Seattle Seahawks
2019 Record: (11-5) 2nd
NFC West
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 25.3 (9th)
Yards: 374.4 (8th)
Pass Yards: 236.9 (14th)
Rush Yards: 137.5 (4th)
Defense
Points: 24.9 (22nd)
Yards: 381.6 (26th)
Pass Yards: 263.9 (27th)
Rush Yards: 117.7 (22nd)
The Seattle Seahawks have seen a great
deal of change these past few seasons and long gone are the days of the dreaded
Legion of Boom. Altering the way in which this team is set up, it appears this
club has more of an offensive makeup rather than focusing on defense. And while
the team stats will back that notion, the play on the field would suggest much
of the same.
The biggest move to come from the season
was the addition of Jadeveon Clowney in a trade with the Houston Texans.
Looking to revamp the defensive side with this move, Clowney didn’t light the
stat sheet a blaze in the sack department. However, his presence was felt and
gave the Hawks more ammo in scheming up options.
Reviewing the great positives for this
Hawks team, the offense which is obviously still led by the dynamic play of
their super star quarterback Russell Wilson – they became something of a force.
Predicated through the run attack once again, Chris Carson led the way which
opened up the play action pass. Of note, heading back to the off-season and 2019
NFL Draft, many criticized the potential of their new rookie pass catcher DK
Metcalf not being able to translate his skill set to the NFL. In that play
action pass and new passing outlook, Metcalf improved on a weekly basis proving
he was worth the price of admission. With full disclosure, we were giant
supporters of his work and documented it on more than one occasion.
With the added weapon to support Tyler
Lockett, the tandem turned out fabulous numbers to lift Wilson above the 4000
yard passing mark and over 30 touchdowns yet again. The issue for the Hawks in
2019 rested with injury trouble to their backfield which led to an early exist
from the postseason. Losing to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round
was indication that without their horses in the backfield to control the clock,
the defense couldn’t sustain, displaying their inadequacy.
With added pieces to come this
off-season, the Hawks should find themselves back in competitive mode to
challenge the 49ers for top stop in the division in 2020.
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
The Offense
Beginning this evaluation with recent
news to hit the wire, the Seahawks have signed Greg Olsen to the roster after
he entertained visits to Buffalo and Washington. Believing this is his last
chance to make a run to win it all, hooking up with Wilson appeared to be the
best fit for the once star tight end.
Even as we highlight the many positives
which litter this offense, the offensive line will again be in question with
many players poised to hit the open market. It was clear to witness this group
take flight as the line was vastly improved. For a team which likes to run the
ball as much as the Hawks do, keeping a dominating unit up front is paramount
to their success.
Furthermore, the attempt to add another
play-maker in Josh Gordon was foiled when he found himself in trouble with the
league one more time to substance abuse. While we felt the move would pay
dividends to the offense, Seattle will have to reach out somewhere else to find
that talent. And while we still love the prospects of Lockett and Metcalf to
anchor the receiving core, and the potential of Olsen and Will Dissly to form
new systems – we feel they are one talent away from being virtually
unstoppable.
The other question mark we see is in the
health of their current running backs. While we do like what Carson and Rashaad
Penny bring to the fold, injuries continue to be problematic. We wouldn’t be
surprised to witness another runner added to this roster with decent to high
end potential. With a draft class seemingly stacked at the position, it’s not
out of the question to see this come to fruition.
The Defense
As we mentioned, the Legion of Boom has
been in the rear-view for a few years now and we have every indication to
believe this off-season will be dedicated to re-stacking the cupboards. In the
onset, this unit appears to have viable talent to propel them to the next
level, but nothing was realized consistently. Ranking out at the bottom half of
the league for statistical achievements, this unit did have solid contests this
past season.
Clearly, the defensive line is the
largest question as potential free agents cloud what they will be in 2020. With
Clowney, Jarran Reed, Ziggy Ansah all vying for new deals – the Hawks brain
trust will have their work cut out for them. With that said, we have no qualms
to suggest a massive debate will be had to bring back Clowney on what should be
a mammoth new contract. Paying players who hold a resume filled with this much
injury concern could cripple them in the future, as it did when they employed
the elite talents of the past. The difference here, is the risk is much higher
to forfeit big dollars.
