The Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs unexpectedly in 2022 and should be expected to make the postseason in 2023. Seattle has a young roster with tons of potential. Of course, potential is all about what one might do in the future and not what one is currently doing in the present.
For Seattle to truly succeed this coming season, they must be able to rely again on the players that were good last season. For instance, Kenneth Walker III was a stud once he got to be a full-time starter. Seattle did choose Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, but until he proves himself then Walker must continue to be a high-level RB1.
Seattle also needs to get good play from re-signed linebacker Bobby Wagner. Seattle is really thin at linebacker and the drop off of talent level from starter to backup is precipitous. Wagner not only needs to be his normal excellent self, but he also has to stay healthy. But which three players simply cannot regress at all for the Seahawks to be good in 2023?
Jason Myers - Seattle Seahawks kicker
Myers ended the drought of Seattle having bad kickers several seasons ago. In 2022, he made 34 of 37 field goal attempts and made his first Pro Bowl while wearing a Seahawks uniform (he made the Pro Bowl once before in 2018 when he was with the New York Jets). The shocking thing was Myers didn't make the Pro Bowl in 2020 when he made all 24 of his field goal attempts. But that could have just been a sign that the NFL had gotten used to Myers' excellence.
Since coming to Seattle in 2019, Myers has made 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 93.5 percent of his extra point attempts. Seattle rewarded him with a four-year extension this offseason that could keep Myers in Seattle until he is 36 years old. But before we get to the 2026 season, Seattle must have Myers keep being a Pro Bowl-level kicker in 2023 for the team to have any chance of the playoffs.
Tariq Woolen - Seattle Seahawks cornerback
Woolen had all the physical freakishness to be a good corner in the NFL when he came out of college in 2022 and the Seahawks took him in the fifth round of last year's draft. As it turns out, he turned into a good corner immediately and made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season. Woolen tied for the league lead in interceptions with 6 and had a quarterback rating allowed of just 48.7. So, I take back what I said. Woolen wasn't merely good in 2022, he was great.
But now Seattle is counting on him to be a great corner for the foreseeable future. The drawback is now NFL offensive coordinators and quarterbacks have a year of tape to watch on him and expose any weaknesses. The argument could be made this already started to happen near the end of last year.
In his first four games of 2022, Woolen had 4 interceptions. After Week 6, he only had 2 more. Woolen also got played a bit on crossing routes when he seemed to loose his man and Seattle had a breakdown in communication. Woolen has abundant raw skill, but he still needs to know how the rest of the defense is operating on every single play.
Woolen is also expected to be on one side of the field while 2023 draftee Devon Witherspoon holds down the other side. Witherspoon should be very good, but he is also a rookie and like all rookies will make mistakes. Woolen needs to know the nuances of what is happening as a play unfolds to help Witherspoon. Woolen can do it, but for Seattle to be better defensively in 2023, he must do it (assuming he bounces back from a recent injury quickly).
Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Surprise! The quarterback is on this list! (OK, that's not really shocking, of course, but Smith is a bit different than most other quarterbacks.) See, Smith still has to prove himself all over again to pundits and fans and opposing teams. He sat for seasons behind really good quarterbacks, and by the time he got his chance to start again in 2023, he was also very good.
But Smith also seemed to not be as good at the end of 2022 as he was at the beginning. This is a little odd because Russell Wilson had the same issue for many seasons while he was with the Seahawks. Is there something about the offense that halfway through a season other teams figure out and Seattle's quarterback struggles more?
No matter what any concerns are, Geno Smith has to be able to lead this young and talented Seahawks roster to the playoffs. He needs to be a voice of reason and veteran calm in the locker room while also kicking some butt on the sidelines during games when that is needed. It looked like he could do that in 2022, but again, that was last year.
Opposing defensive coordinators know Smith a bit more now and what he has tendancies to do. Smith will need to adjust to the changes he sees and still learn and grow in his second season as Seattle's QB1. He certainly has an abundance of weapons around him and he needs to get the best of out them and himself. Otherwise, Seattle could have a losing season.