The Seattle Seahawks are one of the most intriguing teams in the league today. Following their two Super Bowl runs in 2014 and 2015, Seattle has lost a ton of talent. Russell Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and the front office has done little to nothing to surround him with talent, especially on the offensive line. Wilson and a handful of other players is the main reason Seattle even ranks this high, and imagine what would happen if Wilson wasn’t on this team.
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- Overall – 81.76 (12th)
- Offense – 82.655 (12th)
- Defense – 78.155 (23rd)
- Coach and Culture – 79.5 (21st)
- Home Field Advantage – 87.5, 3rd (4% Defense, 2% Overall)
Quarterbacks – 94, 2nd (36% Offense, 27% Overall)
Even with no offensive line help, Wilson has still put up astronomical numbers. Last year, Wilson had a 66% completion percentage, 4,110 yards, 31 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The most interesting part? He was sacked 48 times. Imagine if Wilson had any help on the offensive line what his stats might be. He also added 342 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the league today. Seattle has done an awful job of keeping him upright and surrounding him with talent as he has had to put the team on his back way too often.
Geno Smith will once again back Wilson this year. Smith is in his rightful position of being a backup. Anthony Gordon was signed as an undrafted free agent and could battle with Smith for the backup role. After backing up Gardner Minshew at Washington State, Gordon showed he had a similar play-style to that of Minshew and showed great arm strength and accuracy, despite playing in a system not run by hardly any NFL teams.
Running Backs – 79, 21st (4% Offense, 3% Overall)
Despite Chris Carson rushing for over 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons, Seattle went out and signed Carlos Hyde during the offseason. Hyde had a career year for Houston last year as he rushed for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns. With Carson having fumbling issues, Hyde could be in line for more work than many expect. If Carson fixes his fumbling concerns though, Hyde could be relegated to being the third-down and goal-line back.
Rashaad Penny has dealt with a multitude of injuries since he started his career. With Hyde’s addition, Penny could be in even more of a limited role. He has only totaled 789 yards on the ground and five touchdowns since being selected in the first round of the 2018 draft. The Seahawks spent a fourth-round selection on Deejay Dallas, who was met with mixed reactions as he didn’t have much playing time at Miami and his receiving and blocking skills aren’t great. Dallas reunites with Travis Homer who he was teammates with at Miami. Homer had 18 carries for 114 yards last year as a rookie. With three backs with experience and adding another with a fairly high draft-pick, Seattle has a bundle of backs with different skill sets.
Pass Catchers – 80.5, T-17th (17% Offense, 8% Overall)
Tyler Lockett is one of the most underrated players in the league. With the offensive line issues, he doesn’t get as many receptions and targets as he usually would. Lockett had 82 catches for 1,057 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He also is the team’s kickoff and punt returner as well. With Lockett seemingly the only option at receiver before last year, the Seahawks got a steal in the second round of last year’s draft when they selected the athletic freak, D.K. Metcalf. Metcalf had some issues with fumbles last year as he had three but had 58 catches for 900 yards and seven touchdowns. The duo of Lockett and Metcalf is one of the best young duos in the league today and will be intriguing to watch.
With the trio of running backs and an added emphasis on running the ball it seems, the Seahawks added three tight ends to the roster. Even though Will Dissly has shown promise, Seattle added Greg Olsen, who has dealt with injuries the last two seasons in Carolina. He may take a veteran leader role but could also be a red zone threat. Dissly had a stellar start to last season before going down with an injury as he caught 23 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns.
Jacob Hollister played good in his few games as well, posting a 41-349-3 stat-line. Luke Willson is in his second stint in Seattle and didn’t provide much of a spark last year. Colby Parkinson was selected in the fourth round out of Stanford and didn’t drop a pass on catchable balls last year. Stephen Sullivan is a wide receiver/tight end mix and was selected with their final choice this year.
