The final episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” with the Seahawks put Seattle’s roster philosophy front and center, and it did so in a way that matched the way John Schneider and Mike Macdonald have been talking all along.
The Seahawks have repeatedly described their roster as a 70-man operation, not just a 53-man one. That means the active roster and the practice squad are treated as one connected unit, and with cuts arriving, that idea became a major thread in Tuesday night’s finale. Schneider has made it clear he builds the initial 53 with an eye toward keeping as many of the top 70 as possible from slipping away on waivers.
Cooper Kupp gave that approach some extra weight. The veteran receiver, who spent eight seasons with the Rams from 2017-24, told younger Seahawks that Seattle’s way was something he hadn’t seen before.
“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.”
Another scene in the finale focused on safety Nick Emmanwori, who is coming back from ankle surgery in July. In a conversation with Macdonald, Emmanwori described the grind of trying to work his way back without overdoing it.
“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.”
He also talked about the pressure that comes with constant questions about whether he’ll be ready for the Sept. 9 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’s response was straightforward. “You can’t control if your body’s ready, which sucks,” he 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.”
Trevon Diggs also remained part of the conversation in a meaningful way. The former two-time Pro Bowl cornerback was released during Sunday’s roster cutdowns, then re-signed to the practice squad on Monday. Even so, he still looks like he’s in the mix for Seattle’s third cornerback job.
Diggs had not been with an NFL team this offseason before signing with the Seahawks on Aug. 19, so there’s still some ramp-up involved. Macdonald laid that out directly in a one-on-one talk with him.
“To me it’s just like, dude, let’s just keep getting your legs back,” Macdonald told Diggs. “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.”
When Macdonald asked, “How much time do you think you need to feel great scheme-wise?” Diggs kept it simple.
“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.”
The episode also caught a few lighter moments. Leonard Williams joked to Derick Hall that he could “probably buy you some new shorts” after Hall agreed to a three-year, $90 million extension last week, a nod to Hall’s short shorts in practice.
There was also a brief rules debate during the preseason finale against the Chiefs. Seahawks undrafted rookie nose tackle Uso Seumalo said, “I like the chains, me personally,” after officials used a virtual measurement.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce chimed in with, “Hey, bring the chains back, man! This is some (expletive),” and Seumalo answered, “See, Travis Kelce agrees with me.”
And when Macdonald called the preseason finale “This is the sloppiest game ever - at any level,” Kupp pushed back from the sideline with, “Not at any level.”
Macdonald didn’t let that one go. “At Cedar Shoals, we ran Wing-T with no penalties,” he said, pointing to his own coaching days at Cedar Shoals High School in Georgia in 2008 and 2009.
Kupp had the last word there too: “That’s an exaggeration,” he said with a smile.
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