RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks open the 2021 NFL regular season at the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 12 at Lucas Oil Stadium. They finished 12-4 last season, winning the NFC West and losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Will Duane Brown be there? The veteran left tackle is holding in because he wants a new deal and the Seahawks don't want to extend him right now, and no one knows for sure if he'll play on his current contract. All that adds another layer of uncertainty when it comes to predicting Seattle's roster.
It will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Russell Wilson, Geno Smith
The offense that new coordinator Shane Waldron is installing places more of an emphasis than before on short and intermediate passes that get the ball out of Wilson's hands quickly. That would be even more of a priority if Brown misses regular-season games amid his contract dispute. Smith is the favorite to hold on to the backup job over Sean Mannion, who could serve as QB3 on the practice squad.