The Seahawks’ 2026 rookie class already looks like a tricky evaluation, and the injuries to Bud Clark and Julian Neal have made the picture even messier. Seattle opened the season with a young group hoping to force its way onto the field, but right now Jadarian Price looks like the only first-year player with a clear shot to help right away.
Clark’s season is done after he broke his ankle on Seattle’s first defensive snap against the Tennessee Titans. Neal’s situation is less clear, with the team still not fully explaining the injury he’s dealing with. Either way, the rookie class has taken a hit before the real roster decisions even arrive.
The most immediate issue for Seattle may not be who can play in 2026, but who survives the cut to 53. That’s the pressure point now.
Clark had one of the cleanest paths to a role in Mike Macdonald’s defense. The second-round pick from TCU offered the kind of versatility and coverage skill the Seahawks wanted in the secondary, and his ability to fit into different packages made him a natural candidate to matter early. Instead, his rookie year is over before it really began.
Neal’s injury hits a different part of the roster battle. The third-round corner from Arkansas had a real chance to compete for snaps at a position where Seattle still has questions behind its top options. With him sidelined, that competition changes fast.
It also shifts more weight onto veterans Trevon Diggs and Noah Igbinoghene, while leaving Seattle with fewer chances to sort through its younger corner options. If Neal is out for a long stretch, the Seahawks may have to decide whether the room is deep enough or whether help has to come from outside.
Still, Clark and Neal being unavailable does not automatically sink the class. The larger issue is what the rest of the rookies do between now and the end of August.
Seattle has other picks - especially Michael Dansby and Andre Fuller - fighting for jobs, and some of those players face a much steeper climb than Clark or Neal ever did. That makes the preseason more than a tune-up. It’s the proving ground for who stays and who goes.
Beau Stephens is one of the more intriguing names in that group. There was some chatter that he might push Anthony Bradford for the starting job, but that feels like a reach right now. Stephens has had moments, yet he hasn’t shown the steady rise that would suggest he’s ready to knock off an established player.
What he has shown is what you’d expect from a rookie: a few strong snaps, then a mistake. Good technique and athleticism on one play, followed by a rep that reminds you he’s still adjusting to the NFL’s speed and power.
That isn’t necessarily a problem. It’s part of the process. The bigger question is whether Stephens can turn those flashes into something more reliable as the preseason rolls on.
For Seattle, the goal doesn’t have to be instant stardom from every rookie. It just needs enough useful players.
Some will make it by earning roles on special teams or in rotation. Others will need to show enough long-term upside to justify keeping them around.
That’s the first real test for this class.
Clark is already gone for the year. Neal’s status is still uncertain. The rest of the rookies now have to prove they belong on the roster at all.
That’s a different challenge than producing right away, and it’s why the final week of preseason will say far more about this group than any draft grade ever could.
If a few of Seattle’s remaining rookies step up, the injuries to Clark and Neal may end up as nothing more than unfortunate footnotes. If not, the Seahawks could come out of 2026 with very little rookie impact despite spending real draft capital.
That’s the concern now.
Seattle doesn’t need this class to carry the team. It needs to figure out who can help now, who needs more time, and who deserves one of those 53 roster spots.
Clark won’t get that chance this season.
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