The Seattle Seahawks were a great story in 2022. Now, it’s time to become a great team.
The Seahawks took a critical step in their roster development, starting with the Russell Wilson trade last March (which now looks like a one-sided heist), and followed that up with an “all-time level” draft class that provided the team with several building block core players.
That helped put the franchise back on a positive trajectory — after what looked like one of the bleaker long-term roster outlooks exiting the 2021 season.
As good as the 2022 season was in terms of overachieving expectations , the loss to San Fransisco was another indication they still have a ways to go. The team did not have a single player selected to the AP All Pro team and simply lack blue chip frontline talent that contending teams typically have. The rule of thumb in personnel offices is it usually takes two good drafts to turn a franchise around.
Seattle has that opportunity, sitting on a haul of draft capital stemming from the Wilson trade, mixed in with some free agent money to spend as well.
With that in mind, we thought it was a good time to dive deep into the Seahawks’ roster, position by position, heading into the offseason.
Today, we will start with the offense. We will take a look at what they have already, where they can upgrade, and the decisions GM John Schneider has to make at every spot. It is the strength of Seattle’s roster heading into the offseason.
QUARTERBACK
- Under Contract: N/A
- Free Agents: Geno Smith, Drew Lock
All indications are the Seahawks will retain Geno. Ian Rapoport reported before the playoff game Saturday that he is expected back in 2023, but the real question is for how much? He is a tough player to value after a breakout year at age 32 that also came with a second-half dip in performance and an issue with turnovers as we got the full body of work.
The non-exclusive franchise number is expected to be approximately $31.5 million, but that will eat up most of Seattle’s cap room available so a franchise tag would more likely serve as a placeholder before a longer-term deal gets done (remember, the year 1 cap hit would be much lower than $31.5 million).
Complicating matters is that the Seahawks do have a top five pick in a draft class where four QBs are expected to go in the first round. This appeared to be the route they initially planned to go before Geno’s unexpected spike in performance. The contracts designed last year in free agent (Will Dissly, Quandre Diggs) all had big second year numbers, which made it seem like they were projecting to match that with a rookie QB salary in 2023.
HawkBlogger (Brian Nemhauser) has presented a very good case why the team should not invest a first round pick in quarterback at 2023, but it’s hard not to look at the four AFC finalists (Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, and Patrick Mahomes) and see the common pattern. The Seahawks would really have to fall for Will Levis (Kentucky) or Anthony Richardson (Florida) to pull the trigger in the top five. Drafting a QB is not like drafting a defensive tackle. They are the face of your franchise. You have to be all in on the guy, even if you sit behind Geno for a year.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Schneider handles this, including if they retain Drew Lock who is a player the front office has been high on, and at what price. It is critical to their future.
RUNNING BACK
- Under Contract: Ken Walker, Deejay Dallas
- Free Agents: Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer
Walker has established himself as the bonafide RB1 moving forward. He took control of the spot once Penny went down with an Achillies injury. Dallas is more of a depth piece that can contribute as a third down back, but the team could use another quality backup to Walker.
That could come in the draft with a mid round pick, but they will have plenty of options in free agency this year. It is the deepest position group hitting the market, which will provide plenty of cost-controlled options. Supply will largely outweigh demand.
This year’s UFA crop includes Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and Miles Sanders, none of which strike me as realistic targets, as the team presumably focus on free agent backs that play in committees. There is a really deep list of pending free agents.
Penny might be the logical player to re-sign if he is healthy, given his cost won’t be very high due to supply in free agency and his durability concerns, but wouldn’t someone like Jamaal Williams be a fun pairing with Walker next year? He is sort of a Seahawk fan favorite after the Lions helped get them into the playoffs this year.
WIDE RECEIVER:
- Under Contract: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Dareke Young, Dee Eskridge, Cade Johnson
- Free Agents: Marquise Goodwin, Penny Hart (RFA), Laquon Treadwell
At first glance, receiver might not seem like a big need for 2023. Both Metcalf and Lockett are under contract for under market value in terms of cap hits (both are under $16.5 million for 2023).
However, a deeper dive in the cap shows this being a very-short term solution. Lockett and Metcalf’s cap hits are set to skyrocket in 2024 (both over $20 million), making WR a very immediate need.
The big spikes in 2024 means that the team should not pursue a quality veteran for WR3 (some have suggested Brandin Cooks) unless it is a player on a one-year deal. The more prudent solution is the team needs to draft a rookie WR3. Not only will this help compensate the big cap hits, but it’ll help mitigate the risk of injury. We saw the passing game fall of a cliff in the one game Lockett missed this season.
I would advise the Seahawks against going to the free agent market to fill the WR3 void. See below. It is mostly low-upside veterans that will get overpaid on the market, and the team need cost control at that spot. The second round of draft would be the sweet spot to fill this void.
TIGHT END:
- Under Contract: Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson,
- Free Agents: None
The Seahawks picked up Fant’s 5th-year option and Parkinson has one more year remaining on his rookie deal, so the majority of the tight end group will return in 2023. However, Dissly is the only player signed beyond the 2023 season, and even before his late-season injury which makes his status for next season a bit unclear, his contract was more realistically designed as a two-year deal. The third year was mostly funny money.
I don’t see any notable free agent addition as a realistic option, as the team is happy with both Fant and Parkinson, but given the uncertainty beyond 2023, it could make tight end a sneaky option n in the draft. This is expected to be a very good tight end draft class, with quality options ranging from round 1 to round 4.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
- Under Contact: Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas, Stone Forsythe, Jake Curhan
- Free Agents: N/A
This is far and away the Seahawks’ healthiest position group from a cap standpoint and a big competitive advantage in this window. All four roster players, including both starting tackles, are on rookie contracts and they will not have to make a sizable financial investment into the group for a number of years.
Cross and Lucas both are core franchise players moving forward.
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE:
- Under Contract: Damien Lewis, Gabe Jackson
- Free Agents: Phil Haynes, Austin Blythe, Kyle Fuller
While the play of the defense got most of the attention, interior offensive line became a really problematic area as the season progressed. They had constant issues with run blocking, and as Blythe’s play declined in the second half, they were constantly under pressure up the middle, which really impacted Geno’s ability to step up in the pocket. This needs to be addressed moving forward.
While both starting guards appear to be under contract, Gabe Jackson is an obvious cap cut for 2023. The team would save $6.5 million if they do release Jackson ($11.26 million cap hit), which will leave only one of the team’s three guards signed for next season. Haynes would only be worth bringing back in a backup role. They need to look either at the draft or free agent for an upgrade at right guard that fits with the rest of the line.
Center remains a major point of contention for this blog. Blythe was okay as a stopgap, but the team has been messing around at this position since Max Unger was traded away in 2015 and they have suffered as a result . The Seahawks need to either heavily invest in a quality free agent C, or spend one of the first four picks at this spot.
There are some veteran options in free agency – Jake Brendel from San Francisco, Bradley Bozeman had a good year in Carolina, but ideally the team makes a high investment in the draft. Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz or Ohio State’s Luke Wyper, both expected to be Day 2 picks, would be ideal priorities to grow with the tackles in this group.
The defensive roster outlook will be posted later this week in a separate article.