These five Seahawks are primed for great seasons

Russell Wilson checks in at number five

At first glance it may seem odd to group Wilson here. Doesn’t he always have great seasons, just like Chancellor, Wagner and Thomas? Of course the answer to that was yes, until last season.

Up until last year, Wilson’s worst season passing was 2014. He “only” had a passer rating of 95.0, and “only” threw 20 touchdowns. He also only threw 7 interceptions, and only ran for over 800 yards and six touchdowns. His rank among NFL quarterbacks by QBR from his rookie season on through 2015: 3rd, 7th, 6th, 4th. You can check Wilson’s stats for yourself, courtesy of pro-football-reference.com.

In 2016, Wilson was hampered by injuries to seemingly everything but his right earlobe. A porous offensive line and a weak running game put too much burden on Wilson. His rank among the league’s quarterbacks dropped to 14th by QBR and 15th by passer rating. So while Wilson has been among the elite up until last season, 2016 unfortunately took him out of that automatic category.

Why will he bounce back? A much improved offensive line, a much improve running game, and much improved health. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Wilson have his best season ever. In fact, I’m cheating a bit by naming the quarterback. For Wilson to have a great season, those units have to be much better than last year. So Justin Britt, George Fant and the rest of the line will have to produce. And they will. In fact, Britt can drop that alternate bit from his Pro Bowl invitation this year.

As for the running backs, it doesn’t matter who’s carrying the load. Whether it’s Lacy, Rawls, Prosise, or the player to be named later, the Seahawks rushing attack will be much better than last year. And that will turn Mr. Wilson loose once again.