Predicting which three Seahawks will underperform in 2021
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks have a good roster and should be a playoff team this coming season if health provides. But what if some players underperform? This would mean several things have to happen for Seattle to once again make the playoffs in 2021.
One is that other players will have to overperform and this can never be counted on. The Seahawks play so many close games, and always have under Pete Carroll, that a bad drive here or there could have resulted in far fewer wins. Worst case scenario, the ball bounces the wrong way for Seattle at times in 2021 and the team finishes far out of the playoff race.
Which players being counted on this year might fail in meeting expectations? Possibly the three below.
Three Seahawks that might not meet expectations in 2021
D.J. Reed
I have nothing against D.J. Reed and he was a great surprise in 2020. Sure, the Seahawks brass (who clearly have a better idea of a good football player than I do) liked Reed a bunch when he was still with the 49ers and when San Francisco let him go because they had so many other injured players as well that they were forced to let Reed walk, Seattle jumped at the chance to sign him. Still, he had to have succeeded even the Seahawks expectations last year.
But one-half season does not make a football player suddenly great. Reed should not be expected in 2021 to go from right side cornerback to left side and be the shutdown corner on the Seahawks defense. Maybe he can do that but there is no proof he can. Likely, Reed will recede back to his QBR-allowed levels of 119.3 and 123.3, respectively, in 2018 and 2019 and not play to his 75.8 level of 2020.