There were a lot of positives in head coach Mike Macdonald's inaugural season as head coach. The team won ten games, tied for first in the NFC West, and the defense took a massive leap forward. Young players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Derick Hall, and Zach Charbonnet all had second-year jumps as the Seahawks were only a win away from a home playoff game.
While several individuals and the team itself look to be trending in a positive direction, it would be a stretch to say everyone had a good season in 2024. In fact, there were multiple players who regressed and struggled this season. There were several players who found themselves on the hot seat or relegated to the bench altogether for Seattle.
But who were the biggest disappointments in 2024? Who were the players we expected to step up for Seattle, but instead completely let the team down? These are the three most disappointing players who let the Seahawks down in 2024.
Three Seattle Seahawks that let fans and the team down during the 2024 season
Connor Williams
The center dilemma is one that Seattle has yet to solve since Max Unger was traded away a decade ago. After rolling with Evan Brown, who had a subpar season in 2023, the Seahawks brought in Connor Williams. Williams, who had been one of the better centers in the NFL over the past few years, joined the Seahawks in the hope that he would elevate a bad offensive line.
He crashed and burned immediately. While Williams did spring a few runs up the middle in the first half of the season, Williams' tenure in Seattle was marred with costly mistakes. From assignment miscues, penalties that derailed drives, to wild snaps that sailed feet over the head of Geno Smith, Williams ultimately hindered the offense more than he helped it.
By mid-season, Williams had fallen into a rut he couldn't escape. His miscues seemed to happen more frequently and his struggles were obvious. After nine games in Seattle, Williams retired from the NFL in the middle of the season, leaving Olu Oluwatimi as the starter. The signing of Williams proved to be yet another chapter in the book of failed offensive line free agency signings, authored by general manager John Schneider.
Pharaoh Brown
The Seahawks lost tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson last off-season and immediately needed a second tight end behind Noah Fant. They needed a tight end who could come in and produce as a receiver and block in the run game. Ultimately, they ended up agreeing to terms with TE Pharaoh Brown, who looked like a perfect replacement for Seattle.
In 2024, Brown provided almost nothing. With only eight receptions on the year, including a lost fumble on one of his receptions, Brown only had three more receptions than he had penalties on the season. Brown didn't even play enough snaps to qualify for a Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grade. However, the eye test was all anyone needed to see how disappointing Brown's 2024 campaign was for Seattle. He was a complete non-factor all year.
An inefficient blocker and nonexistent receiver, Brown failed to resemble any sort of replication of Dissly or Parkinson's production in Seattle. To make matters worse, Parkinson was an efficient tight end for the rival Los Angeles Rams, as the former Seahawk recorded a career-high in receptions and had a solid run-blocking grade on the season.
And to rub more salt in the wound, Dissly finished with 50 receptions for 481 yards, to go along with some awesome run-blocking, for the other Los Angeles team, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Anthony Bradford
Public enemy number one for Seahawks fans alike, Anthony Bradford had one of the worst seasons I've ever witnessed for an offensive lineman. Bradford, the second-year man who was poised to make a big jump in his opportunity as a starter, had a nightmare season. And he should certainly not return, at least not as a starter, in 2025.
In 2024, Bradford was a mess. From personal fouls to false starts and egregious holding penalties (one of them in the end zone resulting in a safety), Bradford quickly derailed his own season. With nine accepted penalties against him, totaling 66 yards lost, Bradford found himself benched on multiple occasions in 2024.
His abysmal 48.9 PFF grade ranked 114th out of 135 eligible guards, thanks to his seven sacks allowed, which itself ranked 130th out of 135. Bradford wasn't much better in the run game, with a 57.7 run-blocking grade, among the worst in the league.
For someone who was supposed to be a breakout candidate on the offensive line, Anthony Bradford absolutely let the Seahawks down in 2024. Arguably the worst starting player on the depth chart, Bradford has no business seeing the field in meaningful football in Seattle. If Mike Macdonald's short leash with his linebackers and ex-offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is any indicator, Bradford's disappointing 2024 season just may be his last as a Seahawk.