Seahawks Keep Churning Camp Depth As One Roster Battle Heats Up

As the Seattle Seahawks continue their tradition of finding hidden gems, Garrett Nelson steps in to prove his worth in the pursuit of playmaking potential.

The Seahawks made a quick shuffle at the bottom of the roster on the day HBO’s Hard Knocks is set to debut from training camp, signing edge rusher Garrett Nelson and waiving wide receiver Kyre Duplessis.

It’s the kind of move that says plenty about this time of year in Seattle. Camp is where the team sorts through every last body, searching for players who can fill even a small job and help the whole operation run cleaner. The Seahawks have done that before with undrafted players who turned into real pieces, including linebacker Drake Thomas, safety Ty Okada and wide receiver Jake Bobo.

Nelson is the latest name getting that shot. He comes to Seattle after stints with five different NFL teams and a sixth overall stop in the league, along with two years of preseason training camp and time on practice squads. He also spent the past two seasons with the San Antonio Brahmas, where he totaled 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 24 games.

He’s not being sold as a finished product. Nelson doesn’t have elite speed off the edge, but he does bring burst, good angles to the quarterback and decent timing at the snap. He also plays with a low pad level, which helps him get leverage at the line.

The flip side is experience. He still has to learn more of the defensive scheme, and that part of the job is where he’s behind. Even so, Seattle may need him for added depth at defensive end with Mike Morris out.

Duplessis was the roster casualty to make the signing work. The Seahawks had only brought him in less than a week earlier, shortly after waiving running back Kenny McIntosh, who was still on the PUP list while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s training camp.

Duplessis had a short window to separate himself, but he never quite climbed past some of the other raw veterans and rookies in the mix. Seattle has shown it won’t hesitate to move on quickly when a player doesn’t look like he has a path forward.

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Seahawks Fans Are About To See Camp Like Never Before

Training camp is about to feel a little different in Renton. The Seahawks have been selected for HBOs Hard Knocks this summer, putting Mike Macdonalds first camp in Seattle and Sam Darnolds work at quarterback under the kind of spotlight the show has built its reputation on. For fans, it means a closer look at the daily grind, the competition and the personalities that usually stay behind the practice-field fence.

The series begins Aug. 4 and will run five episodes, covering preseason action and the final roster cuts, so the timing should give viewers a real sense of how the Seahawks shape their team before the regular season. Macdonald and Darnold have already commented on the filming process, and now the bigger question is how much the cameras will reveal about the battles that decide who sticks and who goes home. [Read more 🡒]

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The Seahawks have not offered much detail on what is keeping Ouzts sidelined, which only adds to the uncertainty around a player whose role is already tightly tied to health and availability. The good news for Seattle is that a clearer picture does not sound far off, with an update on his status expected soon, but until then his camp absence is one of the quieter issues worth monitoring. [Read more 🡒]

Seahawks Camp Is Already Creating Early Winners And One Tough Roster Reality

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The other side of camp has been less forgiving, because not every rep is helping the same players build momentum. Jalen Milroe has had stretches that underscore how much he still has to prove, and Kenny McIntoshs situation has taken a tough turn after a knee setback, a reminder that roster battles in late July can change fast. For Seattle, the challenge now is turning those early evaluations into a clear picture before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]