While one cannot put too much stake in NFL offseason programs, it does seem as if some Seattle Seahawks are trending down heading into training camp. This is based on players the team has picked up at certain positions versus the veteran players - and in one example that follows, the word "veteran" is used loosely - and how Seattle used certain players in minicamp. And while Seattle exceeded expectations in 2022, they were still just 9-8 and squeaked into the playoffs.
Mind you, when the real games begin, Seattle could fall back to the veterans it has seen do their thing on the field versus any rookies drafted or free agents picked up. Head coach Pete Carroll values loyalty and at times it means keeping a player on a roster or starting when maybe that player shouldn't be. If Jamal Adams hadn't been as great as he was with the New York Jets, for instance, would the high-proced player still be on the team after suffering so many injuries?
But as we head into July's training camp and the true start of preparing for the 2023 season, some Seahawks need to make sure they have somehow improved over the offseason. Seattle has a young roster and lots of raw talent. The team might choose to give valuable reps to the young guys in training camp and beyond over the three players that follow.
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Alton Robinson is struggling
Alton Robinson is a frustrating player. As a rookie, he hinted at far exceeding his fifth-round draft potential. The Seahawks may have thought they got a draft steal as Robinson had 4 sacks and 5 tackles for loss while playing just 34 percent of Seattle's defensive snaps in 2020. In 2021, he wasn't nearly as productive with sacks as he had just 1 but he only played 31 percent of defensive snaps. He still had 5 tackles for loss and many of them seemed to come at just the right time.,
But then Robinson got hurt and didn't play at all in 2022 and it now seems like he might never play again. The knee injury he suffered last preseason didn't seem horrific and the team kept hoping he would return at some point during the season. But now there is little hope that Robinson is ready in 2023 either.
Meanwhile, by the time Robinson gets back he might not have a position to call home. The Seahawks have drafted Boye Mafe and Derick Hall over the last two years and both coming into the draft were expected to be more productive than Robinson when he entered the league. Plus, Seattle has switched more to a 3-4 base defensively and Robinson seems like a bad fit in that scheme.
Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Darrell Taylor's stock is falling
I will offer you another edge rusher for Seattle as well to be on this list. If someone were to look at Taylor's raw numbers they might think he has been a fantastic player worthy of a huge contract when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season. And it's true that Taylor has decent sack totals, but he is an example of how statistics can lie to a person.
Basically every time Taylor has a chance to take a quarterback down, he will. But the issue with that is that Taylor is massively inconsistent on how often he gets to the opposing QB. He has 26 career quarterback hits and 16 sacks. Compare that to fellow Seahawks edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu who had 26 quarterback hits for Seattle in 2022 alone and 9.5 sacks (the same number as Taylor last year). Over the last two seasons, Nwosu has 43 quarterback hits and 102 the last two years while Taylor has 63 quarterback pressures.
My point in all of this is to say that Taylor does get sacks, but he certainly doesn't constantly disrupt an opposing quarterback, while Nwosu is much more of a threat to do that. But in the last two drafts, the Seahawks have taken Boye Mafe and Derick Hall. Both those players are edge rushers and need a spot to play.
Taylor is also atrocious against the run, and Mafe and Hall are likely better simply because they are living and breathing human beings. Taylor got literally run over on numerous occasions in 2022 and is a liability except in the pass rush. He needs to be replaced by Hall and/or Mafe immediately.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant is trending down
I hate to be the guy that disses Bryant when he is literally entering his second season in the NFL and he helped somewhat resolve the Seahawks' issue at slot corner in 2022. But the fact is that he wasn't that great as a nickel. Plus, it should be noted he was chosen in the draft as an outside corner and didn't seem to be good enough to hold up well in the NFL while playing outside.
Other Seahawks news and analysis
In 2022, Bryant allowed a quarterback rating of 116.5 (that's not good) and 12.2 yards per completion while allowing 75 percent of the passes to be completed when he was targeted. All of those are bad numbers. Sure, he was a rookie and playing in a different spot than he had in college, but he still needs to be a lot better this coming season.
I really doubt that Seattle sees Devon Witherspoon as a slot corner (at least I hope they don't because who take a nickeback fifth overall in an NFL draft?), but in minicamp Witherspoon saw significant reps in the slot while the overachieving Mike Jackson was playing outside. Of course, minicamp is a time to experiment and Bryant was actually out with a sprained toe for much of minicamp. Still, Jackson was pretty decent in 2022 and if Witherspoon fits - for now - in the slot and does a good job then Bryant is out of a job.
Add to that the Seahawks signed safety Julian Love this offseason and he is also capable of playing the slot if not having to play strong safety (assuming a miracle happens and Jamal Adams plays at some point in 2023). Bryant then might be three-deep at the slot if Jackson plays outside corner with Witherspoon in the slot and Adams is healthy. No matter what Coby Bryant needs to be better in 2023 than he was in 2022.