The Seattle Seahawks ended preseason on a high note, winning 37-33 over the Cleveland Browns at Lumen Field in a game that took a long time to complete but also had a lot more action than your typical preseason encounter.

It’s very late at night, which means this will be a short Winners and Losers. I’m not really going to focus on the handful of snaps from the first-team players, so I won’t bother with write-ups for Geno Smith, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf, Devon Witherspoon, etc. We know how good they are and can be and impressing against the Browns’ backups isn’t worth deep analysis.

Winners

Kenny McIntosh and George Holani

The RB3 competition was fun and brought out some inspired performances from both men. McIntosh scored a 56-yard touchdown with an emphatic stiff-arm along the way, and don’t discount his checkdown catch-and-run for 9 yards on the opening drive with Geno Smith. Holani scored a touchdown from a yard out after some hard-nosed running earlier in the drive, as well as as made a great special teams tackle. The Seahawks keep four running backs almost all the time; I have every reason to believe they both make the roster.

Dee Eskridge

It’s been a frustrating tenure for Eskridge in the NFL. He’s been injured, he’s been ineffective when on the field, and he’s been suspended for misdemeanor domestic assault. The 2021 second-round pick may still be on his way off the team, and if so, he went out on a high note.

Eskridge took back a punt 79 yards for a touchdown, much to the delight of his teammates after an electrifying runback. You could say between that play and the kick return against the 49ers last Thanksgiving, two of his three biggest highlights in a Seahawks shirt were on special teams.

Is he going to make the team? Almost certainly not. He didn’t get snaps on offense until after halftime and even those were limited touches (3 catches for 19 yards), and there’s clearly no room for him on the wide receiver depth chart. It seems like Dee Williams has carved out his spot as a punt and kick returner (and almost broke a big punt return himself earlier in the game), which probably leaves Eskridge as the odd man out. As a reminder: preseason games aren’t the sole determinant for roster spots. That said, at least Eskridge was able to make a splash play for himself and give the Seahawks something to think about, as well as other teams when they scour the waiver wire. For one night, Eskridge provided some reminder of why the Seahawks drafted him in the first place.

Laviska Shenault Jr

It’s not just that Shenault Jr has shown effectiveness as a YAC option and pseudo-running back, it’s the fact that he’s a willing and tough blocker. The McIntosh touchdown run involved great blocks from both him and Brady Russell, and it’s not the first time Shenault has shown his capability of doing the dirty work either on offense or special teams.

Tyrice Knight

Once again, the Seahawks rookie linebacker sniffed out a screen and stopped it in its tracks. K.J. Wright may be coaching on the 49ers staff but are we sure he hasn’t been giving Knight pointers on the side? While there have been instances where Knight has had rookie moments in pass coverage, he’s looking good running downhill and I’ve yet to see him miss a tackle, which is huge. Seattle needs any sort of effective inside linebacker depth, so Knight not looking out of place this early is vital.

Jamie Sheriff

The injury to Uchenna Nwosu might give Sheriff a real path to the 53-man roster. I projected him to miss the cut but under the pretense that no serious injuries would occur. Welp. Sheriff had two sacks and three quarterback hits, and he’s been the only standout as an edge rusher of the undrafted free agents. I’m wary of the “preseason warrior” who shines against players who likely have no NFL future, but he’s looked vastly superior to his third- and fourth-string peers. I believe he’s too good to risk on the waiver wire and I’d like to see him at least make the initial 53.

Jason Myers

Seven kicks, seven makes, including a 58-yard field goal with room to spare. The two PAT misses might still have some concerned for the regular season, but hopefully tonight calmed some nerves.

Losers

The reserve defensive line

Unless you’re Mike Morris or possibly Jamie Sheriff (frankly, I hope he makes it), you aren’t making the team. The run defense didn’t hold up particularly well and they struggled to generate a consistent pass rush, which is a continuation of what happened at the end of the Titans game. This defense wasn’t good after the starters left the game and Mike Macdonald made that clear in his press conference remarks.

The reserve secondary

Browns quarterbacks were 34/51 for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns, and there were some huge coverage busts and open targets all over the field. While D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett had some good open-field tackles, they were both beaten badly for touchdowns. Marquise Blair also gave up a TD on a crossing route. Lance Boykin had a taunting penalty that led to the TD that Pritchett gave up, which is lame in terms of how I feel about taunting, but within the context of the rules is silly on his part. Coby Bryant appeared to have a coverage bust in the opening quarter that resulted in an explosive play, although it’s possible that was on Boykin. Either way, it wasn’t a good showing.

Cody White

Not a “loser” in that he’s bad or had a bad game, but a “loser” because he’s almost destined not to make the team and he had his preseason moment in the sun taken away from him. Sam Howell launched a beauty of a deep ball down the left sideline, White separated from his man and caught a 73-yard touchdown, only for a ticky-tack hold on Christian Haynes to wipe it out. He’s looked good in camp and in preseason, but it would’ve been nice to see him get in the end zone.

P.J. Walker

Walker was listed as 7/10 for 49 yards and it felt way worse than that. He had an interception overturned due to a roughing the passer and his incomplete passes weren’t remotely close. I’d rather have Dorian Thompson-Robinson as QB3/emergency QB than Walker. Likewise Tyler Huntley but Huntley has been a QB2 who started a playoff game.

Final Notes

• None. We’re approaching midnight local time and I want to get to bed and get some rest before we cover the roster cuts, which I suspect will start trickling in on Sunday. We’re almost there! We’re almost ready for real football!