Stay tuned — Seahawks roster only penciled in

This is the time when NFL teams have the players on board to start the season. The time when all the cuts and cut-day trades and post-cut signings are complete and teams are supposed to go into Week 1 of the regular season with their 53-man rosters set.

Not so true for the Seahawks. Don't be surprised if there are more changes to the roster in the next couple of weeks, if not the next couple of days.

The Seahawks are still in search of a third quarterback, a "flexible situation," as coach Mike Holmgren called it Monday. He has never started a season without three and indicated that a third quarterback would be added before too long.

Among the possibilities to fill the position are Gibran Hamdan, who was the third quarterback in Seattle while Matt Hasselbeck was unable to play because of injury last season, and Hasselbeck's brother Tim, who was released by the New York Giants last week.

"That would be a dream come true for me," Hasselbeck said when asked about the idea of his brother coming to Seattle. "It's not really my style to lobby the coaching staff or management or anything like that. Hopefully, I think the second week of the season, he'll probably get picked up somewhere and definitely help somebody."

The Seahawks might also be considering addressing the center spot. Chris Spencer is the starter and practiced Monday but is coming off shoulder soreness in the offseason and a bothersome ankle in the last exhibition game. Spencer is the only player listed at center on the team, and his backup is starting right guard Chris Gray, who hasn't played the position since 2000.

The team is trying to convert seventh-round draft pick Steve Vallos, who is on the practice squad, from guard to center.

"It's something we could look at it in the future," Holmgren said. "That could be one of the positions we can monkey with just a little bit."

So could cornerback, where the Seahawks seem to be in need of depth and experience. The first question is how to use defensive back Jordan Babineaux — as a safety, where there already are four other players, or as a cornerback, where there are just three. Babineaux has shown he can play both spots effectively, and he is working as a cornerback in practice this week.

The next question at cornerback is what to do if one of the starters, Marcus Trufant or Kelly Jennings, gets hurt. The only true cornerback the team would be left with is rookie Josh Wilson, who has shown promise but bruised a hip in last week's game, missed Monday's practice and might not practice today.

The Seahawks would have to release players on the team to make room for any new ones. This after they acquired three new players on Saturday and Monday: defensive end Jason Babin, defensive tackle Ellis Wyms and running back Alvin Pearman.

Babin is for now considered a situational pass rusher, defensive coordinator John Marshall said. He is competing for playing time with defensive ends Darryl Tapp, Bryce Fisher, Patrick Kerney and rookie Baraka Atkins. Linebacker Julian Peterson was also a situational pass rusher — someone who rushed the quarterback on certain downs and in certain defenses — last season.

Wyms apparently addressed the need for defensive-tackle depth after Marcus Tubbs was lost for the season. Wyms doesn't have Tubbs' size — 290 pounds compared with 318 — but is a versatile player who can move to end and is being worked at the three-technique, Marshall said, a position in which the defensive tackle lines up in the gap between the opponent's offensive guard and tackle.

Pearman is a solid special-teams player who can run the ball effectively if needed.

Notes

• The Seahawks 12th Man lunch rally is set for noon today at Westlake Park downtown. The event will last 45 minutes, and fans have the chance to take home free Seahawks gear

• The team announced 12 game-day enhancements for fans at Qwest Field this season, including additional entry gates, an in-stadium text-messaging service (text HAWK12) to alert staff of unruly fan behavior or cleanup spots, a re-tuned stadium sound system, healthier food and beverage concession options and a pin-trading center near the team pro shop.

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