These Players Need To Shine In Seahawks’ Preseason Finale

The Seattle Seahawks 2018 preseason will conclude when they take on the Oakland Raiders at CenturyLink Field on August 30th.  The vast majority of Seattle’s starters will not play, giving ample opportunities for players on the roster bubble to make a final impression.  An impressive performance against Oakland may secure a spot on the Seahawks’ roster.  A poor one will almost certainly result in a player looking for work elsewhere.

Here are five players who need to impress against the Raiders in the Seahawks’ preseason finale:

Amara Darboh, Wide Receiver:

While fellow receivers David Moore, Damorea Stringfellow and Marcus Johnson have been receiving rave reviews throughout the preseason, Amara Darboh has been practically invisible. The 2017 third-round draft pick has missed all of Seattle’s preseason games with a hip injury but is expected to suit up against the Raiders.  Playing for his job, Darboh is battling against a slew of receivers for what’s likely the fifth and final receiver spot.  He must at a minimum stand out on special-teams and show he can separate from defensive backs on his routes.  Even being a high draft-pick in only his second year is unlikely to protect him from a poor showing versus Oakland.

Pete Carroll says WR Amara Darboh will play tomorrow vs OAK. He has to, to keep his job here.

Byron Maxwell will not play. I’m sensing that his roster spot is in jeopardy. #Seahawks

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 29, 2018

Poona Ford, Defensive Tackle:

Listen, Poona is not on this list because he has struggled to produce.  In fact, he has done the exact opposite and excelled so far throughout the preseason.  The fact of the matter is defensive tackle is the one spot on Seattle’s defense that has a loaded depth chart.  Jordan Reed, Shamar Stephen, Naz Jones, Tom Johnson and Quinton Jefferson have all been impressive as well.  Despite being one of Pro Football Focus’ top-graded defensive lineman through the first three weeks of the preseason, Ford finds himself in an uphill battle to secure a roster spot.  A standout performance against the Raiders will make it an extremely difficult decision for Pete Carroll and John Schneider, as there would be no way they could sneak Poona onto the practice squad. Even if he doesn’t make many “wow” plays in the finale, Ford will absolutely find himself on a NFL roster, it just may not be in Seattle.

Poona Ford has a run defense grade of 76.3 this preseason, ranking 12th out of 97 interior defenders with at least 40 snaps. #Seahawks https://t.co/BYfXBbXsUM

— PFF SEA Seahawks (@PFF_Seahawks) August 24, 2018

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C.J. Prosise, Running Back:

The injury to scat-back J.D. McKissic has likely secured a roster spot for Prosise, but the third-year back still badly needs to have a good game against the Raiders.  After missing the preseason opener with yet another injury, C.J. has been healthy enough to play in the last two games.  Unfortunately, his performance against the Chargers and Vikings was a bit underwhelming. In those two contests, Prosise averaged just 4.65 yards on 15 offensive touches, including eight receptions.  Though unlikely to be cut, a big game will definitely improve his chances at seeing meaningful snaps once the regular season begins.

Tre Madden, Full Back:

The Seahawks seem intent on keeping a fullback on the roster this season, but which one?  They loved Khalid Hill, but he’s on I.R. now.  Madden, now entering his third year out of USC, then seemed like a roster lock. Until the Seahawks went out and added Daniel Marx that is. Daniel was picked up by Seattle on August 26th after originally signing with the Atlanta Falcons this year as an undrafted free-agent out of Stanford.  Marx is much more of the traditional blocking fullback than Madden, who played tailback in college for the Trojans.  Tre played sparingly in the first two preseason games and was held out of last week’s contest with an undisclosed injury.  Undoubtedly Marx is a better run-blocker than Madden. Tre will need to prove his value in the receiving game and on special-teams if he hopes to hold off the rookie for a job.

Tre Madden has improved as a blocker and it's shown in preseason games. But Marx is more of a "pure" fullback, and if Seattle wants to have one of those on the roster, not out of the question he sneaks onto the 53. https://t.co/OPbOE2u8wl

— Corbin Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) August 28, 2018

Tyrone Swoopes, Tight End:

The expectation entering this season was that free-agent addition Ed Dickson would be the staring tight end with Nick Vannett and Will Dissly the backups. Dickson, however, has not played this preseason and is expected to be on the NFI list for the first six weeks of the regular season.  This provides the perfect opportunity for the former University of Texas quarterback to “swoop” in and grab a job.  Swoopes, now in his second year, is an intriguing ultra-athletic prospect who spent last season on Seattle’s practice squad after making the conversion to tight end. He has been pretty quiet so far this preseason, having totaled just two receptions for eight yards.  Failing to impress against the Raiders may result in another year on the practice squad for Tyrone, as there are sure to be several other tight ends on the market following Saturday’s NFL-wide cutdown to 53 players.