State Of The League: Seattle Seahawks

Training camp and the NFL preseason are here! We are going over all 32 teams’ offseason moves, division by division: their player personnel changes, projected preseason depth charts, and more! Let’s finish the NFC West, and check out what the Seattle Seahawks are lookin’ like going into next season!

Other NFC West reviews: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks Preseason Projected Depth Chart

*BOLD player name = Rookie*

Seattle Seahawks 2021 NFL Draft Class

Round 2 (56th overall): WR D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan

Round 4 (137th): CB Tre Brown, Oklahoma

Round 6 (208th) OT Stone Forsythe, Florida

Seattle Seahawks Offseason Player Personnel Moves

Seattle Seahawks Offseason Notes/Review

• The Seattle Seahawks will have a new offensive coordinator this season after firing Brian Schottenheimer. Shane Waldron was the passing game coordinator for the Rams, and he will be running an offense for the first time as a coach at any level – Rams head coach Sean McVay calls plays for their offense. Seattle’s offense started fast last season, but sputtered as the season wore on as the play calling got too predictable. Waldron will bring elements of what the Rams do on offense to Seattle, but the emphasis will be on having a more balanced offense and an efficient rushing attack. 
• Russell Wilson complained after the season about getting hit too often, the lack of coaching adjustments during games, and the offense’s slow tempo in the second half of the season – fueling trade rumors leading up to the NFL Draft. Things have seemingly been ironed out going into the new season between the star QB and the team, but it is a situation worth keeping an eye on as the season unfolds – especially if the offense struggles early on.
• Wilson is tired of having sub-standard protection, and the team did little to address it this offseason. The Seahawks did trade a 5th round pick to the Raiders for Gabe Jackson, but he was the only major addition up front. Jackson is slated to be the starting right guard, and the other four starters return from last season. He is an upgrade at the position, but he got a big contract from the Raiders and then regressed to the point where they almost released him outright before sending him to Seattle. Right tackle and center are still question marks going into the season, and the team opted against bringing in reinforcements – holdovers Brandon Shell and Cedric Ogbuehi will be competing at right tackle, while Ethan Pocic and Kyle Fuller will battle it out at center. Seattle also drafted tackle Stone Forsythe out of Florida in the 6th round. Forsythe isn’t looked at as a starter at this time, but he should at least compete for the swing tackle job as a rookie.
• Head coach Pete Carroll likes to control the clock and play elite defense, but his team might struggle defensively. They lost a few key players on defense as free agents in cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar, and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, while longtime starting outside linebacker and defensive leader K.J. Wright remains a free agent. The team failed to replace those players adequately, and didn’t provide needed upgrades (even before losing those guys) on the defensive line and in the secondary.
• Seattle brought back defensive linemen Carlos Dunlap and Poona Ford, they signed Kerry Hyder and Al Woods in free agency, and yet they still need upgrades on the line. The Seahawks struggled last season versus the run and failed to generate consistent pressure up front, and might be in for more of the same if this group doesn’t take a big step forward. After the loss of Griffin and Dunbar this offseason in free agency, the corner position has more questions than answers at this point. Outside of signing Ahkello Witherspoon, and drafting Tre Brown in the 4th round, the team did not address needs at the position. Those two will compete with in-house options Tre Flowers, DJ Reed, and Ugo Amadi in an underwhelming corner group. Jamal Adams was finally given the contract extension he had been seeking, as the Seahawks made him the highest paid safety in the NFL. His playmaking was sorely missed last season, as he missed a few games due to injury and never seemed to be fully healthy – he underwent multiple surgeries in the offseason.