Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks.
Mercifully the 2021 NFL season has come to a close, and the Seattle Seahawks can look ahead to next year. The L.A. Rams have been crowned champions. Seattle has to figure out how to catch up with them to compete in the NFC West. They’re not as far away as you would think they are, based on 2021’s subpar results.
The Rams may be losing both starting tackles to retirement and/or cap constraints. Two of their receivers are coming off ACL tears, and OBJ may be done after suffering the same knee injury twice. Head coach Sean McVay sees the writing on the wall. He could head for the television booth as his team is bereft of both cap space and draft assets.
The San Francisco 49ers have their own issues and start a young and inexperienced Trey Lance at quarterback. He was far from impressive during his rookie season. They also have one of the best defensive fronts in the game but can’t keep them healthy,
Meanwhile, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals are pointing fingers after the team’s second-half collapse. When sources say your starting QB is considering going back to professional baseball, well… your team isn’t having a good off-season. At least quarterback discontent isn’t limited to Seattle.
So if the Seahawks can address three areas before their next opener, they can be right back in the thick of things. Like the New Kids On The Block, let’s do this Step By Step.
The first order of business is to address the secondary. The Seattle Seahawks have been trying to replace Richard Sherman for almost as long as he played in the Emerald City. Pete’s wish casting on fourth-round picks hasn’t worked, so it’s time for a real solution.
They need to spend some money in free agency to bring in a starting cornerback. There’s a ton of UFA corners at various price points, and they have the cap room to get almost any of them.
In a perfect world, Seattle brings back D.J. Reed and adds J.C. Jackson from New England. If Jackson is too expensive or gets tagged, Casey Hayward would be their Plan B. He’s older but excels in zone/cover-3 concepts and would come cheaper than some of the other options.
Their next move is to draft a cornerback early. I’ve seen University Florida CB Kaair Elam as high as 11th on some mock drafts and as low as middle of the second round on others. If he falls to Seattle’s spot at 41, they should grab him immediately.
The final secondary housekeeping move is to bring back Quandre Diggs. His play and presence more than make a case for bringing him back. The injury he suffered in the season finale win over Arizona shouldn’t lead to missed time in 2022. If Pete and John can bring back Diggs and shore up the outside, we should see more of 2019 Jamal Adams and less of 2021’s inferior model.
The second area Seattle must improve is the run game. The final quarter of the season was great. But right now, the running back and offensive line that performed so well at the end of the year are two areas in a state of flux.
The Seahawks need to decide which Rashaad Penny is the one to expect next season. Is he an All-Pro caliber performer, or is he the oft-injured mediocrity they saw his first few years? The talented but unreliable back position is currently filled by Chris Carson, and the thought of relying on both won’t excite anyone but the trainers.
The offensive line currently has at least three spots open without any slam dunk answers for any of them. Duane Brown is aging and starting to get small injuries, while on the other side, Brandon Shell is the definition of replacement level. More importantly, both are unrestricted free agents. Center Ethan Pocic is the guy they keep trying to replace but always ends up starting half the time. The unit was solid, if not spectacular, by season’s end, but can they count on a repeat?
The wisest course is to bring Brown and Pocic back and bring in competition for the latter. Draft a long-term replacement for Brown, and hope they start in Shell’s spot this year. The running back conundrum needs to be solved by letting someone move on. Carson’s injury worries me long-term, and it’s probably best to take a conservative approach.
The most important area Seattle needs to improve is their offensive consistency. Over the last two seasons, they’d have three drives that result in scores sandwiched by three and outs on either side the rest of the game. The defense would invariably break down in key late-game moments after spending twice as much time on the field as the offense. It’s not a winning formula.
Getting the running game going will help with part of it, but the rest falls on Russell Wilson. Too often, RW3 plays hero ball, dodging pass rushers and running in circles before heaving the ball downfield (if he isn’t creamed by a tackler first). About a quarter of the time, it’s a big play and/or a touchdown. The other 75 percent is either an overthrow or a drive-ending sack. Neither is conducive to sustaining drives or keeping possession.
If offensive coordinator Shane Waldron can actually get Wilson to use hot reads and intermediate routes more often, it should lead to more medium gains and first downs. Taking what the defense gives while still occasionally going for the deep ball improves efficiency while still keeping the defense honest. The question is if Wilson will make that adjustment.
Seattle’s not far away from being right back in the contender category. If they can make a few improvements in these specific areas, they’ll be in the hunt for a division title and a Super Bowl run. With the rest of the division and conference being reshaped by retirements and cap issues, things are wide open.
Add in a fourth-place schedule and Wilson being healthy for the season, and the path is there. Will Pete and John make the right moves to follow it? If they can keep Hangin’ Tough, they just might have a team with The Right Stuff.
How far away do you think the Seattle Seahawks are from catching the NFL Champion Rams? Let us know in the comments section below.