The Seahawks should be in good shape for another playoff run in 2019. But with some fixes, Seattle could go deeper in the playoffs than this season.
Pete Carroll has led the Seahawks to a sustained run of success. Seattle has missed the playoffs only twice under Carroll. The team exceeded expectations in 2018 and could be better in 2019, even if odds makers do not think so.
To be better next year, though, Seattle needs to improve in certain areas. With a few fixes, Seattle could even be a Super Bowl contender. Here are Seattle’s top ten needs for the 2019 offseason.
10. Get another tight end
Seattle lost promising rookie Will Dissly in week four of the season. Dissly looked to be ready for a really nice season as he proved he could block, catch and run. He caught and ran with unexpected success. But one can’t be sure how Dissly’s leg injury will affect him moving forward.
Nick Vannett just doesn’t seem ready to become a really productive member of the offense. And Ed Dickson would cost Seattle $4.4 million in 2019. Dickson is probably gone.
This means Seattle needs a proven tight end to come in and help block and catch a few passes but also play for cheap. Dissly and Vannett might be a decent duo next year but they need help too.
9. Get a third running back
Seattle will definitely have Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson back, but Mike Davis is a free agent and will probably sign elsewhere for more money than Seattle will give him. Davis was an important part of Seattle’s rushing attack this season and will need to be replaced by someone who can get fill-in carries and chew clock.
Penny will probably get a lot more carries in 2019 so the Seahawks don’t have to find a replacement for Davis’s entire production but Seattle must get a third back in the rotation that isn’t simply there to warm the bench.
8. Get some quality safety help
Bradley McDougald was very good in 2018 but whoever was playing next to him wasn’t the same kind of quality. Both Tedric Thompson and Delano Hill had moments where they looked like they could be decent pros but neither looked like a long-term starter.
The Seahawks have relied on great safety play under Pete Carroll to win games. Seattle cannot afford to have their safeties to just be decent. Seattle needs to acquire someone with the same kind of talent as McDougald.
Earl Thomas most likely will not be returning to Seattle. But there are several free agents who could help the Seahawks, players like Tyrann Mathieu and Haha Clinton-Dix.
7. Get a slot cornerback, or keep one
Justin Coleman has been a very valuable member of Seattle’s secondary the last two seasons. He has developed into one of the best slot corners in the NFL. But he is a free agent. Coleman took a chance last year by not signing a longer, but cheaper, extension with Seattle. He bet on himself and it worked.
But this offseason, Seattle either needs to pay Coleman or find someone to take his place. Seattle should take a risk and bet on Coleman for the next three years.
6. Get an outside linebacker, or keep two
Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner is the best linebacker in the NFL. And for several seasons he had K.J. Wright playing alongside him. In 2018, though, Wagner was just as good whether Wright or Mychal Kendricks was playing beside him. Or, for that matter, Austin Calitro.
Therein lies the rub. Wagner is a beast no matter who he is playing with. But the Seahawks defense overall is better if Wagner has a more talented player beside him. Wagner knows how to feed off of what Wright wants to do. And maybe to some extent, Kendricks.
Both Wright and Kendricks are free agents. Kendricks could face prison time for insider trading. He could be a cheaper option than Wright and possibly just as good. Seattle showed some love to Kendricks in a time of despair and Kendricks might show that love back.
Wright is still good and worth re-signing. Maybe Seattle keeps both linebackers? That would be a good thing indeed, if the money is OK.
5. Get a decent third receiving option
In 2018, Russell Wilson had a very good option in Tyler Lockett, a slightly less good option in a banged up Doug Baldwin and then, well…nothing. Baldwin isn’t get any younger and is coming off of his most injury-plagued season.
Seattle needs to find a consistently good receiving option beyond Lockett and Baldwin right now. Jaron Brown was not overly productive and is signed for too much money for next year. David Moore is too inconsistent to really rely on. If Seattle has a chance to get a proven veteran to start 2019 at a decent price, general manager John Schneider should jump at it.
4. Re-sign J.R. Sweezy and D.J. Fluker or get help at offensive guard
Both Sweezy and Fluker were OK in 2018. Fluker may be more important to re-sign for 2019 as he brings a sense of brutality that Sweezy doesn’t. Still, Seattle’s line was better than it has been in several years. Maybe this was because Seattle hired Mike Solari prior to the 2018 season. Or that Sweezy and Fluker were just good run blockers.
The important thing is that other than guard the Seahawks offensive line is set for next year. Duane Brown will be the left tackle, Justin Britt will be the center and Germain Ifedi will be the right tackle. Offensive lines are built through talent and cohesion. Seattle needs to work on the cohesion bit by re-signing both Fluker and Sweezy or finding better replacements who can plug in quickly.
3. Get a young kicker who will be with the Seahawks for several years
Enough with the one year rentals, please, Seattle. In 2017, Seattle signed Blair Walsh to be the kicker and he cost the team a chance at the postseason. In 2018, the Seahawks signed Sebastian Janikowski to be their kicker. He was fine until he physically started to break down by the end of the year.
In retrospect, Seattle should never have let Jason Myers go. But kicking is a weird thing and difficult to predict. Seattle needs to somehow acquire a youngish kicker who will be productive and worth keeping in Seattle for many years. (As a side note, I have just pulled a genie out of a bottle.)
2. Get a long-term defensive tackle to pair with Jarran Reed
Seattle had some major issues stopping the run in 2018. They weren’t the worst in the league but did find a way to get gashed at times, especially against the Rams and Panthers. Reed was a beast and could get better in 2019, which is the final year of his current contract. He will be playing to get paid.
Beyond Reed, however, the defensive tackle situation is messy. Nazair Jones showed some potential two seasons ago but was a healthy scratch many games in 2018. Now Jones seems to be being groomed to move to defensive end.
Shamar Stephen was simply decent but not a long-term answer to start beside Reed. The Seahawks need a tackle who is young enough to play several years and be a good run-stopper. Or maybe they have that in Poona Ford and simply need to give him the starting job.
1. Get a defensive end to help Frank Clark be even better
Clark was magnificent in 2018. Sure, he is a free agent but there is no way the Seahawks let him walk away. But Clark needs help. Pair him with another defensive end who can consistently scare the opposing quarterback and watch Clark’s pressure numbers rise.
Seattle was 11th in sacks in the NFL in 2018 with 43, but 24.5 of those sacks came from two players, Reed and Clark. That isn’t sustainable for long-term success. Whether it is through the draft or free agency, Seattle needs to get Clark some help at end. Doing so will only make Seattle a better football team for the next three to four seasons. And getting Clark help is Seattle’s most glaring need in the 2019 offseason.