When a team goes 9-8 and misses the playoffs, it's a sure bet some players underperformed. The Seattle Seahawks certainly had their share of players who fell far below what the team and the 12s expected. Some played below their established level, while a few were simply awful by any measurement.
The Seahawks were so close to being a much-improved team. A few big plays here, a few tackles there- okay, a lot of tackles there - and this team could have had two more wins, a playoff appearance, and the same coach next year. It's also fair to say that with a few less big plays, the Hawks could have gone 5-12 or 4-13. You can't play the "if only" game without considering the unlikely heroics along with the abject failures.
We have plenty of time to celebrate the heroes of the 2023 season. A month too long, in fact. So for now, let's look at the players who did the most to bring those eight losses to the balance sheet of the Hawks. I'll throw in a few dishonorable mentions, but for these guys, it was either a matter of already low expectations or injuries.
The Seattle Seahawks practically had a full squad of underperformers
Frank Clark came in with low expectations, but he still managed just six tackles and three hurries in 142 snaps. Oh, and he missed three tackles.
Coby Bryant missed time early and never got his position back. He allowed 12 completions on 15 targets but was actually one of Seattle's more reliable tacklers in the secondary. He whiffed 15 percent of the time, which tells you how bad the Hawks' secondary was.
I'll mention Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan just so you don't think I forgot about them. Between them, they allowed eight sacks, 13 QB hits, and 60 pressures. But they're backups for a reason. I can't say they fell far below expectations. But the highlighted players that follow; yeah, they fell to the basement.
First-year Seahawk Dre'Mont Jones was pretty much a bust
The most expensive free agent signing of the Pete Carroll era proved to be one of the biggest busts as well. It isn't so much that Jones was awful because he wasn't. But he was paid to be great, and he wasn't close to that, either. He was signed for three years and $51.5 million.
For that investment, the Seahawks received 44 pressures, 40 tackles, and seven stops. Jarran Reed, who cost a whopping $9 million over two years produced 43 pressures, 47 tackles, and very large 35 stops. Mario Edwards, who was signed for popcorn money ($1.3 million for one season), had 22 pressures, 17 tackles, and 13 stops. Note that Edwards had 393 snaps, compared to Jones's 762.
Quandre Diggs had his worst season with the Seahawks
of the less-than-fun things about football is that a player's stats can be quite different in the same year. It all depends on your source. A case in point is Mr. Diggs. According to my usual go-to site, pro-football-reference.com, Diggs allowed 23 of 36 targets for 360 yards and two touchdowns. But Pro Football Focus (the paywall guys) tagged Diggs with 20 of 28 targets for 247 yards and one score. The former resulted in a passer rating allowed of 103.9, the latter, 95.4.
No matter which site you trust, it was a bad year for the Seahawks' free safety, easily his worst in Seattle. He missed 13 tackles, or maybe 20. Either way, it was his worst in Seattle. His interceptions dropped from 4 last year to just one in 2023. Wow, an actual agreement. Regardless, he woefully underperformed for a three-year, $39 million contract.
Jamal Adams once again disappointed
Only his terrible behavior off the field could distract from his poor performance on the gridiron. Maybe that was his idea all along. If so, it was a masterstroke. I do have to add that he attended Pete Carroll's impromptu farewell dinner, so if there was ever a rift, apparently it's repaired. That's great, but Adams was still awful this year. He made 47 tackles but missed another 15. That was in nine games, 518 snaps.
Know how many tackles Kam Chancellor missed in 201, his last full season with the Hawks? Four, baby. That was throughout 14 games and 854 snaps, including the postseason. Bam Bam missed on four percent of his stops. I know that's a pretty tough standard, but Adams whiffed on a ridiculous 24 percent of his tackles. For $70 million, you need to play better. And you need to show up for your team, whether you're playing or not.
Two more defensive players let the team down
I would add Darrell Taylor (OK, I will), even though that's just low-hanging fruit, guys. Suffice it to say, he was alright as a pass-rush specialist, but he did almost nothing else.
Riq Woolen seemed to lose 40 percent of his game along with his name, but the sophomore slump often hits hard. That's especially true for fifth-round draft picks that had spectacular rookie seasons. He still broke up 10 passes and had the lowest passer rating allowed (82.3) of any Seahawks DB.
Yes, that includes Devon Witherspoon. So Woolen wasn't bad, but he just wasn't phenomenal. I mean, other than his tackling. But that's a topic unto itself. For now, let's uncelebrate the Hawks biggest underachievers of 2023.