Before the start of the 2022 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks were not viewed by many to be able to keep up against their competition. However, here we are, and the Seahawks are going to be playing in the playoffs after missing their chance in 2021. Although they will be playing against a formidable and white-hot opponent in the form of their NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers. No matter how that game turns out to be for Seattle, this season is a great success for them.
After trading quarterback Russell Wilson last offseason, the Seahawks were able to address some pressing needs in their O-line and defense through the draft. They are not done yet as they hold the 5th overall pick in this year’s rookie draft, courtesy of the Denver Broncos for the Russ trade. Equipped with a plethora of high draft picks and a salary cap space to work with, there are endless possibilities for the Seahawks to make moves this coming offseason to continue to build what they have started this season.
In saying this, it is not too crazy to look ahead to the offseason, and see which players the Seahawks can get, either via free agency or trade. Here is one player from each playoff team that could join the Seahawks in 2023. Some of the names I am going to mention might surprise you, some will make sense, and others might be a head-scratcher. You will be the judge, but it is definitely will be a great offseason for the Seahawks this year, you can book that in!
Seahawks target from the 49ers
Let us start with the Seahawks’ division rival and their wildcard playoff opponent, the San Francisco 49ers. I know what everyone will think, why sign Jimmy G when you can sign current quarterback Geno Smith? This is not me saying, to go hard to sign Garoppolo, but rather look his way if and when Geno Smith decides to test free agency market this offseason.
After being able to guide the Seahawks to the playoffs, Geno has every right to look to get paid and he deserves to get paid after being a journeyman quarterback for 10 years.
If Geno prices himself out for the Seahawks in the offseason, Seattle can look not far away and see if they can lure Garoppolo to sign to a cheaper tag as he is coming off a season-ending leg injury. By signing Jimmy, the Seahawks can still focus on building their defense and their O-line in this year’s draft as Jimmy G is almost an identical quarterback to Geno, a game manager, who limits turnovers each game. Also, Garoppolo had some playoff successes under his belt and it helps the Seahawks that Garoppolo is familiar with the division, which will make the transition smoother.
Seahawks target from the Vikings
This one will be a shocker to most, but hear me out on this one. Yes, the Seahawks have the talented rookie, Kenneth Walker III who just eclipsed the 1,000 rush yards this season even after being limited at the start of the season due to a hernia injury. However, with Rashaad Penny suffering a season-ending injury and will be a free agent this offseason, it will not hurt the Seahawks to see how much will it take to get Mattison to play alongside Ken Walker.
Seattle was very thin at the running back position this year, that was evident when Walker went down with an ankle injury on Week 13 against the Rams, and the Seahawks were left with Travis Homer and Deejay Dallas combo on Week 14 against the Panthers, and with little to no success on the ground.
By signing Mattison, the Seahawks can ensure that they have a better depth at the position as well as having a better compliment to Ken Walker, as Mattison has proven that whenever he is tasked to handle the ball when Vikings’ RB1 Dalvin Cook cannot play, he is more than capable to handle the load. Of course, this is no guarantee as Mattison will most likely look for a starting gig, but the running back free agents this offseason are so deep, that he might be forced to take a tandem job, and Seahawks should pounce on that.
Seahawks targets from Giants and Chargers
Sticking with the NFC, another offensive weapon the Seahawks need is at wide receiver. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett have been nothing short of phenomenal this season, even after all the down-year talks in the offseason due to the departure of Russell Wilson. However, much like its running back room, this wide receiver core was exposed this year due to injury.
When Tyler Lockett was forced out to miss one game in Week 16 when he needed a pinky surgery that he suffered at the end of their Week 15 game against the 49ers. Seattle was forced to play a less than 100% Marquise Goodwin to play alongside DK Metcalf against the Kansas City Chiefs, in a game that the Seahawks were projected to be chasing the game.
Signing Slayton not only adds depth to the position but also decreases the burden for DK and Lockett each game. It will open up the Seahawks’ passing game, and will definitely help ease up heavy defensive coverage on DK and Lockett. In Slayton, their opponents will not be able to only key in on DK and Lockett each game, and that is an enticing piece of the puzzle, the Seahawks are missing.
Sticking with the wide receiver, in comes LA Chargers’ DeAndre Carter. If the Seahawks are indeed in search of wide receiver help this offseason, they can try to sign Carter. In Carter, not only Seattle will address their wide receiver room, Carter can also help on special teams, as he has been the Chargers’ punt and kick returner this season. That is killing two birds with one stone for the Seahawks, as Travis Homer, their special teams’ guy had been banged up for the better part of the season.
DeAndre Carter can slot into the Travis Homer role, or at the very least the Seahawks can rotate both players for the job, assuring them that they will have fresh legs on special teams every play and limiting potential injuries in the process. Also, by signing Carter much like signing Slayton, it will greatly help DK and Lockett on their offense to get free from defenders more often.
Seahawks from Bills and Dolphins
There is one big issue the Seahawks must address this offseason, and it is their interior defense. Seattle, all season had been running over by their opponents on the ground, and they cannot seem to stop any of them. The Seahawks must address this concern right away, and they have to do the best they can to try to land Tremaine Edmunds this offseason.
