53-Man Roster Decisions & Other Takeaways From John Schneider’s Press Conference

The Seahawks kept eight of their 11 2025 draft picks on the initial 53 man roster—a ninth, defensive lineman Rylie Mills, is on the non-football injury list due to a torn ACL suffered late last season—and the two who were waived on Tuesday, running back Damien Martinez and receiver Ricky White III, were both back with the team a day later as members of the practice squad. The Seahawks also kept three undrafted free agents, meaning 13 of the 70 players on their active roster and practice squad are rookies.

“We’re all excited about the players, and we’re all excited about the development of the players as well, watching the education, the clarity of the teaching that’s going on on the field, and the intensity,” Schneider said. “That’s what stands out, and to watch these guys improve week by week, some of them day to to day, quite honestly, and watching them have some setbacks and then respond too, we’re excited about it.”

As for those three undrafted rookies, outside linebackers Connor O’Toole and Jared Ivey and tight end Nick Kallerup, all three earned it with their play in training camp and preseason, but all three were also players the Seahawks feared might not have made it through waivers in part due to their strong preseasons. In other words, with teams now able to elevate practice squad players on gameday, teams aren’t always keeping their absolute top 53 players on the roster on cut day, but rather they are sometimes weighing decisions based on how they can build the best 70-player roster. For example, if the Seahawks thought Ivey was more likely to get claimed than, say Patrick O’Connell, they might waive O’Connell, who signed to the practice squad Wednesday, even though he figures to have an important role as a backup linebacker.

“They did a great job, they earned it,” Schneider said. “It also comes back to—talent, yes, work ethic, did they earn it, yes—but it’s also, who’s going to be able to get through waivers and how you navigate this initial wave when everybody’s setting their rosters? All three of those guys flashed huge in preseason games. They all did things that really stood out on film, and we had a vibe that we may not get guys through. So again, it’s kind of how we’re building this thing. They did a great job; it’s also how you’re building your team initially.”