The Seattle Seahawks were expected not to be very good in 2022 and clearly exceeded those expectations. Seattle not only had a winning record but they also made the playoffs. Was Seattle a Super Bowl contender? No, but they were closer than almost anyone thought they would be.
2023 should be even better. Seattle has seemingly fixed the issue along the defensive line and added players who can stop the run, but also supply some interior pass rush. Plus, Seattle added talent at cornerback and at receiver.
Seattle might not yet be ready to win a Super Bowl (maybe 2024?) but they are even closer than they were last year. Seattle could easily win 10-plus games. And the following four guys could have monster seasons.
Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Over the 10 years that Smith-Njigba has been in the NFL...Oh, wait. He hasn't yet played a down in the league? That's somewhat shocking as Smith-Njigba handles himself as if he is a at least a five-year veteran and that is a positive anyway you look at it. It should mean that when any specific game is in its more important moments that Smith-Njigba isn't doing to shy away from potentially making a brilliant play.
The rookie has great hands, runs routes as if he was born to do so, which maybe he was, and has enough speed while in pads to create explosive plays. We know that fellow receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are proven high-end players and Smith-Njigba will be WR3. But playing off of Lockett and Metcalf, Smith-Njigba could have a bigger season than one or both of Metcalf or Lockett.
I don't mean to say that Smith-Njigba is better than Metcalf or Lockett, though he could turn out to be, but that at least he will initially see more one-on-one coverage and should be able to expose whoever is trying to cover him. Smith-Njigba has the talent, and seemingly the maturity, to pile up a lot of production in the first part of the season.
Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III
I realize Walker has been banged up to begin training camp, but he should be ready to go full-steam by Week 1. And while Walker had a very good rookie season, with the talent that the Seahawks added offensively this offseason and with an offensive line that should be better, especially when it comes to run blocking, he could get to 1,400 yards or more, plus at least 10 touchdowns. The only concern would be if Walker can stay healthy.
In 2022, Walker had 1,050 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. He added 165 more yards receiving. But he did all that without starting for the first four games of the season (Rashaad Penny was the starter at the beginning of the season prior to being injured), having Week 13 cut short because of an injury, and then missing Week 14. Basically adding at least four games of full-time work to his 2022 statistics, and Walker could be a top-five running back in 2023.
In the last three regular season games of last year, Walker averaged 118 yards rushing per game - he finished the regular season with three straight 100-plus yard rushing games - and 26 carries. He also appeared to get strong as the games went on in the last two games as the Seahawks won their final two to squeak into the playoffs.
Walker, though, will need to work on getting into the end zone more. While he did have 9 rushing touchdowns last year, he didn't have a TD after Week 12 (he did have one in the playoff loss to the 49ers, however). This lack of scoring may have been the way Seattle's offense was designed, or it could be Walker is better in open space than in short-yardage situations. But a year of experience should help him be better and he should get more rest as long as RB2 Zach Chabonnet stays healthy.
Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe
We have written quite a bit on this website this offseason that we are expecting Boye Mafe to have a breakout season. Mafe wasn't bad in his rookie season, but his reps should go up a lot in 2023. Last year, Mafe was still learning how to be a productive NFL edge rusher. He was given a plus grade (72.6) in run defense in 2022, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but he only played on 191 run defense snaps.
Mafe's pass rush grade wasn't nearly as good, but he still had 10 total pressures on 187 pass rush snaps. He had 3 sacks. In other words, while he wasn't extremely productive in pass rush, he was better than what it might seem based on raw numbers. And Mafe has excellent size and speed for his size - he is 6'4" and 265 pounds - where he can likely power through opponents or be quicker than they are.
Mafe has been a standout this offseason, especially in training camp, as well. While sure, things could change when real games begin, Mafe himself has said that the difference between this year's training camp versus last year is night and day. He knows better what to expect from the team and himself. He should also know better what to expect from other teams when real games begin, too.
We know that one edge rush spot will be given to Uchenna Nwosu. Mafe started opposite Nwosu in the mock game last week, and if Week 1 were this weekend, Mafe would probably start then as well. His snap count is going to go up a ton this season and Mafe could get to 10 sacks in 2023 while playing stellar run defense.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith
Many 12s like Geno Smith as his attitude seems more genuine than Russell Wilson's ever was and Smith was a good quarterback last year. But there are also many 12s that don't like Smith. I am still a bit confused at this as Smith did lead the NFC in touchdown passes in 2022 with 30 and he led the league in completion percentage at 69.8. He also got little help from his defense for most of the season and for parts of the second half od the year his running back group was injured.
Recently I have seen a statistic from social media posters that were trying to point out that Geno Smith wasn't good on intermediate throws in 2022. That seems like picking and choosing the statistics a person might find to reinforce one's own belief but that doesn't tell the overall story of Smith's play. Geno Smith was a good quarterback overall last season and most statistics bear that out.
Smith was ninth-best in short passes (0-9 yards) and had 3 touchdown passes compared to 1 interception. In passes targeting receivers 20 yards downfield or deeper, Smith was the top-ranked passer as PFF gave him a grade of 99.9 (3 points better than second-place Joe Burrow). On those types of throws, Smith had 14 touchdown passes against just 2 interceptions. That number of touchdown passes also led all quarterbacks.
But in 2023, Smith should have better blocking in front of him, and he has more help at running back after Seattle drafted Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh. Seattle also added Smith-Njigba through the draft to add to Metcalf and Lockett. Plus the entire core of the tight end group returns. Smith won't be as good as he was in 2022, he will be better in 2023.