The Seattle Seahawks may actually be better next season for several reasons. They lost a few free agents, but if you step back and look at the big picture, the Seahawks didn't get any worse; in fact, the majority of the same team that won the Super Bowl is returning.
Perhaps too much was made of the Seahawks losing Kenneth Walker III to the Kansas City Chiefs initially. Perhaps his playoff run and Super Bowl MVP falsely magnified his ability to be a franchise running back. The Chiefs saw otherwise and paid Walker as such, while the Seahawks let it happen for good reason.Â
Speaking of running back, the Seahawks are still in the process of figuring that out for next season, but one position group on offense has the Seahawks virtually set for next season, and that's at wide receiver. However, again, taking a step back and looking at the big picture, the Seahawks might actually be smart to look at the NFL Draft for wide receiver, and there's a good reason for it.Â
Seattle Seahawks drafting a wide receiver now would help them in the future more than the present
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Rashid Shaheed make up a top-ten, even top-five, wide receiver room in the league, with Smith-Njigba being the obvious catalyst. Behind that trio, Jake Bobo slides in, and he's shown good potential in more of a situational role as a wide receiver in his three seasons in the league.
Despite a solid wideout group, the Seahawks would still be within smart thinking to draft a wide receiver and develop him. The reason is that Kupp's future is not as certain as Smith-Njigba's or Shaheed's. Kupp is going into his 10th NFL season, and after Shaheed's return as a free agent, Kupp's role next year is in more flux than it was last year.Â
Kupp saw his usage and production drop significantly last season, and there's no reason to believe that will change for the better next season. In fact, should the Seahawks game plan more around Shaheed as a wide receiver in addition to his kick-returning duties, this would further impact Kupp's usage.
In a manner of speaking, the 2026-27 season could be Kupp's last in Seattle, meaning someone else would need to be in line to take his place, and the Seahawks can achieve that in the upcoming draft. Kupp isn't the only factor; Smith-Njigba is as well, but for a very different reason.
Again, depending on how the Seahawks use Shaheed in the passing game, drafting a young wide receiver to help take some pressure off Smith-Njigba could be advantageous. It would be more of a future move, but in the present, situationally speaking, having someone to do that would help, and Kupp might not be that guy.
Bolstering their wide receiver room is what this all comes down to: Kupp's projected drop in usage and production, Shaheed's dual role as a kick returner and wide receiver, and Sam Darnold needing every weapon the Seahawks can give him, all of which are matters to consider.
Luckily, should Seattle move in this direction, the draft will have plenty of later-round options to choose from, such as Denzel Boston (Washington), KC Concepcion (Texas A&M), or Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana). Of the three, Cooper is the likeliest to be off the board by the time Seattle has their first pick.Â
There are other names in the draft the Seahawks can look at, but don't be surprised if general manager John Schneider goes offense in the draft, with the intent of making that group even more dangerous for now and down the road. Especially if their run game takes a step back, their passing game needs to take a step forward.
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