10 underrated moves the Seattle Seahawks made in 2023 offseason
By Lee Vowell
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Seahawks let defensive tackle Poona Ford walk away
Poona Ford was a bit of a fan favorite as he was undersized and undrafted coming into the NFL and the last part seemed a bit unfair. Ford was great in college at Texas and someone should have chosen him in the 2018 draft. He proved a very good run-stopper for Seattle early in his career, but he never seemed able to elevate his game much further. It should also be noted that a switch to more of a 3-4 base defense for Seattle in 2022 was not a great fit for Ford.
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Ford did have a career-high 3 sacks last year but that isn't nearly enough to be consistently disruptive and to earn another big contract from Seattle. That was part of his issue with Seattle; The team far overpaid for him in 2022 at a bit over $8 million. Seattle signing Reed and Dre'Mont Jones gives Seattle more versatility and potential on the D-line over one that features Ford. Ford signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason and will make a bit over $2 million in 2023.
Seahawks re-signed quarterback Drew Lock
We all hope - at least, I think we all hope - that Geno Smith stays healthy for the entire season and is even better than he in 2022 when he exceeded expectations. 12s have gotten used to the team's starting quarterbacks not missing much time. Former quarterback Russell Wilson missed three games in 2021 (and should have stayed out longer) and those were the first games he had missed since 2012. Smith didn't miss any snaps in 2022.
But expecting starting quarterbacks to always make all their starts is probably too much. Lock is likely a solid backup and he has great arm strength. He comes in knowing the offense even better so if Smith does have to miss any time, Lock should be able to get the offense set quickly and lead the unit to a bunch of points. If he can avoid many turnovers, Lock could be starting somewhere in 2024.