Seahawks | Looking at players on the bubble

The starting lineups on offense and defense are set for the Seahawks, so the emphasis in the last two exhibition games is determining who will round out the depth chart on the 53-man regular-season roster.

"We have some very competitive battles for the depth positions on the team, and in games three and four [of exhibition play] it's absolutely essential that we allow those young guys to play, to allow them to try and make the team," coach Mike Holmgren said last week. "That's my number one thing in games three and four."

Saturday night's Vikings game was the first of the last two games, with the Raiders coming up Thursday night.

The coaches have begun making the first set of big decisions. The first mandatory roster cuts could come as soon as today, Tuesday at the latest. The roster goes from 87 to 75 players.

Here's a position-by-position look at the roster:

OFFENSE

Quarterback

On the team: Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace

On the bubble: David Greene.

On the outside looking in: Derek Devine, Erik Meyer.

Comment: After a disappointing effort in the Green Bay exhibition, Greene, a third-round pick in 2004, might be in his last days as a Seahawk. It's plausible that the team is trying to find an available veteran to at least work out, less plausible that it is considering keeping only two quarterbacks on the roster. Devine could be a practice-squad candidate, and Meyer just hasn't gotten an opportunity.

Running back

On the team: Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, FB Mack Strong.

On the bubble: FB Leonard Weaver, Marquis Weeks, FB Josh Parry, FB David Kirtman.

On the outside looking in: A.J. Harris.

Comment: Weaver can save the team a roster spot because he can play fullback and running back. But he did little to distinguish himself in games and in camp/ A fumble on Saturday hurt his cause, so the team might choose to keep Parry and/or Weeks for insurance.

Wide receiver

On the team: Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, D.J. Hackett, Ben Obomanu.

On the bubble: Jordan Kent, Joe Fernandez, Chris Jones, Courtney Taylor.

On the outside looking in: Robert Ortiz, Logan Payne.

Comment: Keep six, including Kent? Might happen. A few teams may want to take the rookie from Oregon off the practice squad should he end up there. Kent has potential, but Fernandez and Jones had better months. Taylor, a sixth-round pick, was injured for most of camp but has potential.

Tight end

On the team: Marcus Pollard, Will Heller.

On the bubble: Ben Joppru, Joe Newton.

On the outside looking in: Leonard Stephens, Andy Stokes.

Comment: The Seahawks typically keep three, and Heller has a year of experience with the team. So it might come down to either Joppru or Newton, and Joppru got a long look on Saturday.

Offensive line

On the team: Walter Jones, Chris Gray, Sean Locklear, Floyd Womack, Chris Spencer, Ray Willis, Rob Sims, Mansfield Wrotto.

On the bubble: Tom Ashworth, Steve Vallos, Pat Ross.

On the outside looking in: Jason Murphy, Austin King, Kyle Williams, Jonathan Alston.

Comment: Ashworth, a longtime pro, figures to have the inside track despite a woeful performance in Green Bay. If he stays, no other OL on the bubble is likely to be kept.

Specialists

On the team: K Josh Brown, P Ryan Plackemeier, LS Derek Rackley.

On the bubble: None.

On the outside looking in: K Kurt Smith.

Comment: These positions are set.

DEFENSE

Defensive line

On the team: DT Chuck Darby, DE Bryce Fisher, DE Patrick Kerney, DE Darryl Tapp, DT Rocky Bernard, DT Marcus Tubbs, DT Brandon Mebane.

On the bubble: DT Craig Terrill, DE Baraka Atkins, DE Brandon Green, DT Russell Davis.

On the outside looking in: DE Marcus Green, DT Eric Taylor, DE Nu'u Tafisi.

Comment: The depth at defensive tackle is as solid as it has ever been, and it's going to be difficult to decide who to keep. Atkins has an upside but Brandon Green has experience. And Davis made a nice play to stuff a run late in Saturday's game.

Linebacker

On the team: Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill, Kevin Bentley, Julian Peterson.

On the bubble: Lance Laury, Niko Koutouvides, Will Herring .

On the outside looking in: Marcus Rucker, Cameron Jensen.

Comment: Holmgren indicated he'll keep six in what is looming among the most intriguing roster-spot decisions on the team. All three "bubble" guys helped themselves Saturday and should survive the first cuts. "It'll be very difficult there," Holmgren said. "That's a tough call at that position."

Safety

On the team: Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Mike Green.

On the bubble: Michael Boulware, C.J. Wallace.

On the outside looking in: Patrick Ghee.

Comment: Boulware, once a big-play guy in the secondary, didn't distinguish himself Saturday and still has to earn his place. Former UW Husky Wallace has played well on special teams and should survive the first cut.

Cornerback

On the team: Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings, Josh Wilson, Jordan Babineaux.

On the bubble: Kevin Hobbs, DeJuan Groce.

On the outside looking in: Pete Hunter, Omowale Dada, Dennis Davis.

Comment: Babineaux has missed all of August but is a proven big-game playmaker who can play safety and cornerback. However, placing him on injured reserve might open up a spot for Hobbs, who got back into the thick of the process with his interception and touchdown Saturday, and Groce.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com