Losing long-time and Seahawks legend linebacker Bobby Wagner this season proved to be costly for the Seahawks and it showed. Adding Edmunds will mitigate that concerns for the Seahawks moving forward and will definitely be welcome for their safety and secondary. It is no surprise that the Buffalo Bills had been having success against the run every season, and it starts with Tremaine Edmunds.
From inside to outside we go. As much as the Seahawks are in bad need of addressing their run defense, the same can be said with their pass rushers. Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu had a good year having to record identical 9.5 sacks, but other than them, no one else had more than 5.5 sacks. Adding Melvin Ingram, who recorded 6.0 sacks this season, to this defensive group can help both stopping the run, and attacking the passer.
Having Ingram’s versatility will create more chances for the Seahawks’ defense to force more turnovers in their favor of them. His addition will also help Seattle’s secondary, which is relatively young at the position of cornerback. There are a ton of areas to fix in this defense and understand that adding Ingram alone does not immediately solve all those concerns, but it will be a good starting point.
Seahawks targets from Buccaneers and Jaguars
The Seahawks were decimated early in the season on their safety position with the injury to Jamaal Adams. Much of the heavy lifting was put on Quandre Diggs, and he was able to handle it admirably, however, let’s be real here, he alone proved that it was too much to ask of him this season. With Adams, the key is always his health and adding Keanu Neal to the fold, it will ease some concerns, that if Adams has to miss games, on who will be able to step up to replace him?
Neal is an integral part of the Bucs defense this season, this team would have been far worse than their ugly record if not for their defense. But let me digress, the Seahawks can count on Neal if they decide to get him to be able to help them improve in all aspects that they lack this season on defense. Keanu Neal is just 2 seasons removed from 100 total tackles, so it is not an outside possibility he can come back to that form and be able to produce the same numbers for the Seahawks.
An aspect of the Seahawks’ defense that they will need to address is their cornerback position. The emergence of probable Defensive Player of the Year Tariq Woolen is a great welcome for the Seahawks this season. Even with his phenomenal year, we cannot neglect that this young man is still a rookie, he might flourish to be a superstar in the making, but he might regress next season, it is anyone’s guess. To prevent such sophomore regression, it is in the best interest of Seattle to add another CB to their locker room full of rookies.
Although Herndon only has this season playing full time, he had been with the Jaguars since 2018, and that will be beneficial for the young corners for the Seahawks as his age gap is not far away from this group. Tre’s youthful experience can greatly help further the development of Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant if he will find his way to signing with the Seahawks this offseason.
Seahawks targets from Bengals and Cowboys
The Seahawks will have to ask themselves this offseason whether or not signing back their own running back free agent Rashaad Penny will be beneficial for them moving forward. Of course, Penny can definitely help the Seahawks, he knows the system, and he knows what is asked and what he needed to do, the question is that, can he stay healthy? Every year, Penny had been struck with bad luck of season-ending injuries, and we are all left wondering what if he is healthy, is the sky the limit for him?
If the Seahawks decide to move on from Penny, a replacement for him can be the Bengals’ backup, Samaje Perine. He is a pass catcher, which can spell some breather for Kenneth Walker, and we have all seen what Perine can do when asked to step up due to injury to the starter. Not as sexy a name as Mattison, but unlike Mattison, Perine will not be looking for a starting gig next season which will not be as hard for the Seahawks to convince him to be Walker’s backup next season.
Defense! Defense! Defense! That will be the outcry of the 12 this offseason, no matter how the Seahawks address this, either via draft or free agency or trade, it will be their main focus this offseason. If they tend to solidify their line back position, they can look to sign the veteran Anthony Barr, a defensive player who can immediately step in to help this team in improving next season and be the veteran voice, a huge void left by Bobby Wagner.
Barr will be a big boost for the Seahawks’ defense which dreadfully need the presence he brings on the field. A much improve linebacker room will further increase the chances of the Seahawks improving their overall defense next season, a big part of the Seahawks’ shortcomings this season.
Seahawks target from the Ravens
Let us go for broke for this last one, shall we? There is no question that everyone will be watching the Lamar saga unfold as soon as the offseason starts. The Ravens will franchise tag him, it will be absurd not to, but let us play what if here. If the Ravens decide to let Lamar walk, there will be an abundance of teams ready to jump and make him a lucrative offer. The Seahawks should be one of those teams, that must at least see how much Lamar wants.
Again, this is not me saying, go really hard and chase Lamar. That is not my intent. But if Geno leaves this offseason, there is a hole the Seahawks have to immediately have to fill.
Lamar Jackson is a difference-maker at the quarterback position, a position already heading more and more towards the running quarterbacks as supposed to pocket passers. After trading away their franchise quarterback last offseason, Lamar quickly steps in as the face of the franchise for years to come. The money and the term will be astronomical, but convincing him to play for Pete Carroll and his run-first offense, which is already equipped with rookie Kenneth Walker, as well as the best pass-catching option in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett compare that to his time in Baltimore. It will be hard for Lamar to turn that opportunity down with the Seahawks.