Lumen Field (photo by The West End, via Flickr).
The Seattle Seahawks have done it again! That’s the cautiously optimistic feeling around Seattle when examining Pete Carroll and John Schneider’s team-building efforts this off-season. From an influx of young and hungry draft picks (catalyzed in a major way by the trade of Russell Wilson) to the quick turnover of the previous roster. Bobby Wagner is the only remaining member of the previous, Super Bowl-winning squad!
The most significant feeling of déjà vu (excuse my French), however, comes in the form of a highly-anticipated and hotly-contested competition for snaps in this new era of Seattle Seahawks Football. Who are the real dogs that don’t care what the analysts are saying about the ‘big, bad’ Niners?? Who can help Seattle ascend to the NFC West throne once again? Do we dare hope that history repeats itself? That may be for another article altogether, but we can at least take an early look at who might win some of the starting jobs that are up in the air for the 2023 NFL Season, even before the pads come on at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, WA later this month.
Does this need to be stated? Kenneth Walker III is our starter and a budding star in this league. He had over 1,000 rushing yards and 9 TDs in only 11 starts (after the injury to Rashaad Penny). 12s know he should have won OROY. Let’s remember that Penny started and got a bulk of the snaps last year before going down, so it won’t be 50/50. Zach Charbonnet is an exciting player to add to reinforce the ground game and provide an element of power as a change-up; he’ll have to take what he can get behind the explosive sophomore who was debated as the best back in his draft class (between him and Breece Hall).
Predicted Winner: Walker
The Seattle Seahawks may have drafted a long-term answer at OG, but Haynes has semi-starting experience rotating in a platoon with Gabe Jackson last year. These two players carry many similarities, and both options were 4th-round picks in their respective NFL Drafts, but Haynes is entering his 5th year in the league. Last year was the first time Haynes has played in more than 6 games in a season, as he struggled with injuries his first two years (between appearances on Injured Reserve and the Physically Unable to Perform lists), then was a reserve in ‘21 before splitting duties in ‘22.
Big Phil was an asset in the run game (the team averaged 120 rushing yards in his 2 starts at RG and 1 at LG, for an injured Damien Lewis), but seemed to be a liability in pass pro at times. Let’s see how he does after marinating in this system for a while and finally getting a full-time role. In the event that a rookie wins the center job (more on that below), it may be most prudent to maintain continuity up front at first to get that player as much help and stability as possible. If Haynes stumbles, the powerful Anthony Bradford will get his chance. Bradford can also be an emergency OT, so he has value and flexibility here.
Predicted Winner: Haynes
Page 2: Moving over to the defense
The Seattle Seahawks have had a problem at center for a while. Some will deride the front office for trading away Max Unger for Jimmy Graham, or for picking Dee Eskridge over Creed Humphrey… those feelings are fair. The truth is, this regime doesn’t seem to have prioritized that position as highly as others. Evan Brown is a free-agent signing from Detroit, where he capably filled in for Frank Ragnow at Center, as well as playing some offensive guard. Cutting to the chase, I believe he’ll be given the first crack at the starting job because Pete values experience and communication skills at the pivot.
There’s also the added motivation to keep the job until he plays his old team (The much-hyped Detroit Lions) in week 2! Dan Campbell and squad let him go even with a Center who is still recovering from injury! Evan will get a real challenge from 5th-round, award-winning (Rimington Trophy for the best Center and Outland Trophy for the best Interior OL) All-American Center, Olu Oluwatimi. This one may be the fiercest competition (and the one I am least confident in), but I’m giving it to the 26 y/o Free Agent signing. That may hold for the first 1-2 games at least, even if Olu should be seen as our Center of the future.
Predicted Winner: Brown
Battle royale! Who will start across from the disruptor known as Uchenna Nwosu? Darrell Taylor came on strong at the end of the season and tied for the team lead with 9.5 sacks. Boye Mafe had great run support and a solid 65.8 grade from PFF. Let’s not forget that Mafe was taken one pick before Walker last year in the 2nd round. Derrick Hall is the newcomer, and word is he had a 1st-round grade from the Seattle Seahawks brain trust.
