The hype of free agency has come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 16th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s talk about the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks
Key acquisitions: QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, DL Shelby Harris, OLB Uchenna Nwosu, CB Justin Coleman, CB Artie Burns, C Austin Blythe, LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Re-signed: S Quandre Diggs, RB Rashaad Penny, CB Sidney Jones, TE Will Dissly, DT Al Woods, QB Geno Smith, C Kyle Fuller
Departures: QB Russell Wilson (Broncos), LB Bobby Wagner (Rams), C Ethan Pocic (Browns), CB D.J. Reed (Jets), DE Carlos Dunlap, DE Benson Mayowa, DE Kerry Hyder (49ers), TE Gerald Everett (Chargers), OT Jamarco Jones (Titans)
Remaining free agents: OT Duane Brown, RB Alex Collins, OT Brandon Shell, DE Rasheem Green
Analysis: It’s officially the end of an era in Seattle. After 10 years, nine Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl ring, Russell Wilson is no longer a Seahawk. He was traded to the Denver Broncos for two firsts, two seconds, a fifth, and three players. You could feel this coming if you watch a lot of Seahawks games. This team was feeling more of the same and not a whole lot of juice and it was time for a divorce. I don’t know a lot about any of the internal issues between Wilson and the Seahawks, I can only speak to the on-field issues, and all I can say is it was not working. The team gets hot, they have a bad week, then its downhill from there. Wilson just tries to push it down the field with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf and nothing would happen. It was almost like Wilson knew this was coming the whole time and was going through the motions, but that’s just my perspective. Either way, Wilson is gone, and it’s time to start a fresh rebuild, both on offense and on defense.
The 2012 Seahawks draft class was franchise-altering with Wilson and the best linebacker over the last decade in Bobby Wagner, who was also released after 10 seasons. 8 Pro Bowls, 6 first-team All-Pros, 2 second-team All-Pros, over 100 tackles every season, a future hall of famer, and the model of consistency for 10 years in Seattle, is now a Los Angeles Ram, a division rival. Stinks, but if you want to rebuild, might as well get rid of everyone. Tyler Lockett is now the longest-tenured Seahawk…let that sink in.
Now that the faces of the franchise are gone, it’s time to start rebuilding, and you can start with the pieces the team got from the Broncos. They acquired quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris. Lock is a former second-round pick who was once thought of as a potential franchise guy predraft, and he started to show that early on after going 4-1 as a rookie. But he followed it up by going 4-9 in 2020, then 0-3 in 2021 as the backup to Teddy Bridgewater, starting only due to injury. He now gets a chance to compete for a starting job with veteran Geno Smith, who went 1-2 as a starter last year, but has a leg up from being in the system the last three years. Fant is a former first-rounder who has looked very good in his young career and has potential to be a Pro Bowl player, so he’s a high-upside value player. Harris has been around the league, but found a home in Denver the last five years and has developed into a very good starter. So the Seahawks didn’t trade for bad players, they got a couple proven guys and are willing to take a flyer on a developmental QB. It’s a good start.
They didn’t make any big splash signings, but signed a few solid players. Pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu has been a decently productive player with the Chargers and sits atop the depth chart following the releases of Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa with Rasheem Green a free agent. Nwosu will likely start alongside Darrell Taylor.
They also made some additions to the secondary, bringing back old friend Justin Coleman, a slot corner who was with the team in 2017-18 before spending two years with the Lions then last year with the Dolphins. He is also joined by former first-rounder Artie Burns, who hasn’t had a great career so far, but is looking to rebound after two years with the Bears. They join a cornerbacks room that brought back Sidney Jones, a one-time top prospect before injury turned starter in Seattle, along with Ugo Amadi and Tre Brown. They need the help after D.J. Reed signed with the Jets.
Their big splash signing was an extension for Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs, who signed a three-year, $40 million deal. He is coming off a devastating injury in Week 18 where he dislocated his ankle and broke his fibula, praying for the best for Diggs that he’ll come back healthy in 2022 as he’s probably the team’s most important player.
Also brought back on offense is running back Rashaad Penny, who has had a very interesting career. Barely played as a rookie, started breaking out in 2019 before a torn ACL, then missed most of the 2020 season recovering from said injury. Then he came back midway through the 2021 season after a calf strain, and just took over the league. Over the final six weeks of the season, Penny had 706 rushing yards and six touchdowns with four games over 130 yards, absolutely insane. That stretch 100% earned him another shot with this team because they had declined his fifth-year option before the season and ready to move on, but he proved he can play, and are giving him a one-year deal to show it in 2022.
The offensive line has taken a hit this offseason with center Ethan Pocic signing with the Browns and starting tackles Duane Brown and Brandon Shell still free agents. They brought in veteran Austin Blythe, who was a full-time starter at guard and center for the Rams from 2018 to 2020 but was a backup for the Chiefs last year. So once again offensive tackle will be a focus for the Seahawks in the draft, and they could get a good one with the 9th pick.
Conclusion: It’s officially time to rebuild the Seattle Seahawks. There’s not much left to say beyond that. They have a lot of work to do to figure out who will be retained and who will go, from the players to the coaches to the front office. Changes will be made. More players might be traded, even as soon as during the draft. Just be happy that you had the success you did while you could Seahawks fans, cuz it’s a long road ahead.
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