3 pros and cons of Geno Smith being Seattle Seahawks QB1 in 2024

Pro No. 2 - Maybe Geno Smith isn't the main issue

In the last slide, I brought up sack percentage. Admittedly, I did that misleadingly. While the statistic is accurate, number of sacks allowed does not tell the whole story. Geno Smith has been hurried the second-most times in the NFL (48) and his pocket time before passing ranks 25th (2.4 seconds) among quarterbacks with 126 passes or more. Smith simply hasn't had great protection this year. In 2022, he was hurried 12 fewer times but, again, in 170 fewer pass attempts.

The banged-up offensive line has just affected Geno Smith, either. Last year, running back Kenneth Walker III had five games where he rushed for 107 yards or more and he had an average carry of 4.6. This year his average carry is 4.0 and he has only one game where has rushed over 100 yards but he has four games where he has run for 43 yards or less.

Maybe with more time in 2024 - hopefully - Geno Smith can get back to his 2022 level where he led the NFC in touchdown passes (30) and led the league in completion percentage. No, Smith was not perfect last year either, but he was good enough to make the Pro Bowl, help lead the team to the playoffs, and with the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

So before I can totally complain about Smith's play or offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's play-calling, maybe the offensive line should be fixed. Some of that problem might also be the coaching the unit is receiving. Of course, that has nothing to do with Geno Smith.

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