Could the Seahawks Finally Move on from Their Former 1,400 Yard Dynamo in a Stunning Off Season Shakeup?

The Seattle Seahawks offense will look a lot different when the 2025 season begins. Not only do the Seahawks have a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, but Seattle also retooled the receiving core.

The Seahawks opted to move on from one of the former faces of the franchise by trading DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Additionally, Seattle released Tyler Lockett, prompting the beginning of a new era in the Pacific Northwest.

These decisions open up the opportunity for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to take over as the Seahawks WR1. Cooper Kupp was also brought in to provide Smith-Njigba with additional help.

Beyond these two star receivers, the Seahawks face plenty of decisions on how the remainder of the depth chart will play out. Seattle selected a pair of receivers on the third day of the NFL draft in Tory Horton and Ricky White III.

These wideouts will be fighting for a roster spot in the coming months. Find out why White could face an uphill battle in making the final roster.

Jake Bobo Predicted to Make the Final Seahawks Roster Over Ricky White III

Seattle Sports’ Cameron Van Til released an early projection for the Seahawks final 53-man roster. The analyst predicts that White will be an unfortunate roster cut.

This would not be a massive surprise given White was a seventh-round pick. Yet, White’s collegiate production at UNLV is hard to ignore, even if his athletic testing numbers were less than ideal at the NFL combine.

Van Til projects the following receivers will join Smith-Njigba and Kupp on the final roster: Horton, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Bobo. The analyst makes the argument for Bobo making the roster over White.

“Smith-Njigba, Kupp, Valdes-Scantling and Horton figure to be the primary receiving options,” Van Til detailed in a May 26, 2025, story titled, “An early Seahawks 53-man roster projection for 2025.” “Horton also brings major special teams value, having returned three punts for touchdowns during his college career at Colorado State.

“That could leave a difficult decision for the final spot between Bobo and seventh-round pick Ricky White III. White’s special-teams prowess – he blocked an astounding four punts last year at UNLV – could be his ticket to a roster spot. But in this case, Bobo gets a slight edge for being a 6-foot-4 red-zone target and a strong blocker, the latter of which will be a particularly important trait for receivers in (Klint) Kubiak’s offense.”

Seahawks WR Ricky White’s Athletic Testing & Physical Attributes Likely Contributed to Slide in NFL Draft

White enters the NFL coming off back-to-back collegiate seasons topping 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns with the Rebels. The playmaker’s best season came in 2023 when White posted 88 receptions for 1,483 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games.

Yet, White’s 4.61-second time in the 40-yard dash likely contributed to his slide during the NFL draft. Here is how NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein outlined White’s pro outlook prior to the draft.

“Productive inside/outside receiver with good instincts but below-average play strength,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile of White. “He’s too easily knocked around and needs to play with better care for eluding trouble inside the route. White is smooth in space with an easy stride but won’t light it up with separation speed — though he does have a feel for positioning and adjustments to create late catch space.

“A lack of size (6-foot-1, 184 pounds) and catch strength will become exacerbated on the pro level, so refining his route-running as a slot option is a must. His lack of traits and explosiveness could overshadow the production and punch his ticket as an average NFL backup.”