GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Seattle Seahawks did not complete an immaculate preseason, as they fell 19-15 to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
With that result, the Seahawks' 2023 preseason slate is over. Now comes roster cuts on Tuesday afternoon, when every team in the National Football League has to let go of over a dozen players to reach the 53-man roster maximum for the regular season.
Some prospects made a strong case for themselves this preseason, while others either were not available or did not perform the way the team expected.
Here are three overall takeaways as the Seahawks' first game that counts stands 13 days away.
Seizing the opportunity
Jake Bobo was not a highly-coveted player coming out of UCLA this past year, having never topped 1,000 receiving yards in his four seasons at Duke or his lone campaign in Pasadena.
With some injuries and suspensions impacting the Seahawks' wide receiver room in training camp, Bobo stepped up and showed out every chance he got. The former Bruin had seven catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns in three preseason games. He had seven catches and a touchdown in the Seahawks' mock game at Lumen Field early in training camp, too.
Bobo seems like a likely candidate to crack the 53-man roster after cut day, although Easop Winston performed well with his chances during the preseason. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is not expected to play in Week 1, so the other young receivers who earn a roster spot could get some opportunities in the season opener.
Witherspoon's absence stands out
Devon Witherspoon, who the Seahawks drafted fifth overall out of Illinois earlier this year, did not see a single preseason snap as he held out to begin training camp before suffering an injury once he took the field.
The Seahawks were absolutely ecstatic about Witherspoon after the draft, taking him despite having two cornerbacks from the 2022 draft class who appear to be potential long-term options in Seattle with Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant.
Jalen Carter was an absolutely dominant force for the Philadelphia Eagles during the preseason, and was the player many Seahawks fans hoped would get his name called at No. 5. Witherspoon could turn out to be every bit the star Pete Carroll and John Schneider believes he can be, but Seahawks fans have seen no evidence of that yet.
Ending on a sour note
Holton Ahlers was a longshot to make the Seahawks' roster out of training camp, to put it lightly. Geno Smith and Drew Lock are set in stone as the top two guys on the team's depth chart, and most NFL teams do not keep a third quarterback on the roster once the regular season begins.
Ahlers was a prolific player in high school and college, lighting up the scoreboard and plastering his name all over the record books at his alma mater, East Carolina University.
In his preseason action, Ahlers showed a solid understanding of the Seahawks' offense and showed off some impressive mobility at times. However, he threw an interception in the final seconds of Saturday's loss, his only series of the game. Ahlers is likely bound for the Seahawks' practice squad unless another team was blown away by his handful of preseason highlights.