Seahawks expected to be lousy based on latest ESPN power rankings

ESPN has released its post-free agency and post-draft power rankings and the Seahawks are ranked even worse than they were previously.

Maybe Seattle didn’t do much in free agency but do they ever? But Seattle by most accounts have a really good draft. Of course, to be fair ESPN does state it’s basing a lot of the rankings on the veterans on each team instead of the rookies.

Still, this is a power ranking, right? So each team should be considered on the whole and not, in Seattle’s case, leave potentially 9 players out of the mix for how good the Seahawks can be. Seattle won’t have several veterans returning – Carlos Dunlap was released and Duane Brown is still a free agent, for instance – but those guys are likely replaced with younger and hungrier players who might be just as good.

Seahawks get no respect in the latest ESPN power rankings

Every other NFC West team is ranked in the top-20 of teams. In fact, the Cardinals are ranked 19th and maybe they should feel a bit disrespected. Or maybe they shouldn’t. If Arizona’s season goes like every other Kliff Kingsbury season since he has coached in college or the NFL, the team will tank in the second half.

The 49ers are ranked 9th and the Rams are 2nd. Hopefully, Seattle will beat the 49ers twice this coming season like they do every other year. But the Rams are always a tough out.

But if ESPN is correct, even after drafting players like Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker III and Boye Mafe, the Seahawks will be the sixth-worst team in the league this year. Seattle is ranked 27th. That seems to be selling the success of Pete Carroll short even if Russell Wilson is no longer on the team.

Carroll was OK before Wilson with Seattle and the Seahawks will likely be OK, if not great, post-Wilson. But if you are looking for even more of a slap in the face from ESPN, 12s, just know that the four-letter network thinks the Jacksonville Jaguars are better than Seattle in 2022. The Jags are ranked 26th.