Clayton: The biggest surprises from the Seahawks’ roster cutdown

The Seahawks cutdown to 53 players had a few surprises.

Seahawks release first official roster of 2021 regular season

The big surprise is they kept three quarterbacks. Geno Smith is the backup, but for now, Sean Manion is still on the roster. They did indeed keep five running backs. Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas made it.

They did a little shuffling at cornerback. On Wednesday, they traded a sixth-round pick in 2022 to Jacksonville for former University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones. He could come in and be the nickel. They released Damarious Randall and John Reid, who was acquired for a conditional draft choice that they now won’t have to pay.

The Seahawks loaded up on the defensive line. Robert Nkemdiche was let go. They could bring him back to the practice squad. Jordan Simmons was let go on the offensive line, which wasn’t a surprise. Phil Haynes was able to make it. He did well in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

It was surprising that receivers Penny Hart and Aaron Fuller were released. They both had great camps. Fuller looked good in the preseason games. Hart has been praised all summer by Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Their releases give Dee Eskridge a great chance of getting the No. 3 receiver job, though Freddie Swain may start the season as the No. 3. The Seahawks only kept four wide receivers and you figure they will be looking for more on the street or through trades.

The Seahawks kept three draft choices and one undrafted player. There were 29 roster moves and the current roster is at 52.

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Seahawks Cutdown Day Tracker: Keep tabs on all of Seattle’s moves

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