The Seattle Seahawks won it all this past season, and there was much rejoicing. But I can't help but feel a bit sad for some Seahawks who missed out as they had moved on to other teams. Even worse, they're still waiting to prove they can still play as Week 1 of the new season unfolds.
Now, I'm not talking about players who decided that they were ready to move on. Hey, you decided you needed to explore your options; I'm all good with that. Professional athletes, especially in the NFL, can have very short careers. So, Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, I hope things improve for you, truly.
But I'm talking about the guys who saw the Seahawks make the decisions for them. They didn't see greener pastures outside of Seattle. I mean, how green can it be outside of the Emerald City anyway? Smith and Metcalf found out. Just sayin'. In my mind, these three players truly deserved to earn their rings. And as of Week 1, none of them even have a chance to get their own.
3 former Seattle Seahawks who deserve a roster spot
Will Dissly
I'll kick it off with Uncle Will. Long a favorite of the 12s, Dissly jumped from the Washington Huskies to the big time when Seattle drafted him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He looked terrific in his rookie season with two TDs in his first four games.
Unfortunately, those were his only four games, as a knee injury knocked him out for the season. He bounced back better than ever in 2019 with four scores in six games - until, of course, he was lost for the year again, this time with an Achilles tear.
But you can't keep a great man down. Dissly only missed six games over the next four seasons. While he never matched his scoring output, he remained a reliable target and a devastating blocker. Sort of a proto Barnyard Show, with a completely different personality. But Seattle let him walk after the 2023 season, saving $7 million in cap space. Yes, you'll see that maneuver again, gang.
Dissly landed in Los Angeles - thankfully with the Chargers and not those other guys. Jim Harbaugh put him to work, and he reached a career-high in receptions with 50. But the injury bug bit him hard again last season.
Los Angeles released him with a failed physical designation in March, although he's now listed as healthy. After the Week 1 games are played, I'm sure a team that needs a reliable vet like Dissly will come knocking.
Tyler Lockett
Ahh, this one hurts. We all loved Uncle Will, but Tyler Lockett was always at another level. In the Seahawks record books, there's Steve Largent, with Lockett right behind him in virtually every category for receivers. Catches, yards, touchdowns - you needed it, you got it with Lockett. And for miraculous toes-just-in-bounds catches, he was the master.
But just as with Dissly, his contract simply became too expensive to justify. The Seahawks let him walk after the 2024 season. He landed with the Titans - a great move for them, not so great for the three-time Pro Bowler.
Well, it could have been a great move for Tennessee, but they chose not to use him. After 7 games of sitting behind "talent" like Chimere Dike and Van Jefferson, Lockett asked for his release. He caught on with the Raiders - another of Pete Carroll's reclamation guys - and showed he still had gas in the tank.
Now I'm not saying he was still a Formula One racer. Those days were, and are, gone. But if you need a player who can get open and make that critical catch, especially when there's just a single blade of grass between that first down and sending out the punt unit, Tyler Lockett should be on the field.
Bobby Wagner
And here's the man himself. BWagz, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. I think you all know what this man did in Seattle. In case you just wandered over here from some wasteland like, oh, the suddenly quiet Rams bandwagon, Bobby Wagner made the Pro Bowl eight straight seasons for the Seahawks. But just as with Dissly and Lockett, the time finally came to move on.
Seattle saved $17 million when they cut Lockett; when they released Wagner, they shaved $16.6 million off the cap. You Rams fans remember him, as he landed with you next. Inexplicably, he didn't make the Pro Bowl in 2022, although his 140 tackles and six sacks did earn him a second-team All-Pro spot.
The Rams apparently thought, nah, we've seen enough, so the Seahawks brought him back for the 2023 campaign. Bobby just figured, cool, I'll just lead the NFL in tackles again for the third time in my career. No big deal, right? But Seattle again decided to move on. Wagner was a free agent and took a higher offer, this time heading to Washington.
Yeah, I know what I said before about greener pastures, but the Seahawks had cut him once before, so it's not the same thing, not at all. Another new team, another Pro Bowl season - no big deal. He backed that up last year with 162 tackles.
Not only did that lead the Commanders by 63 more tackles than the next guy, but it also placed him fifth in the entire league. And yet, he's waiting for a call this season. Hopefully not here, though.
All three of these guys can still go - especially Wagner. After the full slate of Week 1 games comes in, I picture there will be a few phones ringing for these former Seahawks.
Add us as a preferred source on Google