The Seattle Seahawks are 3-3 after losing two straight games and three of their last four. Quarterback Sam Darnold is turning the ball over too much, and the defense has been far more inconsistent than in head coach Mike Macdonald's previous two seasons with the team.
Can Seattle still make the playoffs? Sure, but the battle is getting increasingly difficult. A lot of the season remains, though, and things could drastically change, for better or worse.
To improve their situation, general manager John Schneider might look at making some moves at the trade deadline, which happens on November 10. He hasn't been afraid to make such moves before, and 12s shouldn't dismiss a potentially impactful move happening in 2026.
Three changes the Seattle Seahawks should make before the season is lost
Getting veteran interior defensive line help
One of Seattle's strengths should be its defensive line, and to a degree it is. The issue is that the red zone defense has been awful. Over six games, the team has allowed opponents to score touchdowns 78.6 percent of the time once they get inside the 20.
The Seahawks don't need another interior pass rusher on the inside, but they do need a rotation piece who is excellent against the run. That may mean that Seattle trades for a player like the Los Angeles Chargers' Dalvin Tomlinson. He is 32 years old and seems to have fallen out of favor in LA, but he has consistently been stout against the run. A late-round pick should be enough to get him.
Add a quality cornerback
John Schneider took a chance this past offseason at cornerback. The team chose Julian Neal in the third round of the NFL draft, but he wasn't expected to get a bunch of reps right away. Instead, the outside corner spots have belonged to Josh Jobe and then a rotation.
Jobe hasn't been overly good, though, and preseason signees Trevon Diggs and Terrion Diggs haven't played much or at all for different reasons. Seattle needs to strengthen its cornerback group to get the defense back to being consistently elite.
Could that include the return of Riq Woolen, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency? Philly has struggled to start the season and has already started making moves that imply they don't think they can make a deep run in the postseason, if they even get there. The Seahawks could offer Woolen a fourth-round pick and see if the Eagles bite.
Acquire a possession receiver
While many fans might wish the Seahawks would trade for a consistently explosive wide receiver, that isn't going to happen because it isn't what Seattle needs. What would help the offense is a receiver closer to the skill set of Cooper Kupp than Rashid Shaheed. For the latter, Tory Horton fits that mold.
Sam Darnold needs a wideout who can get open on underneath routes to help pick up first downs, and offensive coordinator Brian Fleury needs receivers who can block during run plays. Seattle also doesn't need to spend a lot of draft capital on adding such a player.
This is why someone like Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jauan Jennings makes sense. Maybe some don't like his attitude, but he is a team-first player who will do the dirty work, like blocking well. A Day 3 pick should be enough to acquire Jennings.
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