It’s been an off-season of self inflicted turmoil for the Seattle Seahawks. While the players decry the suddenly sickening “fake news” on a rift between the offense and defense, it’s certainly been a distraction.
The Seahawks have made the playoffs for the last five consecutive seasons under head coach Pete Carroll, won a Super Bowl and played in another one. In fact, since Carroll took over, the Seahawks have made the playoffs six times in seven years and have never been bounced from their first game. It’s a real accomplishment, especially when you consider that 2010 team came into the postseason 7-9. Did Carroll and general manager John Schneider do enough to keep that streak going? We’ll take a look.
Free Agents Kept
DeShawn Shead, Cornerback
Neiko Thorpe, Cornerback
Dewey McDonald, Linebacker
Brandon Cotton, Fullback
Kyle Coleman, Fullback
Free Agents/Players Gained
Eddie Lacy, Running Back, formerly of the Green Bay Packers
Bradley McDougald, Safety, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Blair Walsh, Kicker, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings
Luke Joeckel, Offensive Tackle, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Arthur Brown, Linebacker, formerly of the New York Jets
Michael Wilhoite, Linebacker, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers
Terence Garvin, Linebacker, formerly of the Washington Redskins
Dion Jordan, Defensive End, formerly of the Miami Dolphins
Austin Davis, Quarterback, formerly of the Denver Broncos
Free Agents/Players Lost
Brock Coyle, Outside Linebacker, signed with the San Francisco 49ers
Steven Hauschka, Kicker, signed with the Buffalo Bills
John Jenkins, Defensive Tackle, signed with the Chicago Bears
Brandon Williams, Tight End, signed with the Indianapolis Colts
2017 NFL Draft
Round 2: Malik McDowell, Defensive Tackle, Michigan State
Round 2: Ethan Pocic, Center, LSU
Round 3: Shaquill Griffin, Defensive Back, UCF
Round 3: Delano Hill, Safety, Michigan
Round 3: Nazair Jones, Defensive Tackle, UNC
Round 3: Amara Darboh, Wide Receiver, Michigan
Round 4: Tedric Thompson, Safety, Colorado
Round 6: Michael Tyson, Safety, Cincinnati
Round 6: Justin Senior, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State
Round 7: David Moore, Wide Receiver, East Central (OK)
Round 7: Christopher Carson, Running Back, Oklahoma State
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Russell Wilson
RB: Thomas Rawls
WR: Doug Baldwin
WR: Jermaine Kearse
WR: Tyler Lockett
TE: Jimmy Graham
LT: George Fant
RT: Germain Ifedi
LG: Mark Glowinski
RG: Luke Joeckel
C: Justin Britt
Offensive Outlook
Regardless of what Richard Sherman wants to believe, the biggest issue for the Seahawks offense has been its offensive line over the last couple of seasons. O-Line coach Tom Cable had cobbled together converted linemen for years, but that can only be successful so long. Seattle figured that out and has been drafting talent over the last two seasons. I still have Justin Britt in as the starting center, but don’t be surprised to see rookie Ethan Pocic take that job over. Germain Ifedi and George Fant both took over their tackle jobs after the 206 season already began and should start there again. Luke Joeckel, who was a borderline bust at tackle for the Jaguars will try to resurrect his career at guard with the Seahawks.
At running back I’ve left Thomas Rawls as the starter, but this job could belong to Eddie Lacy if he stays in shape and is back to his 2013-14 form. Seattle has an underrated wide receiver group, led by Doug Baldwin. The problem is they aren’t deep. After Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett, there’s not a lot of help. Rookie Amara Darboh could end up being the fourth man. Tight end Jimmy Graham finally became the player in Seattle’s offense they traded for last season. He had his best year since with the Seahawks, catching 65 passes for 923 yards and six touchdowns.
Russell Wilson, as always, is the most important piece to the Seahawks’ puzzle. It’s why it was so important for the team to keep pressure off him with a better offensive line. Wilson is 56-23-1 as an NFL starter, has never won fewer than 10 games and passed for 4,000-plus yards the last two seasons.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Michael Bennett
DE: Cliff Avril
DT: Malik McDowell
DT: Jarran Reed
OLB: Cassius Marsh
OLB: K.J. Wright
MLB: Bobby Wagner
CB: Richard Sherman
CB: DeShawn Shead
FS: Earl Thomas
SS: Kam Chancellor
Defensive Outlook
Up front I’ve switched out last year’s starting defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin for rookie Malik McDowell. While the Seahawks moved down in the second round, they still made a smart pick there, taking a guy with a first round grade. They add him to a pressure front, with Frank Clark coming off the bench, that was good for 29.5 sacks last year.
Seattle’s linebacker unit was in flux all last season. Bobby Wagner is a superstar in the middle and K.J. Wright is solid on the outside. It’s the other outside linebacker spot with which the Seahawks played musical chairs. I’m giving the nod to Cassius Marsh who started just one game last season. If I was the Seahawks, I would almost be tempted to play an extra safety here or try Black out at outside linebacker.
DeShawn Shead settled into the role opposite Richard Sherman well in his first full season as a starting cornerback. He recorded 80 tackles, one forced fumble, 14 passes defended and a pick. Sherman remains an elite superstar corner and pulled in four picks last season to go with 13 passes defended, one fumble recovery and 58 tackles. Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are simply the best safety tandem in the league and probably one of the best in the history of the NFL.
Grade: C+
The Seahawks did put a focus in free agency and the draft on their offensive line, but I’m not sure they did enough. They can make the playoffs with a serviceable unit, but to win another Super Bowl, they need to be much better up front.
O/U wins: 10.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 2: Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs
Week 4: at Oakland Raiders
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: at Green Bay Packers
Key game: The Seahawks get a gift in traveling to Green Bay to start the season before it becomes the “Frozen Tundra.” They’ll be fully healthy and ready to take on a team they are almost sure to meet in the playoffs.
Week 2: San Francisco 49ers
Week 3: at Tennessee Titans
Week 4: Indianapolis Colts
Week 5: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: at New York Giants
Week 8: Houston Texans
Week 9: Washington Redskins
Week 10: at Arizona Cardinals
Week 11: Atlanta Falcons
Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 13: Philadelphia Eagles
Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 15: Los Angeles Rams
Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 17: Arizona Cardinals
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