When it comes to the linebacker
position, the man in charge remains to be one of the best in the business in
Bobby Wagner. Finding himself to again lead this team in tackles, his play is
still far from falling off. This crew could be viewed as the strength of this
defense with KJ Wright also playing at a very high level. Between the two, they
managed to light up the stat sheet to the tune of 291 tackles, four
interceptions, three sacks, and one forced fumble from this past season.
When it comes to the secondary, we truly
don’t hate this group but would like to see another strong player added. Making
a trade to acquire Quandre Diggs from the Lions was a good step but not enough
to make them a force. With that, Tre Flowers and Shaquill Griffin are up and
coming potential stars that should take another leap in their progression in
2020 - but we shouldn’t be shocked to witness more depth added.
All-in-all, if the priority team free
agents aren’t locked up, the Hawks will have to again regroup and adjust their
approach on this side to remain competitive.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
For a club that saw a fabulous record of
11-5 and taking their talents to the divisional round and nearly pulling off
the victory, having nearly 60 million in free cap space is a welcomed sight.
Even though the free money is vast, the amount of team free agents (33) is a
glaring concern.
Starting with the heavy choice in
re-upping Jadeveon Clowney, he is set to break the back as his current market
value is resting around 20 million a year. Looking to secure a long term deal,
could we see a scenario of around six years for 120 million? It’s possible.
Adding to that, Jarren Reed is a player that will also be looking to cash in
and is more than warranted with how well he has played in his time with the
Seahawks. With his best season going back to 2018 which saw him garner 10.5
sacks, he may not cash in completely, as time lost and limited production was
the result this past season. Nevertheless, he should be considered to be a top
choice to return.
Continuing down the path of
significance, George Fant, Mike Iupati, and Germain Ifedi are all set to hit
the market and could expect big money thrown their way as well. While Iupati’s
age continues to rise and his injury history has been less than stellar the
past few years, we could see the Hawks stay clear in this regard. With that,
Fant and Ifedi should find their way back to the fold as they have been seen as
steady pieces to this line. We truly would be surprised to see either of these
two walk to the open market.
Outside of that, the remaining players
that could generate traction to return, would fit primarily to the depth
department. Mychal Kendricks, Al Woods, Jaron Brown, Geno Smith, David Moore
are just some names that could be replaced at lower rates if they so choose.
In terms of what could be saved on the
books in either releasing players or offering new contract extensions, Duane
Brown holds a monster 12.3 million dollar cap hit and should remain on the
team. However, converting some of that hit to bonus money would alleviate some
issue while dropping his overall rate. With that, KJ Wright and Justin Britt
could also be explored to see contract extensions to lower their current cap
number. Together they hold a healthy 21.4 million or 10.2% of the current cap
structure. And while the Hawks do have a good amount of funds to play with,
finding more isn’t out of the question with these moves.
The NFL Draft
Jumping into the NFL Draft and what the
Hawks have in store, impressively enough for a club that held such a strong
regular season record – they hold a whopping nine picks to their name. With the
added picks on the docket, Seattle carries and extra second and extra fourth
round selection.
Built with this added ammunition, the
Hawks could dictate terms in a sense to move freely up and down the board as
they so chose. Even as we emphasized the potential problems they could have in
resigning the plethora of players on the free agent list, having this amount of
picks could preclude them from offering big money while getting younger and
more talented.
Based on their current roster and what
positions they could target, we wouldn’t be shocked to witness the first round
selection being used on a defensive lineman to help aid in lost ability. Securing
another wide receiver from a brilliant crop of pass catchers could be had in
the second round, to only follow that up with either offensive line assistance
or adding a player to the secondary.
Like we said, Seattle will have no issue stacking their roster for where
they sit.
The most positive thing about this club
is that they will only get better after this off-season amidst some potential
losses from team free agents. The 11-5 record could turn into a division crown
in 2020 if everything goes to plan here – get excited Seahawk fans!
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