Offensive Line – 67.5, 30th (24% Offense, 12% Overall)
Before we start, here’s a bit of a crazy stat. Per PFF, since entering the league, Wilson has been pressured on 42% of his dropbacks. If that doesn’t say enough about Seattle’s offensive line, I don’t know what will. Duane Brown returns as the left tackle but has been injured quite a lot recently. The same could be said for Mike Iupati who was retained on a one-year contract but could easily be cut if need be. B.J. Finney will line up at the center spot, while the trio of Phil Haynes, third-round pick Damien Lewis, and Jamarco Jones will battle for the right guard spot. The right tackle spot seems safe in Brandon Shell‘s hands as the team added him in free agency.
Joey Hunt was abysmal playing at the center spot for eight games last year and will hopefully not see the field this year. Jordan Simmons is an intriguing prospect at the guard spot, and Cedric Ogbuehi was added to, provide some depth. Wilson will once again be running for his life this year as the team only selected one offensive lineman and didn’t add any great pieces in free agency. The offensive line is younger, which doesn’t mean it will be improved.
Run Defense – 74, 30th (6% Defense, 2% Overall)
The Seahawks have a ton of unknown players on their defense and that includes Poona Ford who is a star on the defensive line. Jarran Reed and Demarcus Christmas offer some depth but none really stand out in the run defense. Meanwhile, the linebacking core is great. Bobby Wagner is one of the best in the league and his counterpart, K.J. Wright is one of the best as well. Seattle wasn’t great against the run last year and likely will only be saved by their linebacking play again this year.
Pass Rush – 73, 27th (21% Defense, 10% Overall)
It is well known that the Seahawks are awful in terms of the pass rush. Jadeveon Clowney was supposed to help in that regard but only had three sacks last year and still hasn’t found a new team. Bruce Irvin is back again in a Seattle uniform and will likely be the number one rusher after an 8.5-sack season last year in Carolina. Last year’s first-round pick, L.J. Collier had three tackles, that’s it. Rasheem Green led the team in sacks last year with four. Second-round pick, Darrell Taylor is a top option for the next few years but will have trouble finding the field this year. Alton Robinson was also added later in the draft.
Linebackers – 87.5, 2nd (15% Defense, 4% Overall)
Even with Wagner and Wright already on the team, the Seahawks spent their first-round selection on Jordyn Brooks, giving Seattle three stout linebackers. Wagner and Wright are great against the pass, while Brooks is better against the run and could help in the lack of pass rush. Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven solid depth pieces that were both selected in last year’s draft. Shaquem Griffin had five tackles last year.
Secondary – 79.5, T-18th (26% Defense, 17% Overall)
As with other positions on the roster, the Seahawks don’t have a lot of name value in their secondary. Tre Flowers had 82 tackles, eight pass deflections, and three interceptions last year. Shaquill Griffin had 65 tackles and 13 pass deflections. Seattle added Quinton Dunbar in a trade after he had four interceptions last year and will be the third option at cornerback. Ugo Amadi is a solid candidate to play in the nickel role or safety.
Brad McDougald is a solid starter and had two interceptions last year. In five games last year, Quandre Diggs had three interceptions and will be back again as a starter. Marquise Blair and Delano Hill offer some intriguing backup options. Blair had only 32 tackles last year due to injuries. The secondary is a far cry from their legion of boom days. There are some pieces in place but no true superstar in the secondary.
Coach and Culture – 79.5, 21st (19% Offense, 28% Defense, 15% Overall)
Seattle looks to be more of a run-oriented team again this year after posting the fourth-most rushing yards in the league last year. The development of Metcalf will be interesting to watch and the offensive line will struggle like it always has, giving Wilson fits one again. Seattle comes in tied for 15th in offensive coach and culture.
Wagner and Wright are the leaders of the changing defense. A lack of pass rush will make it tough this year on the defense and with not a lot of experience in the secondary, it will be tough for Seattle to make the noise it used to in the postseason. The Seahawks come in 26th for defensive coach and culture.
Seattle has a few superstars in Lockett, Wagner, Wilson, and Wright but besides that, there are players that need to step up in major roles. The offensive line is still abysmal and the pass rush needs desperate help. With Arizona improving, Seattle is in danger of losing second place in the division and Wilson can’t keep putting the team on his back.
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