ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Seahawks have a few tough decisions to make before reducing their roster to 53 players in less than three weeks.

The final spot or two at receiver remain unsettled. I see at least 10 defensive linemen worth keeping, but perhaps no more than eight offensive linemen. The final spots at all three general positions on defense -- line, linebackers and secondary -- could spur debate.

• Earlier: Rams, Cardinals, 49ers
  

The Seahawks aren't even certain which kicker will earn a roster spot, opening possible trade scenarios for teams with needs at the position.

The chart provides a framework for how many players the Seahawks might keep at each position heading into the regular-season opener against the Rams.

Here's a quick look at which Seahawks players I might keep on the cutdown to 53 players:

Quarterbacks

• Projected keepers (3) -- Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Mike Teel
• Projected to miss cut (1) -- Jeff Rowe
• Key issue -- Teel showed enough in the exhibition opener to merit a spot as the third quarterback.

Running backs

• Projected keepers (5) -- Julius Jones, T.J. Duckett, Justin Forsett, Owen Schmitt, Justin Griffith
  
• Projected to miss cut (3) -- Devin Moore, David Kirtman, Dan Curran
• Key issue -- Moore could contend for a spot on the practice squad. Forsett's strong camp makes him a candidate for playing time.

Receivers

• Projected keepers (6) -- T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Deon Butler, Ben Obomanu, Jordan Kent
• Projected to miss cut (4) -- Courtney Taylor, Mike Hass, Logan Payne, Michael Bumpus
• Key issue -- Kent's size differentiates him from the other contenders, but this position remains a guessing game after the first four or five. Exhibition games will be pivotal.

Tight ends

• Projected keepers (3) -- John Carlson, John Owens, Cameron Morrah
• Projected to miss cut (2) -- Joe Newton, John Tereshinski
• Key issue -- Newton or Morrah? The rookie has shown flashes as a receiver.

Offensive line

• Projected keepers (8) -- Walter Jones, Rob Sims, Chris Spencer, Mansfield Wrotto, Sean Locklear, Ray Willis, Max Unger, Steve Vallos
• Projected to miss cut (6) -- Kyle Williams, Cory Withrow, Grey Ruegamer, Na'Shan Goddard, William Robinson, Andre Ramsey
• Key issue -- The eight projected keepers all could step into a game and play without embarrassing themselves. The drop from eight to nine appears significant. Seattle might be wise to consider adding a veteran tackle as insurance.
  

Defensive line

• Projected keepers (10) -- Cory Redding, Colin Cole, Brandon Mebane, Patrick Kerney, Darryl Tapp, Lawrence Jackson, Craig Terrill, Red Bryant, Baraka Atkins, Nick Reed
• Projected to miss cut (3) -- Kevin Brown, Michael Bennett, Derek Walker
  
• Key issue -- Depth appears strong. Atkins or Reed? I might find a way to keep both. Bennett has also shown enough to figure into the conversation.

Linebackers

• Projected keepers (7) -- Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill, Aaron Curry, D.D. Lewis, Lance Laury, Will Herring, David Hawthorne
  
• Projected to miss cut (2) -- Dave Philistin, Shane Simmons
• Key issue -- Seattle kept only six linebackers on its opening-day roster last season. Is the seventh linebacker more valuable than, say, the ninth defensive back or the 10th defensive linemen? That's why they play the (exhibition) games.
  

Defensive backs

• Projected keepers (8) -- Kelly Jennings, Marcus Trufant, Deon Grant, Brian Russell, Josh Wilson, Jordan Babineaux, Ken Lucas, C.J. Wallace
  
• Projected to miss cut (5) -- Travis Fisher, Marquis Floyd, Kevin Hobbs, Courtney Greene, Jamar Adams
  
• Key issue -- Lucas' addition, Babineaux's versatility and Wallace's value on special teams could make it tough for some of the others, notably Hobbs and Adams. The Seahawks kept seven defensive backs for the opener last season and eight in each of the previous five openers. Every other NFC West team has kept 10 multiple times during that span.

Specialists

• Projected keepers (3) -- Olindo Mare, Jon Ryan, Kevin Houser
• Projected to miss cut (1) -- Brandon Coutu
  
• Key issue -- Coutu's depth on kickoffs needs to improve, but Mare's knee is bothering him. Time missed by Mare could swing it toward Coutu, who has made all nine field goal attempts during his preseason career.