Mike Macdonald and John Schneider routinely mention that the Seahawks are not just 53 guys. Rather, they are a full 70-man roster, and that numbers 54-70 are not just a practice squad, but rather a “ready squad.” This sentiment was a large theme throughout “Hard Knocks” these past few weeks.
Well it did not take long to really exemplify that the “ready squad” is a lot more than just a saying; it is a true belief in the full 70-men that make up this Seattle Seahawks team. The team’s week one victory over the New England Patriots exemplifies this perfectly.
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On only the fifth play of the game, Sam Darnold went down with a hip injury that cost him the rest of the game. Enter in backup quarterback, Drew Lock. Despite a slow start, Lock ended up with a respectable stat line (16/22 for 187 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions), clearly outplaying 2025 MVP runner-up Drake Maye (23/33 for 178 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions).
Although Lock is on the 53-man roster and is not technically on the “ready squad,” his role as the backup quarterback exemplifies the same mindset; practicing each and every day with the belief that they must be ready to help this team succeed at a moment’s notice. Just listen to Lock talk postgame about how he has to draw plays on a whiteboard next to his bed in order to stay ready for a game with the lack of reps that he gets as the backup quarterback.
However, let’s take a look at the actual “ready squad” players who were activated for the game (Rodney Thomas II and Velus Jones Jr.) Playing as a starting safety in place of injured Ty Okada, Rodney Thomas II put up four tackles and one significant pass deflection. That pass deflection helped led Drake Maye to throw his first interception of the game to Nehemiah Pritchett. That interception led to the Seahawks scoring a 45-yard touchdown to wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, tying the game at 10-10.
The other “ready squad” elevation, running back, Velus Jones Jr. also made an impact play in the game, even if it didn’t show up in the box score. Middle of the third quarter, Michael Dickson punted the ball, and Jones Jr., playing as a gunner on the play, quickly made his way down the field to down the ball inside the five-yard line. This under the radar play helped lead the Patriots to go three and out and punt the ball back to Seattle with great field position. That next drive by the Seahawks (aided by Jones Jr.’s key special teams play) led them to scoring their first points of the game, a field goal by Jason Myers.
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All of these plays, from Drew Lock, Rodney Thomas II, Velus Jones Jr., and others, helps exemplify that the Seahawks “ready squad” and full 70-man roster are more than just a saying. It is a true faith in the team. A faith that already, just one week into the season, has proven to be a big difference between the team being 0-1 and 1-0.
