Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

Notable losses:

• Cody Barton, LB
• Austin Blythe, C (retired)
• L.J. Collier, DE
• Poona Ford, DT
• Marquise Goodwin, WR
• Shelby Harris, DT (released)
• Penny Hart, WR
• Travis Homer, RB
• Gabe Jackson, G (released)
• Quinton Jefferson, DT (released)
• Tanner Muse, LB
• Ryan Neal, S
• Tyler Ott, LS
• Rashaad Penny, RB
• Al Woods, DT (released)

Penny was one of two former first-rounders whose Seattle departure came as little surprise in free agency. Highly efficient when on the field with a career 5.7 yards-per-carry average, Penny has missed notable time in every year since his rookie campaign. The San Diego State alum has been limited to just 18 games over the past three years, a fact which hurt his value on the open market.

Penny landed just $600K guaranteed to serve in a Miles Sanders-less Eagles backfield committee. Homer will find himself in a similar situation with the Bears as they begin the post-David Montgomery era at the RB spot. With Offensive Rookie of the Year runner up Kenneth Walker atop their depth chart, though, the Seahawks should feel comfortable in their running game moving forward.

With both Blythe and Jackson no longer in the picture, however, Seattle’s offensive front will look different in 2023. Neither blocker had a lengthy stay with the Seahawks, nor were they able to duplicate the success they found elsewhere in terms of PFF evaluations. Jackson, 32, remains unsigned despite having 130 starts to his name. Stronger play at the C and RG spots will be a target for Evan Brown and Phil Haynes, respectively, as the team looks to build off the strong tackle play generated from last year’s draft class.

Given the team’s struggles along the defensive front last season, it came as no surprise that Ford was allowed to depart in free agency while Woods, Jefferson and Harris were let go in cost-shedding moves in another high-turnover offseason along Seattle’s D-line. Harris was under consideration to be brought back on a less expensive deal, but his extended stay on the open market ultimately led him to a Browns team which is likewise seeking to take a major step forward on the D-line in 2023.

That quartet of defenders combined to play over 2,100 snaps in 2022, leaving plenty of playing time available for their replacements. Collier was not, however, a significant contributor in his final Seahawks campaign. After having his fifth-year option declined, the TCU alum logged just a 28% snap share last season, marking an end to a disappointing four-year stretch. Arizona will, like Seattle attempted to, use Collier at a variety of D-line spots in the hope finding one which breeds statistical success. While the Seahawks have received praise for their past two drafts, the Carroll-Schneider regime’s against-the-grain decisions with Penny and Collier backfired.

Both Barton (26) and Neal (27) were mainstays during their time in Seattle, but the respective arrivals of Bobby Wagner and Julian Love left them in need of new homes. The linebacker and safety spots should be areas of strength in 2023 if Seattle’s starters remain healthy and live up to their pedigree, but as is the case along the defensive line, familiar faces will be lacking as the team integrates a plethora of new contributors.

Extensions and restructures:

• Extended OLB Uchenna Nwosu on a three-year, $45MM deal ($16.6MM guaranteed)
• Restructured WR Tyler Lockett’s pact, creating $5.7MM in cap space
• Reworked S Jamal Adams’ deal, creating $6.61MM in cap space

Nwosu put up modest numbers to begin his Chargers career, seeing incremental jumps in playing time over his first three seasons with the team. His contract year yielded a spike in production, with Melvin Ingram out of the picture. That showing landed him a two-year, $20MM Seattle agreement. The USC alum proved that investment to be a worthwhile one.

Lining up opposite Darrell Taylor on the edge, Nwosu tied his sack partner with a team-leading 9.5 in that department. That figure also marked a Nwosu career high for the second straight year and confirmed a considerable raise on a deal keeping him in place through his prime years was in order. The 26-year-old is now under contract through 2026 (a season in which he could earn up to $6MM extra via incentives) and is set to carry a reasonable cap hit for three of the next four years.

Nwosu will face major expectations not only because of the numbers he put up in the team’s first year after transitioning to a 3-4 scheme, but also the plethora of new faces along the defensive line. If the interior pass rush does not emerge as planned, much of the Seahawks’ defensive improvement in 2022 will depend on him continuing to pressure quarterbacks at a high rate. Seattle should be confident that will be the case for the foreseeable future, though.

