Offseason Analysis Series: Seattle Seahawks

Meaningful Additions: QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, DL Shelby Harris, DL Quinton Jefferson, LB Uchenna Nwosu, OT Charles Cross, EDGE Boye Mafe, RB Kenneth Walker, OT Abrahan Lucas, CB Coby Bryant, CB Tariq Woolen

Meaningful Losses: QB Russell Wilson, LB Bobby Wagner, DB DJ Reed, LT Duane Brown, TE Gerald Everett, EDGE Carlos Dunlap, RB Chris Carson

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What Happened Last Year?

(7-10) Fourth in NFC West

Offense

The defining moment for the Seahawk's offense last season came when star QB Russell Wilson injured the middle finger of his throwing hand in week 5 against the Rams. Wilson had never missed a game in his entire NFL career and was forced to miss three starts as a result of the injury. In his place, Geno Smith started three games tossing five touchdowns and one interception. When Wilson returned, he was not the same and it was obvious that his finger was still an issue. With Smith and an injured Wilson under center for the final stretch of the season, Seattle finished with the 23rd ranked passing attack in terms of yardage and also had a league low seven interceptions. A combination of safe play calling and a lack of confidence in Smith/Wilson's injured finger also saw the Seahawks attempt the second fewest combined passes in the NFL. Tyler Lockett led the team in receiving with 1,175 yards on 73 receptions while also hauling in 8 touchdowns. Although 2020 pro bowler DK Metcalf set a career high with 12 touchdown receptions, he took a small step back in 2021 producing 967 yards on 75 receptions. For reference, Metcalf got 129 targets in 2020, the same amount he got in 2021, but finished that season with 1303 receiving yards.

Seattle's ground game was stagnant for most of the season, but got a major boost late from the team's 2018 first-rounder Rashaad Penny. The team's bruising workhorse, Chris Carson, went down after just four games because of a neck injury that ended up forcing him to retire from football. Alex Collins was ineffective (3.8 yards per carry) in replacing Carson and the window opened for Penny. Penny was the first RB off the board in the 2018 draft, but has struggled with injuries and inconsistency. However, last season he put everything together and in just six starts ran for 749 yards and 6 touchdowns at an incredible rate of 6.3 yards per carry. Penny's revival propelled the Seahawks to finish 11th in the league in total rushing yards and helped him earn a second contract with the team that drafted him.

Defense

The Seahawks were repeatedly victimized through the air in 2021. They allowed the second most passing yards and the fifth most total yards. Also, Seattle's defense struggled to get off the field allowing opponents to run an average of 6.5 plays per drive, a number good for second worse in the league. Jordyn Brooks finally emerged and had the best season of his young career recording 184 combined tackles (2nd most in the NFL) and leading the team with 10 tackles for loss. Safety Quandre Diggs and LB Bobby Wagner were among the best at their position and earned Pro Bowl nods, but the rest of the defense was underwhelming. Former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams did not live up to his massive contract and failed to record a single sack after setting the NFL record for most sacks in a single season for a safety with 9.5 in 2020.

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What's Changed?

Competition at Quarterback

Quarterbacks Drew Lock and Geno Smith are locked into a competition to replace former face of the franchise Russell Wilson. Wilson brought an unquestioned stability to the Seahawks quarterback position for a decade, and now two unproven veterans are dueling for the starting job. Geno Smith, a 2013 first round pick by the Jets has bounced around the NFL for a number of years after playing out his rookie contract. Starting in just five games over the past six seasons, Smith has yet to catch on with a team. Over his eight year career, Smith has tossed 34 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. Troubling as those numbers are, the reports out of Seattle camp indicate that Smith has a leg up on Lock because of his previous knowledge of the offense.

Drew Lock was sent to Seattle from Denver as part of the Russell Wilson trade and is looking for a fresh start. During his time in Denver, Lock, whom the Broncos had used an early second round pick on in 2019 struggled with accuracy and turnovers, and quickly fell out of favor with head coach Vic Fangio. During his one season as the starter in Denver (2020), Lock threw for 16 touchdowns, led the league with 15 interceptions, and had a completion percentage of just 57.3%. Regardless of who wins the battle to be the starter, both of the Seahawk's options at QB are less than ideal and I see them being cellar dwellers in a tough NFC West.