3 Studs and 3 Duds in Seahawks 9-9 preseason Week 3 tie with Chiefs

The Seattle Seahawks tied the Kansas City Chiefs 9-9 Friday night to end the 2026 preseason. They now have until 3:00 p.m. PST Sunday to make cuts and reduce their roster from 90 players down to their 53-man active roster. They can hope some make it to the 17-man practice squad, but Mike Macdonald and John Schneider will need to have tough conversations with over three dozen players that end with them being released or waived, and several more who will make the team despite not being locks throughout the offseason.

In their last chance to affect their standing, three Seahawks’ backups truly raised their stocks the most, while three saw noticeable dips. Here are your Seahawks Studs and Duds for 2026 NFL preseason Week 3.

STUDS

Trevon Diggs

The most surefire roster lock that emerged tonight was Trevon Diggs, the former All-Pro cornerback who set the Dallas Cowboys’ single-season interception record with 11. He’s torn both ACLs since then, and was always better in zone coverage than man coverage- which doesn’t match up as well with head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense. He did what he does best immediately, though, by trailing a crossing route and jumping it to grab a pick . He has the standout trait of taking the ball away that separates him from the level above the preseason, and the other CBs fighting for the third roster spot in that Seahawks room, too. He was pulled from the game after the explosive start, as sure of a sign there is that he’s made it.

Jalen Milroe

After a magnified disappointment in preseason Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, Jalen Milroe rebounded as you’d hope a young quarterback would, showing just the vision we at Seahawks Wire were looking for him to . He completed 16 of 26 passes for 223 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. His 101.9 passer rating made up for the ugly 27.6 last week, showing that was an aberration and not who he was at the core. Ultimately, the optimal 2026 for the team doesn’t even result in him playing at all- so we might not see him til next August. He’s at least inspired enough faith in the foundation to justify the continued investment.

Jared Ivey

A somewhat surprising 2025 UDFA out of Ole Miss, Jared Ivey has been marinating on the Seahawks roster for a year now. He was the best defensive lineman in a crowded room tonight,  doing everything needed to make the 53-man roster this weekend. Ivey collected four tackles including two solo and one tackle for loss, and also tied for the team lead with three pressures. His studliness comes from a near pick-six he had next to the goal line, where he accessed his 6’6” frame and 34-inch arms and batted down a pass. He made it onto the field for just 15 snaps last year, but has now stacked two solid preseasons in a row entering 2026. The resume and talent are as good as any other defensive end or outside linebacker competing for the last backup edge spot, and Ivey has the size, tape, and seniority advantages in a crowded DL group heading into Sunday.

DUDS

Logan Brown

It’s hard to find any players who had a rougher preseason for Seattle than offensive tackle Logan Brown. He was penalized three times in the Dallas game and once in Tennessee, and on the plus side, he wasn’t penalized tonight. However, his tape was still just as rough. He’s big but mismatched with quick edge players, making for a project that doesn’t line up with their timeline. There aren’t that many polished, big, athletic, and mean, tackles in the NFL, and Brown shows the difficulties of trying to scout for a compromise of that blend. His NFL.com draft profile had him as a “3-4 Round” projection, as he was a five-star collegiate prospect, but he’s just not up to the level in the athleticism or polish departments the Seahawks require. Both parties will surely be looking elsewhere for a better fit next week.

Noah Igbinoghene

Noah Igbinoghene was a 2020 first-round pick with vicious SEC tape and 80th percentile athleticism, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations in the pros. He’s such a specific style of player that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze right now for Seattle. He’s aggressive enough on run defense, which Macdonald prioritizes, to bring in to compete. He’s not a fluid athlete, though, and consistently has trouble against the type of wide receivers that dominate the modern game. He’s explosive in a rigidly useful way that doesn’t fit the era- the complete opposite of Devon Witherspoon. Andre Fuller is younger, bigger, just as athletic, and has had a better preseason. In my eyes, he’d clearly be the better fit as Witherspoon’s backup. Igbinoghene made a case during training camp, and even with Trevon Diggs being a completely different style, I think there are multiple better, younger depth alternatives for the “aggressive” corner role.

Uso Seumalo

It’s a shame Uso Seumalo probably didn’t do enough to make the roster after all, because Hard Knocks is pushing him as a fan favorite, and his story is so heartwarming that everyone from his teammates, the HBO show, coaches, and observers is especially rooting for him. He plays a loaded position group, though, and just didn’t stand out among the defensive line room tonight. Ivey was a stud, Jalan Gaines had a Sportscenter-worthy tackle for loss, Bubba Thomas collected two TFLs himself, and Aidan Hubbard filled the stat sheet. PFF particularly disliked Seumalo’s performance, rating him as the Seahawks’ poorest defensive performer on the entire night with a 30.3 overall grade, despite being part of an impressive group pressure late in the game that left a good last impression. It will be fascinating to see if he can make it back to the practice squad and stick around the building, where he’s clearly beloved, but it was always an outside shot to make the Week 1 roster.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: 3 Studs and 3 Duds in Seahawks 9-9 preseason Week 3 tie with Chiefs

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