In what was arguably the most important NFL Draft in the history of the Pete Carroll and John Schneider era, it appears on paper that the Seattle Seahawks came away as one of the big winners. While we'll need to wait and see how these rookies perform on the field, it looks like the Seahawks are staring down the potential of back-to-back dominant drafts and a free agency period where the Seahawks were also one of the big winners.
While fans of the Seahawks and the majority of the NFL media battled over whether Seattle would take polarizing defensive tackle Jalen Carter or take a shot at a young quarterback, the Seahawks surprised many by taking star cornerback Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois. John Schneider showed that his newfound "best player available" philosophy from 2022 was here to stay.
This mindset continued as the Seahawks once again had a strong draft, always looking to add talent to the roster rather than forcing a pick to fill a need. This continues a trend of refocusing and reloading. Some would call it a rebirth by the legendary Seahawks regime that was in a peculiar spot just 14 months ago when they traded Russell Wilson away to Denver.
The Seahawks are very close to being contenders again
Pete and John wiped the slate clean, and in not even two full off-seasons, have the Seahawks looking like the biggest threat to the Philadelphia Eagles this season. That's right, I believe that the Seattle Seahawks are the second-best team in the NFC. Your Seahawks are getting close to true contention.
Seahawks free agency success
If there has been one constant with the Seattle Seahawks under Pete and John, it’s been a quiet free agency. Sure, they made a ton of moves during the building years, but most of those moves were made to build up a competitive roster while their draft would bring the stars. Whenever the Hawks have made moves, they typically have been in the later waves of free agency.
This year was different thanks to the Geno Smith extension. The Seahawks being able to take a team-friendly financial gamble on a guy in Geno who played like a top-10 quarterback was huge to kick off the offseason. If Geno plays as he did for most of last season, the Seahawks have the 2nd best QB in the NFC on a very low cap hit. If he struggles, there are options (Drew Lock) to try and salvage the season while the contract is extremely easy to get out of in 2024. I believe in Geno, and there are real reasons as to why he’ll be better this season, but his contract allowed the Seahawks to be as aggressive as they’ve ever been.
This year was different. In the first wave, the Seahawks went out and got the up-and-coming DT Dre’ Jones from Denver for 3 years and $51 million dollars. There’s a lot of evidence to show that Jones is about to become one of the best in the league at his position, and it’s exciting to see the Seahawks attack a weakness with a player that is still getting better. Jones brings respectability to a position group that was pretty embarrassing trying to stop the run in 2022.
The aggressiveness continued as the Seahawks signed the underrated S Julian Love from the Giants, LB Devin Bush from Pittsburgh, and C Evan Brown from Detroit, and brought home DT Jarran Reed and the legend Bobby Wagner.
While Bush and Reed may be lottery tickets, trying to recapture some 2018-2019 magic, the rest of the FA haul should provide immediate impact. Bobby Wagner is not the best LB in the league anymore, but he was fantastic in LA last year and should provide a massive boost to the run defense and get after the QB a bit more than what we saw from Cody Barton last year. Julian Love’s versatility to play multiple positions in the secondary should help both the pass and run defense for the Seahawks, and allow a healthy Jamal Adams to thrive as a weapon more than just a safety.
While the scheme fits and talent is great, it's also a huge bonus that Seattle is getting a major attitude and culture change by bringing Jones and Wagner onto this talented, but young team. I have a hard time seeing these two guys letting the defense struggle as much as they did stopping the run.
Free agency brought us culture and stars, thanks to Geno Smith and the front office being aggressive.
Seahawks back to back home run drafts
The Seahawks 2022 draft brought hope and four foundational pieces (Cross, Woolen, Lucas, Walker) to Seattle. The franchise was beginning a fresh start, but that doesn't mean it was in a great spot. A roster lacking talent was able to lock up cheap high-level talent, with Cross and Woolen at premium positions.
The 2023 draft brought more than just hope. Now Seattle has some elite position groups, roster stability, and depth at positions that are crucial to Seahawks' philosophy.
Devon Witherspoon is now just the 6th cornerback to be drafted in the top 5 of the NFL draft ever, joining the likes of Sauce Gardner, Jalen Ramsey, and Denzel Ward. While this draft slot is technically rare, it should be noted that all six DBs have been drafted since 2016. The NFL has changed its view on the value of an elite DB, and there's some good history of these guys working out. The Seahawks adding a potential superstar corner to pair with emerging superstar DB Tariq Woolen is exciting for the Seahawks and terrifying for the rest of the league. The Seahawks should have a top 3 cornerback duo heading into the season.