Lockett has been a model of consistency during his eight-year run in the Emerald City, recording at least 73 catches, 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns in each of the past four years. He has a strong chance to move into second on the franchise’s all-time receiving list this season, but his future beyond 2023 could see further adjustments to his pact. The 30-year-old is set to carry cap hits of $26.9MM in 2024 and ’25, and no guaranteed money is due for those years. For at least one more season, however, he should provide cost-effective production in the passing game.

Adams is likewise due to count heavily against the cap in future years, in part due to the adjustment to his deal. The former Jets first-rounder could confirm his importance to Seattle with a productive 2023 campaign, but failure to do so would make his $26MM-plus cap hits hard to swallow over the following two years. Like Lockett, Adams does not have guaranteed money due after this season, and his release would yield notable savings if designated as a post-June 1 cut starting next spring.

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 5 (from Broncos): Devon Witherspoon, CB (Illinois) (signed)
• Round 1, No. 20: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR (Ohio State) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 37 (from Broncos): Derick Hall, DE (Auburn) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 52: Zach Charbonnet, RB (UCLA) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 108 (from Broncos): Anthony Bradford, G (LSU) (signed)
• Round 4, No. 123: Cameron Young, DT (Mississippi State) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 151 (from Steelers): Mike Morris, DE (Michigan) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 154: Olusegun Oluwatimi, C (Michigan) (signed)
• Round 6, No. 198: Jerrick Reed II, S (New Mexico) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 237: Kenny McIntosh, RB (Georgia) (signed)

If the Seahawks’ 2023 draft class makes anywhere near the impact of last year’s, the team will be in business for short- and long-term success. The benefits from the Wilson trade continued into this past April, and it gave the Carroll-Schneider regime a rare opportunity to select in the top five, as well as additional Day 2 draft capital. Both Broncos picks yielded defensive additions which should help the rebuilding effort on that side of the ball.

By the time the draft began, Witherspoon was the consensus top defensive back in the class. Though, the gap between he and fellow corner Christian Gonzalez was not expected to be as large as the latter’s drop to the No. 17 pick (and ranking as the third CB off the board) would suggest. The headliner of a well-respected fighting Illini secondary, Witherspoon showcased ball production and strength as a run defender by piling up three interceptions, 23 pass deflections and 10.5 tackles for loss across his final two college seasons.

A 2022 first-team All-American, the 6-foot, 180-pounder will see plenty of time lining up opposite 2022 fifth-rounder Tariq Woolen. The latter took the league by storm as a rookie, tying for the NFL lead in interceptions (six). A pairing of he and Witherspoon could give Seattle a highly productive CB tandem right away and for years to come if both play to their potential.

Carroll, notably, was believed to be on board with the idea of taking defensive tackle Jalen Carter at No. 5 in spite of the Georgia alum’s legal troubles and character concerns. That sentiment did not seem to be matched elsewhere in the organization, though, leading to a safer selection in Witherspoon but also an interesting what-if situation to monitor as Carter ultimately landed ninth overall with the Eagles.

Back on the clock in a more familiar draft spot, the Seahawks had their pick of the lot at the receiver position with their second first-round selection. It thus came as little surprise that Smith-Njigba was the team’s preference, as an injured-shortened 2022 season still left him at the top of many WR rankings leading up to the draft. The 21-year-old enjoyed a stellar sophomore season (95 catches, 1,606 yards, nine touchdowns) while competing for targets with eventual first-rounders Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.

Those totals made his three-game junior season — hindered by a nagging hamstring injury — a disappointment, but it will still lead to high expectations at the NFL level. D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will eat up plenty of targets in Seattle’s passing game, but Smith-Njigba could see considerable time in the slot. It is there that he is likely to see much of his time in the pro game, as it would allow for his route-running prowess to compensate for a lack of top-end speed. In any case, he should provide at least a complementary option on offense with the potential to develop into a focal point in the future.

Hall posted strong numbers in his final two Tigers seasons in particular, but much of his success has been attributed more to effort than top-tier athleticism or overwhelming size. If he follows a similar path to 2022 second-rounder Boye Mafe, though, a rotational role and the opportunity for modest production should be in store. Charbonnet, likewise, is set to begin his Seattle career behind Kenneth Walker on the depth chart. However, it does appear the former Michigan transfer’s prowess in the passing game has him in line for third-down work right away; success in that regard could strengthen Seattle’s backfield and give the team a long-term tandem at the position.

