Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: WR Cody Thompson - Breakthrough On Tap?

After another injury derailed his chances of earning a roster spot, the Seattle Seahawks brought Cody Thompson back into the fold for another crack at breaking into their receiver rotation and carving out a key role on special teams.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 21, 2023 6:58 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities wrapping up league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Cody Thompson, Receiver

Height/Weight: 6-2, 205 pounds

2022 Stats: Did Not Play (Injury)

Now entering his fifth year in the NFL after a stellar college career at Toledo where he amassed 3,312 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns, Thompson has appeared in a grand total of five regular season games and spent the majority of his professional career either on the practice squad or injured reserve. He entered last offseason with a bit of momentum after registering a pair of tackles and recovering a fumble on special teams during the 2021 season, but misfortune struck for the second time in three years as he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Seattle's preseason opener last August and landed on injured reserve.

Despite being sidelined for the entire regular season and not playing any snaps for the third time in four seasons, the Seahawks re-signed Thompson on April 4 to a one-year deal, providing him yet another opportunity to compete for one of the final roster spots as a reserve receiver and special teams contributor.

Best-Case Scenario: Avoiding the injury bug that has nipped him in two of the previous three seasons, Thompson leads the Seahawks in receptions and contributes a pair of tackles on kick coverage during the preseason, outlasting undrafted free agents Jake Bobo and Matt Landers as well as Cade Johnson for the sixth and final receiver spot on the initial 53-man roster.

Worst-Case Scenario: Even though he stays healthy and makes a handful of plays during exhibition games, the addition of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and emergence of Dareke Young among other talented young receivers leaves Thompson as an odd-man out with no return to the practice squad after being waived.

What to Expect in 2023: Over the past three years, Thompson has frequently drawn praise from coach Pete Carroll, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and receiver coach Sanjay Lal and the Seahawks value his route running skills and strong football IQ as a viable competitor in the receiver room. If he can stay healthy, he has enough talent as a well-rounded special teams player to play his way back into the discussion as a legitimate threat to steal a roster spot.

But unlike last year when Thompson looked poised to finally bust out and earn a place on the team, competition has been ramped up with Smith-Njigba coming to town as a first-round pick and several intriguing undrafted rookies joining the mix. It's possible his latest injury may have prevented him from taking advantage of his best opportunity to stick in the league last summer and from a talent standpoint, surviving cuts in one of the best receiving corps in the entire NFL will be a major challenge in his fourth camp with Seattle.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles