6 players to watch in the Seattle Seahawks' preseason game against the Tennessee Titans

In the heat of a tight battle for third down position against undrafted rookie George Holani, McIntosh entered Seattle's season opener as a runner and posted 40 rushing yards, the most on the team. He showed more penetration than expected, forcing five missed tackles and averaging more than four yards per run after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. A repeat of that performance in Tennessee would certainly improve his chances of making the 53-man roster, but he needs to be much more effective in the passing game overall. Last week, he caught just two passes for two yards and on his only pass-blocking effort, he was blitzed and allowed a sack, showing no progress in that regard. Unless he can perform at a much higher level in those two aspects of his game, Holani will have all but won this competition.

As he did last preseason, despite limited opportunities for the Seahawks last week, Winston rose to the occasion and made the most of his targets. He caught two passes from PJ Walker for 31 yards on just seven pass plays. He also threw a 10-yard punt return on special teams, which remains his potential ticket to a roster spot. With Smith-Njigba and possibly Laviska Shenault not playing Saturday night and Dee Eskridge battling another injury that puts his spot on the team even more at risk, the former Washington State star should work extensively on offense out of the slot against the Titans and will likely be the primary return option on the kickoff and punt teams as well. With another strong performance, he could slide to the right side of the roster bubble due to his potential on special teams.

A fourth-round pick with expectations of immediate action on at least special teams, Barner would have been a player to watch closely in Saturday's preseason game before teammate Pharaoh Brown suffered a foot injury during Thursday's joint practice. Depending on the severity of Brown's injury, the Michigan rookie could now play a far more impactful role on offense as the primary Y tight end, but he'll have to earn those snaps. He failed to catch a single pass in his NFL debut last week, with his only attempt nullified by a penalty, while Brady Russell caught three passes for a touchdown. The second preseason game will give him another chance to show he can be more than an in-line blocker and improve his position in the tight end room heading into the regular season.

With Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed quickly out of action, Morris played as much as any Seahawks defender in the season opener. He played 34 snaps with one tackle, one run stop, one quarterback pressure and yes, some beautiful pass defense in coverage, which is not what you'd expect from a 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman. After missing most of his rookie year with a shoulder injury, he's back to full health and his spot on the roster likely isn't in jeopardy no matter what happens Saturday night. But if the former Michigan star wants to earn a key rotational role on a deep, crowded defensive line, he'll need to show a little more consistency at the line of scrimmage while also logging snaps as a 3-tech, big defensive end and off-tackle two-point rusher.

O'Connell is absolutely on the edge after a solid offseason program and training camp, and he was fighting for a roster spot with a stellar exhibition debut last weekend. He recorded four tackles, a run stop and a pass breakup and earned an excellent 88.2 grade from PFF on 22 defensive snaps. In a similar situation to Winston, the former Montana star should get even more playing time Saturday night, with neither Tyrel Dodson nor Jerome Baker expected to play and Jon Rhattigan out with a heel issue. It's possible he could start alongside Tyrice Knight and show off his versatility in some snaps at middle linebacker, which would be another accolade in his attempt to grab one of the final roster spots as a reserve defensive lineman and core special teamer.

James struggles in the strongest position group on Seattle's roster and had an up-and-down NFL debut against the Chargers. He allowed just one catch for five yards on two attempts in coverage, but also missed his only tackle attempt. Since he had a nearly 50/50 split between boundary corner and slot corner last weekend, he could start on the interior alongside fellow rookie and former Auburn teammate Nehemiah Pritchett on Saturday night. This would be a good opportunity for both players to prove themselves against strong competition. The sixth-round pick needs to be more willing to play against the run, and after struggling a bit in joint practices this week, he'll also need improvement in coverage to get back on the right side of the bubble.