What stood out from Seahawks’ ‘Hard Knocks’ finale

The fifth and final HBO “Hard Knocks” episode featuring the Seattle Seahawks debuted on Tuesday night.

Montorie Foster Jr. tells parents he made Seahawks’ roster in ‘Hard Knocks’ clip

What stood out from the finale? Here’s a look.

Seattle’s 70-man focus truly is different

Throughout their run to a Super Bowl title last season, Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald repeatedly referred to their team as a 70-man unit. It’s a reference to the 53-man active roster and the 17-man practice squad – or as the Seahawks call it, the “Ready Squad.”

With roster cuts taking place, that 70-man focus was a central theme in Tuesday’s finale. Schneider has stressed that he assembles the initial 53-man roster with an eye toward protecting as many top-70 players as possible from getting claimed off waivers.

Veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp added some significant validation to that approach.

“Hard Knocks” captured a scene where Kupp revealed to several younger Seahawks that Seattle’s 70-man mentality is different than what he experienced during his eight seasons with the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams from 2017-24. Kupp said it was eye-opening to witness the Seahawks’ approach for the first time last August.

“Last year, there were guys that I thought had played to the point that I thought there was no way they weren’t making the 53,” Kupp said. “It’s just how I’d always seen things – like, there’s the 53 and there’s the practice squad. And last year was the first time that I saw how it’s supposed to be done, where you believe in your true 70 to get the job done for you.

“So there’s gonna be guys that aren’t gonna make the the 53 this year off the initial cuts, just based on how the waiver wire works – based on how you work through all those things to make sure that by the time Week 1 comes around and you start your preparation, you have the best 70 guys possible available for you.”

Emmanwori update

Tuesday night’s finale captured another conversation in Macdonald’s office between the head coach and standout safety Nick Emmanwori, who is working back from ankle surgery in July.

“I feel like I’m grinding every day to a point where I’m making progress, but I can’t really do back-to-back hard days,” Emmanwori said. “Like, two days ago, I was pushing it, I was running, and then the next day it was kind of sore.”

Emmanwori then opened up about the challenges of constantly getting asked whether he’ll be ready for the Sept. 9 season opener against the New England Patriots.

“I feel like other people’s (idea of) where they think I should be at, or where they want me to be, could be kind of interfering with where I’m trying to go, or where trying to get to,” Emmanwori said.

Macdonald then provided some wisdom for the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up.

“You can’t control if your body’s ready, which sucks,” Macdonald said. “You want to hit the button. Like, hey man, hit the button 20 times. You told me to hit the button 20 times, I should be good. It just doesn’t work that way.

“I think the directive to you is just keep grinding away. And just know, we’re in your corner, your teammates are in your corner. We all see that you’re working really hard. Guys know who’s trying and who’s not. You what I mean? So just level with them. I’m sure they get it too.”

Diggs is very much part of Seattle’s plans

Former two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs, who is aiming to resurrect a career that’s been derailed by knee injuries, was released by the Seahawks during Sunday’s roster cutdowns before re-signing with the team’s practice squad on Monday.

But regardless of his current spot on the practice squad, it seems clear that Diggs is still very much part of the logjam of candidates competing for Seattle’s third cornerback role.

It just might take a bit of time for Diggs to ramp up, given that he wasn’t with an NFL team this offseason before initially signing with the Seahawks on Aug. 19.

“To me it’s just like, dude, let’s just keep getting your legs back,” Macdonald told Diggs during a one-on-one conversation in his office. “Let’s get your window so you can go play, and then let’s go. So whatever it takes for us to get to that point.”

Macdonald then asked: “How much time do you think you need to feel great scheme-wise?”

Diggs, who came up with an interception while playing the first three defensive series of Seattle’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs last Friday night, said it shouldn’t take long.

“The stuff that I did in the game, I’m comfortable with that stuff,” Diggs said. “But probably like just a couple more weeks and I’ll be good.”

Quotable

• Some good-natured ribbing

“I can probably buy you some new shorts,” Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams joked to teammate Derick Hall after agreeing to a three-year, $90 million contract extension last week. Hall is known for wearing short shorts in practice.

• A traditionalist

“I like the chains, me personally,” Seahawks undrafted rookie nose tackle Uso Seumalo said as the officials conducted a virtual measurement during the preseason finale against the Chiefs.

“Hey, bring the chains back, man! This is some (expletive),” Chiefs 11-time Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce yelled.

“See, Travis Kelce agrees with me,” Seumalo replied.

• A typical third preseason game

“This is the sloppiest game ever – at any level,” Macdonald said during the preseason finale.

“Not at any level,” Kupp responded on the sideline.

“At Cedar Shoals, we ran Wing-T with no penalties,” Macdonald said, referring to his two seasons as a linebackers/running backs coach at Cedar Shoals High School in Georgia back in 2008 and 2009.

“That’s an exaggeration,” Kupp replied with a smile.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• 4 takeaways from Seattle Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster
• Seahawks’ Emmanwori chimes in on Aaron Donald’s return to Rams
• Seattle Seahawks swing trade with Chargers for rookie cornerback

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