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Geno Smith and Drew Lock have cemented their status as the Seattle Seahawks top quarterbacks, but it remains to be seen whether the team will carry three signal-callers. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar predicts that Seattle will only keep two quarterbacks which would lead to rookie Holton Ahlers being released as the team finalizes their 53-man roster.
“There’s no quarterback competition this time around,” Dugar wrote on August 10, 2023. “Smith is the starter, Lock his backup. Nothing will change between now and the start of the regular season.
“The Seahawks typically carry just two quarterbacks on the active roster and a third on the practice squad. For now, that third quarterback is the undrafted rookie Ahlers, though Seattle could seek a new passer to carry on the practice squad during the regular season if Ahlers doesn’t play well in the preseason.”
Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll: ‘I Was Really Excited About Holton’
The early signs point to Ahlers doing everything in his power to make the decision difficult on the Seahawks. Making his preseason debut, Ahlers was a perfect 4-for-4 in his passing attempts throwing for 43 yards and 1 touchdown. Ahlers also had 6 carries for 32 rushing yards proving to be a threat with his legs against the Vikings.
Following Seattle’s 24-13 victory over Minnesota in the team’s first preseason matchup, head coach Pete Carroll praised Ahlers gushing over his NFL debut. Carroll admitted that Ahlers’ game has some similarities to Tim Tebow but emphasized that the quarterback is his own unique player.
“I was really excited about Holton,” Carroll explained during an August 11 press conference. “Holton in the end of the game did what he needed to do and finished up [and] found a way to make the plays.
“I know, I know everybody, they’re hootin’ Tebow and all that kind of stuff, but it’s Holton Ahlers and he did a great job for us tonight to finish the game.”
NFL’s 3rd Quarterback Rule Could Help Holton Ahlers’ Future
Even if the Seahawks opt to release Ahlers, the team could look to re-sign the rookie to the team’s practice squad. This gets a bit more complicated as Ahlers is free to sign with another team if he is cut. The revised NFL rules on teams carrying a third quarterback could help Ahlers’ NFL future.
“Now, the league has brought back the third quarterback rule, giving teams the power to designate a roster spot for an extra signal-caller,” Pro Football Talk detailed on May 22. “There are two catches. First, the player must be on the 53-man roster; he can’t be called up from the practice squad.
“Second, the third quarterback can play only if the other two are injured or ejected. If one of the injured quarterbacks if cleared to return, the third quarterback must exit.”
Overall, the Seahawks head into the season with plenty of intrigue at the quarterback position. Smith is aiming to prove that his lone Pro Bowl campaign was not a fluke, and he can be the team’s quarterback of the future.
Carroll revealed that Lock will receive the bulk of the preseason snaps to prepare the signal-caller for action if he is needed during the regular season. Finally, Ahlers is a nice upside play for Seattle if the team can find a spot for him on the final roster.
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