The same can be said for the wide receivers' room with the addition of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The star receiver out of Ohio State should instantly become one of the best slot targets in the league. With a young and talented offensive line, Geno's mobility, and desire to attack the middle of the field, JSN should either feast or make it impossible for the opposing defenses to focus on just DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Seattle was overly reliant on their top two WRs in 2022, and yet finished #9 in scoring offense. This wide receiver group is battling the Eagles and Bengals for the best unit in the NFL.
In the final two days of the draft, the Seahawks focused on getting back to their core philosophy, defense and running the football. The Seahawks drafted Derrick Hall at number 37 to be a potential star edge rusher out of Auburn. He adds to a nice trio of QB hunters in Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor and has received some comparisons to Steelers legend James Harrison.
The Seahawks then selected RB Zach Charbonnett to be the perfect complement to Kenneth Walker III, creating a thunder and lightning dynamic duo. Charbonnett has received comparisons to Arian Foster and is an excellent pass blocker. While fans may be frustrated by the two straight years of the Seahawks taking a running back high, I'm ok with the pick. Charbonnett would have likely been the #1 guy somewhere else and now Seattle has two legitimate #1 young backs to work with (and don't forget Kenny McIntosh as well). I feel strongly that Seattle has the best running back room in the NFL now.
While the draft didn't bring home the Jalen Carter or John Michael Schmitz everyone was dreaming of, I do believe the selections in the trenches on Day 3 were really solid adds. Olusegun Oluwatimi, Mike Morris, and Cam Young are all high floor guys that were really good in college, and should get a chance to be starters at some point in the next two seasons. Specifically with Oluwatimi and Morris, they were dominant players at Michigan. With better combine performances, they'd be potential Day 2 picks that Seattle got great value on.
The Seahawks were one of a few teams that look like clear winners from the draft. It may not have been the path many had envisioned, but the Seahawks now have a legitimate claim to the best position groups at CB, WR, and RB. These are signs of a team ascending.
What is left to be done for the Seahawks?
While the draft was an A- in my opinion, there's still questions that need to be answered. Whether the Seahawks run a 3-4 or return to the old scheme, another veteran presence or two on the defensive line is important. Immediately after the draft we saw Poona Ford and Al Woods sign elsewhere, so the list of vets that can help are dwindling.
I don't think any crazy splash is needed, but with some extensions and some potential cuts, veterans like Shelby Harris, Michael Brockers, or Pacific Northwest native Ndamukong Suh could go a long way to helping this rush defense go from disappointing to average, which probably would have won the Seahawks 12 games in 2022.
The Seahawks were 6-3 and at their best last year when they were able to stop the run, protect Geno and allow him to step up in the pocket to make championship level throws. If Seattle can get their defense off the field by shutting down the run and let their talented secondary dominate, then they can let the offense cook with its new toys.
The Seahawks should improve on their number 9 offense and number 25 scoring defense. A top 5 offense and top-16 defense should be on the table. This will be the 6th season since the LOB era, it's time for Pete to get the defense where it needs to be. If they can do that, and Geno delivers, they could get to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl.
The door is open in the NFC
One of the biggest reasons why I'm so bullish on the Seahawks being a Super Bowl threat, is because of what has happened to the NFC. Here's a breakdown of every team's offseason so far.
Arizona Cardinals: No Kyler, definitely tanking
LA Rams: Traded Ramsey, nobody knows what's up with Stafford and McVay
49ers: QBs with a dead arm, unproven bad arm, proven bad arm
Bears: Running back at QB
Lions: GOOF
Packers: Traded Rodgers
Vikings: Can't trade Cousins, too expensive
Buccaneers: Brady retired
Saints: Derek Carr's your savior?
Falcons: Tanking with Ridder
Panthers: Took a 5-9 185-pound QB number 1
DC: Tanking
Giants: Paid Daniel Jones so much money why?
Cowboys: Still think Dak's good enough
The Eagles are in a different category, and you'll be hard pressed to find someone that would take Seattle over Philly in 2023, but that doesn't mean Philly is unstoppable.
Yes, the Eagles locked up Jalen Hurts to a great team friendly contract early on in the deal. Yes, they were able to get Jason Kelce to return for another season. Yes, they were able to find a way to keep Darius Slay in the fold. Yes, they had an incredible draft, snagging Georgia Bulldogs stars Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo.
There's a lot of good stuff in the paragraph above, but that doesn't mean they're a shoe-in to get back to the Super Bowl. The Eagles lost seven starters on their NFC championship team, including their best defensive lineman, safety and starting middle linebacker. They also lost both of their coordinators, which historically has proven to have an effect.
How close are the Seahawks?
It's fair to say that the Seahawks got better this offseason while the Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys did not. Is it enough to close the gap, win the NFC West, and have a legitimate chance to get to the Super Bowl? We'll see after they finish completing their roster before August, but from everything we've seen since they the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson, Seattle is close and closing in on a championship opportunity in the next two seasons.