Dream Seattle Seahawks starting lineup for the 2024 season
By Lee Vowell
There is still nearly half a year before Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. The Seattle Seahawks still have to make decisions on who they will take in the 2024 NFL draft and then how the final roster will look just before the season begins. While some position groups look iffy now, they could be vastly improved through the draft.
General manager John Schneider has once again not made a huge splash in free agency, other than bringing Leonard Williams back at an average of $21 million a season, but instead has chosen to go slightly low-budget in the hopes the sum is greater than some of the parts. This has worked somewhat well before for Seattle, but most of that success came in the early 2010s when the team had high-end talent under contract already.
Mike Macdonald is the new head coach for the Seahawks, of course, and will be tasked with making sure the roster that Schneider puts together becomes a cohesive unit and a successful one. Seattle already had some excellent players on the team, such as DK Metcalf, Devon Witherspoon, and others, but the roster will look different this year than in previous ones and the group will need to come together quickly. But with what free agents the team has signed and a few guesses as to who the team chooses in the draft, this should be the dream lineup for Seattle in 2024.
What could a dream Seahawks lineup look like in 2024?
Seahawks dream starting lineup on offense
- QB Geno Smith
- RB Kenneth Walker III
- WR DK Metcalf
- WR Tyler Lockett
- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- TE Noah Fant
- LT Charles Cross
- LG Jackson Powers-Johnson
- C Olu Oluwatimi
- RG Zak Zinter
- RT Abe Lucas
I know getting two guards in the draft might not normally be exciting, but Jackson Powers-Johnson and Zak Zinter are both italicized above because they would be rookies and starters. Seattle potentially could still trade down in the first round, pick up a second-round choice, and still get Powers-Johnson who is a mauler and was a standout at the Senior Bowl.
Zinter is likely worth a second-round pick on, but the Seahawks can probably take him in round three or beyond. He will be coming off a leg injury late in the 2023 season that will scare some teams away. That's a win for Seattle.
The rest of the starters are set. The hope is that Lucas can stay healthy while Oluwatimi takes a leap in efficiency between his rookie year and next season. Seattle has some excellent skill positions players, though.
Seahawks dream starting lineup on defense
- DE Leonard Williams
- DT Johnathan Hankins
- DT Jarran Reed
- DE Dre'Mont Jones
- LB/Edge Uchenna Nwosu
- LB Tyrel Dodson
- LB/Edge Boye Mafe
- CB Devon Witherspoon
- CB Riq Woolen
- S Julian Love
- S Rayshawn Jenkins
The above is based on Seattle getting back to a 4-3 front which Mike Macdonald prefers and would be an early-down base. There would be a lot of moving parts on other downs, of course, with Williams moving inside and replacing Hankins, Nwosu sliding up to play a true edge, Witherspoon moving to the slot and Mike Jackson coming in at the other corner. The other option for Mafe would be rotating him in with recently signed Jerome Baker.
While Seattle does have a lot of new players, they also have a bunch of versatility in the defensive group which Macdonald wants. This way he can disguise his looks, bring in a third safety at times, and potentially have a look that is more like a 4-1-6.
The Seahawks' defense should be much better under Macdonald and far less predictable. This should be enough for Seattle to get back into the postseason. As long as the new players and players already on the roster gel quickly, of course.
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