Seahawks 2021 might be doomed by not answering these what-if questions
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks might be in for a season that changes the future of the franchise. Missing the playoffs is a possibility but didn’t need to be. Had Seattle stopped trading and signing what felt like a million cornerbacks this offseason the position could have been better prepared entering 2021.
Had Seattle focused less on taking a chance on a player like Aldon Smith and signed an inexpensive offensive line free agent, Seattle might not be having the issues it currently has right in the middle of the line.
But what does happen after this year if Seattle finishes third or fourth in the NFC West with an aging roster? Changes will need to be made but which ones? 2022 could look very different in Seattle.
Three what-ifs that Seahawks needed to answer or will have to answer this year
Number three: What if Seattle had signed center Austin Reiter?
Ethan Pocic is always hurt and isn’t that consistently good when he does play. Kyle Fuller was terrible against the Titans in week 2 and we have no way of knowing if he will ever be a long-term answer at starting center. So based on what we know so far this year, Seattle does not have a good center on the team and the rest of the offensive line is pretty good when healthy.
Reiter was a free agent until just before the season and now is a backup with the Saints which is a shame because he was a very good center for the Kansas City Chiefs the last couple of years. According to Pro Football Focus, Reiter was a top-12 center in 2019 and 2020. He’s good enough to start in most places.
And Reiter would have not been the question mark at his position that Pocic and Fuller are. When a team has a solid roster overall but a week before the season the team still doesn’t know who its starting center is, that is a problem. Reiter would have been inexpensive and a plus-player for the Seahawks to have signed.