4 most important non-quarterback players for Seahawks in 2024

The Seattle Seahawks are hopefully building a better team overall around the quarterback position. While some fans seemingly do not care for Geno Smith the fact is that Smith won more games than he should have been expected to in 2023. He led the NFL in game-winning drives and fourth quarterback comebacks last season.

Smith is a good quarterback and he will likely look even better with a better overall roster. General manager John Schneider likely improved the team by addressing the offensive and defensive lines in the 2024 NFL draft, something that was not well looked after under former head coach Pete Carroll. With better blocking in front of him and a better defense as well, Smith might be more efficient simply because he does not have to try to do it all.

But which Seahawks besides Smith are the most important to help Seattle win? The team should have been coaching direction and more talent, but games might be won or lost by how well the following four players do. If they are great then the Seahawks might make the playoffs and be a dangerous team once in the postseason.

These four most important Seahawks besides who is playing quarterback in 2024

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon

When Mike Macdonald looked at Seattle's roster before accepting the job as the Seahawks' new head coach and thought, "Can I win with this? he probably kept going back to seeing Devon Witherspoon's name and thought, "Yes, I can." Witherspoon is the kind of Swiss Army knife player that every coach wants but few get. Moreover, Witherspoon does everything at a high level.

The cornerback does need to create a few more turnovers, but that will come with time. Most importantly, he can line up anywhere Macdonald asks him to and he can make an impact. We might see him blitzed more from his slot corner spot and maybe he plays more outside corner as well. The opportunities for him to succeed are limitless and Macdonald will probably use him in more creative ways than Pete Carroll could ever think of.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams

Seattle added Byron Murphy II in the draft and he should eventually be very good. Murphy is going to be helped quite a bit by having Williams playing next to him on the defensive line, however. Seattle does have a couple of other talented players on the D-line in the persons of Dre'Mont Jones and Jarran Reed, but if one were to prejudge how good the line could be in 2024 and then remove the name "Leonard Williams" the expectations would be a lot lower.

Williams could not help the Seahawks get back to the playoffs in 2023, but that was not his fault. After being traded for midseason, Williams had 32 total pressures, 4 sacks, and 21 run stuffs in 10 games. A full season with Seattle is going to prove his value for giving up a second-round choice in the 2024 NFL draft.

Kicker Jason Myers

Since Seattle is undergoing a fairly huge transition in 2024, that could mean even more tight games. The Seahawks should run the ball more which hopefully equates to more time of possession, longer drives, and fewer scoring opportunities overall for the opponent. Seattle's defense might still be acclimating to what Macdonald wants them to do as well so Seattle likely isn't going to shut a lot of teams down completely the way Macdonald's Ravens did in 2023.

If games are close at the end during the 2024 season for Seattle, which seems likely, then Jason Myers is probably going to have a lot of opportunities to win (or lose) games. If he has a great season, Seattle could make it back to the playoffs. If he doesn't, the Seahawks could finish third or worse in the NFC West and Myers could be looking for a new place to play in 2025.

Running back Kenneth Walker III

Walker could be the ticking time bomb that Seattle's offense needs to truly explode. He has been a good running back through the first two years of his career, but he was also fairly underused by former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. New OC Ryan Grubb has proven he likes to run more than Waldron but Grubb also does not focus on one aspect of his offense to be good. The ball will be spread around more in the passing game but Walker will probably see quite a lot more carries.

Walker has also flashed the ability to catch well so the Seahawks could have the running back touch the ball 320 times in 2024. His previous two seasons had him get 255 and 248 touches, respectively. No offense to Zach Charbonnet, but Walker is the alpha of the Seahawks' running back room and he should get the chance to prove his worth in 2024.