The Seattle Seahawks improved to 2-0 in the preseason, corralling the Dallas Cowboys 22-14. While the games don't matter in terms of standings, the quality of play matters to me, and so far I've been very impressed. On offense and defense, I see a roster that is full of young talented guys, hungry for an opportunity to make their mark.
In Week 2 of the preseason last year, Seattle suffered an embarrassing loss to the Bears on national television. To see where this roster is now talent-wise, it's a stunning turnaround. It's a testament to Pete Carroll and John Schneider, and what they have done since the Russell Wilson trade.
Saturday night was another exciting step in this new era of Seahawks football. Let's talk about the biggest storylines from the week 2 victory.
Seahawks 1st Down: The Edge is real
The Seattle Seahawks may not have a TJ Watt or Nick Bosa-level edge rusher, but they have built a stable of solid to really good guys at a valuable position. For the second straight week, the defensive line harassed the quarterback and controlled the game.
The Cowboys were held to under 300 total yards, with their QBs getting sacked 4 times and throwing an interception. Derick Hall looked strong (literally) again, bullrushing his way through an offensive lineman to get a sack. Tyeke Smith, the Ohio State Buckeye who missed last season with an injury, finally got to show why Seattle drafted him in 2022, collecting a sack and looking like another talented body Seattle has at the edge spot. Levi Bell may not make the team, but not for a lack of effort and jumping at every opportunity.
Boye Mafe looks like a true legit guy this year, getting pressure, setting the edge on the run defense, as well as getting two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. If this is the guy we see this fall, the Seahawks will be in a much better spot defensively than most people think.
I still have concerns about the interior of the defense, despite solid showings from Jarran Reed and Myles Adams. For the defensive line as a whole to reach the next level, though, Seattle may need one last big piece.
Seahawks 2nd Down: How long does Devon Witherspoon need?
Seattle's prized top-5 pick Devon Witherspoon has not had the best start to his career. A somewhat ridiculous contract negotiation cost Witherspoon a few days of training camp. Witherspoon appeared to be playing really well when he finally signed and joined the team, but a hamstring issue has kept him sidelined through the first two games. After what I saw from incumbent starting corner Michael Jackson on Saturday, we need Witherspoon to get healthy ASAP.
For the second straight week, Michael Jackson struggled mightily. Jackson allowed two first down receptions on third down, as well as a fourth down conversion. Jackson also gave up a 36-yard completion from Cooper Rush to Jalen Tolbert, hardly a Dak Prescott to Ceedee Lamb connection. It honestly felt like we were watching Tre Flowers out there all over again.
While Jackson struggled, his biggest competitor for the starting spot currently, Tre Brown, had a big night. Appearing to be fully healthy for the first time since his torn patellar tendon in 2021, Brown may have passed Jackson on the depth chart. Brown finished the game with 5 tackles, one for a loss, a pass deflected, and an interception late to preserve a 17-14 lead.
The Tre Brown story is great, but I'm still nervous about asking him to start week 1. Michael Jackson has to get back to his aggressive style that made him such a success last season, or he could be looking at being the odd man out. This debate makes the "Witherspoon to play the slot" talk by Pete Carroll a little concerning. The thought of Witherspoon playing slot made sense because Woolen and Jackson played like Pro Bowl-caliber players in 2022. If that isn't the case in 2023, then Witherspoon (when healthy) should be playing on the outside opposite of Woolen.
Until he is healthy, look for next week to be a massive game between Jackson and Brown, if Witherspoon can't go.
Seahawks 3rd Down: Lock'd in
For the first time this year, we got to see Geno Smith on the field. In limited action he looked good, making a really nice 28-yard throw to Jake Bobo. Twice he got to midfield, but a dropped pass and a sack led to the Seahawks scoring just 3 points during his time on the field. Geno is the man and will be the man this year, but that doesn't mean the Seahawks don't have something with backup Drew Lock.
A knee issue kept Drew Lock from seeing a lot of action, but that didn't stop him from absolutely cooking the Cowboys. Lock went 5 for 6 for 119 yards. He looked calm, composed, and comfortable in the Shane Waldron offense. He avoided the classic Drew Lock mistake and made one of the most beautiful deep ball throws to rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba who went for 48 yards to the one-yard line.
If Geno Smith were to miss any time due to injury (please don't), I feel confident that the Seattle Seahawks can still be a competitive team with Lock under center. Geno is clearly a perfect fit for the McVay-style offense. Lock is definitely more of the mold that John Schneider is historically drawn to, but it appears the two off-seasons learning this system have brought out the best in Drew Lock.
Lock can clearly make every throw on the field, and the system is able to limit his ability to make mistakes. I really do see a poor man's Matthew Stafford out there in Drew Lock right now. We'll see if he ever gets the chance to show it for real. Thanks again for the trade Denver!
Seahawks 4th Down: A Blue Chip WR corps
As we discussed earlier, Drew Lock and Geno Smith made some great throws, but those were only completed because of the young talent we're witnessing at the wide receiver position.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the 20th selection overall in this year's draft, is continuing to look like a steal. JSN had three catches for 58 yards, with the 48 yard near score the obvious big play. I'm not sure I have seen a wide receiver look so clean coming into the league. A few weeks ago Brock Huard of 710 Seattle gave an immensely complimentary pro comparison to a mix of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Obviously that's a high mark, but it goes to show what kind of smooth route runner with soft hands JSN is.
Not drafted in the draft, but picked up as a UDFA, UCLA's Jake Bobo continues to be the star of the Seahawks' training camp and preseason on offense. Jake Bobo ranks 8th overall in preseason receiving yards and 4th in yards per reception. Part of that is doing damage throughout games in which starters are seldom playing, but he's also made plays when starters are on the field.
With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett already looking like duo number 1 WRs, JSN and Jake Bobo are perfect complements to completing this elite WR corps. I think they're equal to what the Philadelphia Eagles have and are likely the third or fourth-best unit in the entire league. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty done with Dee Eskridge when he gets back from his latest injury/suspension.
With Smith-Njigba likely to miss the first week or two of the season due to wrist surgery, the Seahawks will desperately need Bobo to step up. That happens or else the Seahawks could be in trouble against the Rams and Lions to start the year.
Seahawks going for 2!
TEs shows signs of life in make or break season
This is a big year for Seahawks tight ends. A position that is traditionally productive in the McVay scheme, Seattle has three tight ends who all could potentially be on the last year of their contracts. So far, all three have done well in super small samples. Noah Fant, who still screams untapped potential, had a nice catch and run for 21 yards. With a 2024 draft that is once again loaded with talent at the TE position, Fant, Dissly or Parkinson will need to step up if they want to stay in Seattle.
Can Holton Ahlers be the next Taysom Hill?
He may wear number 15, and he may be a lefty, but third-string quarterback Holton Ahlers may end up being more Taysom Hill than Tim Tebow. In week 1, Ahlers went 4 for 4 for 43 yards and a touchdown to go along with a 22-yard run. This Saturday against Dallas, Ahlers threw for 61 yards on 7 completions and ran for 42 yards on 7 carries.
It's nothing that screams a potential star, but his mobility and physicality could make for a useful weapon. With the new 3 QB rule being implemented thanks to the San Francisco 49ers QB debacle in last year's NFC Championship, Ahlers will have a place on this roster without taking up a spot.
With Seattle looking loaded with both Geno Smith and Drew Lock, hopefully they will look to use Ahlers as a swiss army knife, like Sean Payton did in New Orleans with Hill.