Other:

• Declined LB Jordyn Brooks’ 2024 fifth-year option ($12.72MM)
• QBs coach Dave Canales joined Buccaneers as offensive coordinator
• Defensive assistant Sean Desai joined Eagles as defensive coordinator
• Owner Jody Allen confirmed franchise is not for sale
• WR Dee Eskridge suspended six games for personal conduct policy violation
• Claimed CB Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers from Ravens
• Signed 25 UDFAs

Brooks graduated to full-time starting duties in his second season, and he has filled the statsheet since then. The Texas Tech alum has racked up 345 tackles (second-most in the league in that span), including 13 for loss, along with a pair of sacks and 10 pass breakups over the last two years. Those figures have not translated to favorable PFF evaluations, however, and, like all other inside ‘backers from the 2020 draft class, he will enter this season without being on the books for next year. Brooks joins all other Seattle first-round picks in having his option declined since the current system was implemented in 2011.

The 25-year-old will maintain his first-string role in 2023, and with Bobby Wagner and Devin Bush also headed for free agency next March, Brooks should still be in the Seahawks’ plans for years to come. A multi-year deal may not reach the eight-figure-per-year mark (which would be required to move him into the top 10 at the position in annual compensation), but a notable raise could still be in the cards if he can put together a strong season this year. Health will be a factor to monitor in 2023, though.

Brooks missed the final game of last season with an ACL tear, and he was sidelined for much of the offseason while recovering. The fact that Seattle was able to activate him from the active/PUP list last month puts Brooks on track to be in the lineup in Week 1, but his ability to return to pre-injury form will be worth watching closely. A healthy campaign will do wonders for Brooks’ financial situation with the Seahawks or another team in the future.

Both Canales (42) and Desai (40) received looks from multiple teams in need of coordinators this offseason. The former interviewed twice for the Ravens’ OC gig before ultimately landing one in Tampa. That gig will give Canales his first chance to lead an NFL offense. Canales drew significant praise for his role in Geno Smith’s remarkable success story last year, and he will aim to replicate that scenario with a Buccaneers team relying on Baker Mayfield under center.

Desai, meanwhile, met once each with the Broncos, Dolphins and Vikings in their respective searches for a defensive upgrade on the sidelines. He will once again hold a DC title after having ascended to that position with the Bears in 2021. The arrival of a new staff in Chicago last year led Desai to Seattle, where the team’s performance did not match the reputation he has generated as one of the league’s up-and-coming defensive minds. He will face a tall task in Philadelphia helping guide the defending NFC champions, who lost a number of defensive starers in free agency. But success with the Eagles could put him on the head coaching track before long.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was frequently linked to a potential bid on the Commanders, but none came. He is still a name to watch with respect to a potential Seahawks sale, something many expect will take place in the not-too-distant future. Nothing will take place before May 2, 2024, in all likelihood, given the nature of Allen’s estate situation. Still, her willingness to explore a sale (something which does not currently exist, as her remarks last summer confirmed) will be an ongoing storyline for the organization – especially if Bezos becomes involved.

Top 10 cap charges for 2023:

1. D.K. Metcalf, WR: $13.72MM
2. Quandre Diggs, S: $11.94MM
3. Jamal Adams, S: $11.5MM
4. Tyler Lockett, WR: $11.06MM
5. Geno Smith, QB: $10.1MM
6. Uchenna Nwosu, OLB: $10.1MM
7. Dre’Mont Jones, DT: $10.06MM
8. Will Dissly, TE: $9.19MM
9. Bobby Wagner, LB: $7MM
10. Noah Fant, TE: $6.85MM

If Smith’s 2023 play is near the level of his 2022 performance, he will prove to be a bargain considering the current going rate for starting quarterbacks. However, he is one of five players listed whose cap hit is set to jump over $20MM next season (above $30MM, in Smith’s case). With Jones due for an increased cap burden by a margin of $8MM and Wagner and Fant set to hit free agency in the spring, plenty of difficult decisions will need to be made and the team’s youth movement at many positions will likely continue.

Questions will linger about Smith’s ability to back up his 2022 success as the season begins, but even a slight regression should be easier to manage given the skill-position contingent surrounding him. If the multitude of efforts made to shore up the defense prove effective, a postseason berth in what appears to be a comparatively weak NFC would come as no surprise. Another year of top-level play from this year’s rookie class could even vault Seattle into contention for one of the deep postseason runs the franchise became accustomed to in the 2010s.