Chazz Surratt came back from injury and adds more competition.
Seattle might only keep four off-ball linebackers. That math leaves O’Connell on the outside looking in. His best path is special teams, but even there the team has other options who can contribute at linebacker on defense too. It’s a brutal spot for a guy who has done everything asked of him.
What happens next
Training camp always produces some surprises. A player nobody expected gets hot and forces a decision. But right now, the odds aren’t great for either Oluwatimi or O’Connell. Both have shown they can play in this league. The question is whether they can play well enough to justify a spot when the roster is stacked and the front office needs flexibility.
Seattle’s title defense will look different depending on which bubble guys stick. The next few weeks will tell us who gets to be part of it.
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