January 7, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Seahawks are never afraid to take chances

Do you know what Doug Baldwin, Michael Bennett and Thomas Rawls have in common besides being members of the Seahawks? Of course you do. All three players went undrafted the year they came out of college. Seattle started the 2016 season with 24 undrafted players on the 53-man roster. While some teams sign undrafted free agents and hope the player will make some kind of impact, the Seahawks expects UDFAs to take important roles on the team.

With that said, here is a list of Seattle’s 2017 undrafted free agent signings, with their expected roles assuming they make the final cut.

The eight undrafted free agents signed

Algernon Brown, FB. Blocking back, much in the mold of Marcel Reece. Brown had just 16 carries as a senior at Brigham Young, but had over 700 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns as a junior, so he can do more than block.

Skyler Howard, QB. He’s mobile and is what the NFL likes to think of as undersized at 5’11”. Threw for 26 TD and ran for another 10 at West Virginia his senior season. Very gutsy kid, what coaches love to call “just a real football player”.

Jeremy Liggins, OT. Liggins has played TE and even a little QB in a wildcat formation. Yes, he’s 6’3″ and 303 pounds, so forget it, he’s a tackle.

Otha Peters, LB. From Louisiana-Lafayette, the Rajun’ Cajun had 11 tackles for a loss and chipped in two sacks as a senior. At 6’0″ and 238 pounds he has the size but lacks the height the NFL likes. You know, just like Bobby Wagner.

Darreus Rogers, WR. From the Sunbelt Conference we move to USC. Rogers has great hands, but is said to lack both deep speed and crisp routes. Job one is catching the ball, so he could stick in the slot.

Jordan Roos, OG. He could be the steal of the undrafted free agents. Out of Purdue, Roos hit 41 reps in the bench press, six more than any other offensive lineman. He also made 43 starts in college. In the Big 10. That’s experience.

Tyrone Swoopes, TE. Swoopes played his entire career at Texas as a QB, of course, 2014 being his best year. He did run fo4 19 scores over his last two seasons out of the wildcat, or 18-wheeler as the Longhorns called it. At 6’4″ and 250 pounds, he has the size, and reportedly his hands are better at catching than throwing.

Nick Usher, LB. From the University of Texas – El Paso where he played DE as a junior, picking up 3.5 sacks and 5 QB hurries. For his senior season Usher dropped behind the line to OLB, and upped his sacks to 5.5, and threw in 5 QB hurries and 10 tackles for a loss. He led the Miners in all three categories. At 6’3″ and 235, he figures to stay at OLB.

These eight signings bring the roster to the maximum of 90 players for rookie camp. Odds are good there’s a 2017 version of Michael Bennett or Thomas Rawls here, too.