Seahawks head to camp with two of top three 2023 draft picks unsigned

The Seahawks report to training camp on Tuesday, but will do so with two of their three top draft picks still yet to sign their rookie contracts. Fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon and second-round selection (No. 52 overall) Zach Charbonnet remain unsigned as the Seahawks get set to step up their preparations for 2023. It […]

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Apr 27, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Seattle Seahawks fifth overall in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Seahawks report to training camp on Tuesday, but will do so with two of their three top draft picks still yet to sign their rookie contracts.

Fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon and second-round selection (No. 52 overall) Zach Charbonnet remain unsigned as the Seahawks get set to step up their preparations for 2023.

It is unusual for rookies to be unsigned at this stage. Rookie holdouts became part of a bygone era with the introduction of the rookie wage scale in 2011.

Witherspoon and Charbonnet are two of just three draft picks from a class of 259 who are unsigned.

The stumbling block with the Seattle duo is not known, though it is likely related to some of the finer points of a contract that are of little interest to most save for agents and those who run the numbers in the front office.

Seattle has just over $7 million in cap space to work with, per Over The Cap. That is the sixth-fewest in the NFL.

With 89 players on their roster, the challenge the Seahawks face is identifying a player to take them to the 90-man limit who is cheap enough that he does not impact Seattle's ability to sign Witherspoon and Charbonnet.

They likely should be able to achieve that feat. Having rookies unsigned is not the huge issue it once was, but the sooner this situation resolved the better for a team with aspirations of contending that would rather not have anything hanging over their heads as they ready themselves for the new campaign.

Witherspoon and Charbonnet each figure to play substantial roles in 2023, and the hope will be that they are both inked to deals in the coming days.

Featured Image Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports