Seattle Seahawks' roster cuts: Calm before the storm

Jody Gomez-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks are making roster cuts along with the rest of NFL. Playbooks will be turned in, players will be thanked for their short-term services and a few dreams will be crushed.

For most teams, the first cuts are not nearly as shocking or controversial as the second cut down day. The first set of players to go are typically undrafted free agents, journeymen and a few projects from other realms of sports. Seattle moved nine players on August 26, and must cut six more by August 27. The cut players are:

Perez Ashford, Brett Swain (wide receiver)
Kyle Knox, Craig Wilkins (linebackers)
Jameson Konz, Andrei Lintz (tight ends)
Martin Parker (defensive tackle)
Kyle Nelson (long snapper)

The ninth player to be “moved” was rookie fifth-round pick Jesse Williams, who was put on the injured reserve. Essentially, this move bought the Seahawks some time, but not much. This isn’t MLB or the NBA, where the injured reserve list can be used a bit more freely. Is this why Williams fell to the fifth round?

It isn’t hard to argue that these moves are not surprising. None of these players are household names, and they essentially needed eye-popping performances in camp and in the preseason to make the team. Based on the depth attributed to the Seahawks, there could be a few cast-offs that show up on other NFL rosters. However, it seems likely that teams are not going to be clamoring for Seattle’s leftovers just yet.

This is the calm before the storm. Getting to 75 is going to be tough. Reducing the roster to 53 will be brutal, particularly for a talented team like the Seahawks. That is when the controversy really begins.

Todd Pheifer covers the Seattle Seahawks for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @tpheifer, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google+.