The question is, can DT improve his run fits to go along with that bendy (but inconsistent) speed rush that he owns? This may be Taylor’s last chance to prove he’s not a one-trick pony as a pass-rush specialist before Mafe (especially) and Hall overtake his snaps. This one is shaky, as I could ultimately see him and Mafe splitting snaps pretty evenly to start the season. The exciting thing is that we will most likely see all of these guys play since Pete wants to see the pass rush fresh and hungry on every down.
Predicted Winner: Taylor
Page 3: More defense
An even bigger Seattle Seahawks battle royale! Could Jarran Reed slide over and play Nose Tackle in our re-imagined 3-4 defense? How about Myles Adams, with his 290 lb. frame? Will we switch back to a 4-3 defensive alignment? These are all wait-and-see propositions at this point. One thing that we do know is that Pete Carroll, as well as Defensive Coordinator, Clint Hurtt, have been highly complimentary of Cam Young ever since they plucked him out of Mississippi.
Young also added mass after the draft, and now comes in about 30 lbs. heavier than Myles Adams! I think those two rotate until Bryan Mone is ready to return, Tavai gets some looks there as well, and Reed plays aligned wider as a Defensive Tackle. Do the Seattle Seahawks sign Shelby Harris or Ndamukong Suh to bolster this position? In the grand scheme of things (pun fully intended), a Nose Tackle may not be in the field every play. With the personnel we have at Safety, our defense should be versatile. Expect Cam to get a chance to plug the middle and help us improve against the run.
Predicted Winner: Young
It hurt my soul to see Ryan Neal let go. As he was graded as the league’s top Safety last year for crying out loud! That being said, Julian Love was a captain, a play-caller, and a versatile piece for the New York Giants last year. Love is a great run defender in the slot and can play as a deep safety as well. This man is just a Swiss Army knife in the secondary, who can help to unleash Jamal Adams on unsuspecting offenses. When President ‘Mal returns, I see these two swapping all over the formation, with Jamal able to play close to the line as well.
I have a Seattle Seahawks conspiracy theory that I think we saw Coby Bryant (the first rookie to lead the NFL in Forced Fumbles since 1999) act as a linebacker at times just so Pete and company could experiment with that hybrid role in prep for the return of Jamal Adams. Maybe Adams even takes some of Cody Barton‘s vacated snaps. I’m envisioning a flexible and menacing secondary with Love and Adams playing key parts that can adapt based on the game plan. Bryant should also win some piece of the pie, but he’ll need to improve in coverage. If Jamal isn’t ready to start Week 1, we may even see Coby and Devon Witherspoon (5th overall pick) both play in the slot, with Michael Jackson playing some on the outside. Julian Love is a big part of this, as well as this team’s future.
Predicted Winner: Love
As you can see, I chose the Seattle Seahawks grizzled vets this year! I believe rookies will start (JSN and Witherspoon of course… maybe Young? Maybe Oluwatimi?), and some that don’t start will contribute significantly (Bradford, Hall, Charbonnet, Morris?). When they first arrived, John and Pete cleaned house and turned the roster over.
It was reminiscent of how people build teams in the Madden video game franchise. They notoriously gave late-round picks, undrafted guys, and veteran reclamation projects a shot. Then they found their stars. I think/hope that we are close to that, but these rookies will have to fight to make an impact. Then again, that’s what I thought about Russell Wilson needing to sit behind Matt Flynn.
Ironically (or perhaps, fittingly, when you examine Pete’s M.O. of ‘always compete’), the trade of Russell Wilson gave Pete and John all the ammo necessary to quickly transform this roster. The Seattle Seahawks picked 10 guys in the 2023 NFL Draft and signed an additional 25 undrafted players. Coach Carroll will be in full-time teaching and evaluation mode this off-season. I can’t remember an NFL Preseason that I was more excited about!
I also may have just convinced myself that more rookies will start… we’ll see when the pads start popping. There will undoubtedly be surprises during and after training camp. I’m here for all the fireworks.