The Seattle Seahawks in many ways are going to look like a new team in 2024. There will be a new head coach and new starters at many spots. The hope, of course, is that the roster is upgraded and the direction more simplified and concise.
Gone are the fun basketball games that former head coach Pete Carroll liked. New head coach Mike Macdonald wants to focus more on what the players are there to do: Play football. One hopes the changes are for the good.
With all the changes made this offseason, some players who were already on the team should be happy with their current spots. One might finally get his chance to start, two could have explosive seasons, and two others are proven vets potentially set up for special seasons. The five Seahawks should smile after seeing Seattle's offseason moves.
Noah Fant - Seattle Seahawks tight end
Fant should feel pretty comfortable about how much the Seahawks like having him around. Not only was he the only tight end from 2023 that got any sort of real reps to be retained, but Seattle gave him a pretty good raise as well. Fant was re-signed for two years and $21 million of which $11.49 million is guaranteed. Seattle doesn't make that move if they don't plan on using Fant and heck of a lot more than he has been the last two seasons.
Former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron basically just wasted the talents of the 6'5" and 245-pound tight end who can catch and run extremely well. Acquired as part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in 2022, Fant likely hoped he would see more efficient targets and his raw numbers would increase. Instead, Fant saw his numbers decrease each of his Seattle seasons.
That he re-signed in Seattle should also indicate his belief that new OC Ryan Grubb is going to get him the ball more than 43 times. That was the horrendous number of targets that Fant saw in 2023. He caught 32 of those for 414 yards but zero touchdowns. His receptions and receiving yards might double under Grubb (with his touchdowns could be closer to 8) and that is only going to make the overall offense better.
Olu Oluwatimi - Seahawks center
Seattle decided to go heavy in the trenches with draft picks in 2024, especially the offensive line. Seattle, though, chose nearly every spot around center but did not take a true center. This means they clearly have a lot of faith that Oluwatimi will be able to take over from the wreck that was Evan Brown and be an upgrade. Seattle signed Nick Harris for depth this offseason, but there should be no real argument he is going to start ahead of Oluwatimi.
In limited snaps in 2023, Oluwatimi was not bad, either. He was better in pass protection than Brown was and the former offensive coaching staff should have played Oluwatimi more. He was a rookie and should have been part of the future plan. Brown was only signed to a one-year deal and was not playing well. Hopefully, Oluwatimi will perform well early in 2024 and find his way toward being the long-term anchor for Seattle's offensive line.
Tyler Lockett - Seahawks wide receiver
Lockett might not be with the team past 2024 as he could choose to retire as a healthy person and devote his time to his real estate company. He would likely still make good money doing that line of work and he would not have 250-pound linebackers trying to crush him. When Lockett and the Seahawks re-worked his current deal this offseason that seemed to imply he would not be with Seattle after the coming season because his cap hit would simply be ridiculous.
Seattle could have simply released Lockett, though. Most 12s would not have wanted that. He is a great person and has been an excellent player. Every player has a shelf life, though. Still, that general manager John Schneider did not draft a receiver this year means he has no plans for Lockett to be any less involved in the offense than he has been.
Uchenna Nwosu - Seahawks edge rusher
Just like with receivers, Seattle did not choose an edge rusher in the 2024 draft. One might speculate this was more of a job-saving opportunity for Darrell Taylor than anything to do with Nwosu, but the truth is that Nwosu might have needed to have a great season in 2024 as well. After all, he was still needing to prove himself to the new coaching staff as much as Taylor was. Nwosu is definitely on the team for 2024, but if he underperforms the team could save a bit over $8 million.
Obviously, Seattle does not believe Nwosu will underperform as they do not have a ready-made replacement for him. The truth is that Nwosu could easily have the best season of his career under Mike Macdonald. Nwosu is an excellent athlete and a versatile player who Macdonald will probably put in lots of different situations to succeed. He could easily get more than 10 sacks for the first time in his career.
Kenneth Walker III - Seahawks running back
Seattle chose not to take a running back in the draft for the first time in a few years. In the last two drafts, the Seahawks have taken a running back in the second round. That seems overly excessive, though Walker might be worth that high of a choice. The issue with Walker's production being down compared to 2022 was more a product of former OC Shane Waldron than Walker himself. Walker could possibly reach 1,300 rushing yards in 2024 with better use.
Walker only has two years left on his rookie deal. The issue is that he is an explosive player who seems somewhat wasted in what Seattle has done schematically recently. New OC Ryan Grubb is probably going to find ways to involve Walker in various ways so not only will he be a weapon in terms of running the ball but he should be used as a receiver more, too.
Second-year pro Zach Charbonnet should also get more touches, but he likely won't affect Walker's number all that much. Both running backs should have more production. Walker could be a Pro Bowler at the end of the season.