The Seattle Seahawks have upgraded their roster a ton since the Russell Wilson trade. Along the way they’ve scored big improvements at several critical positions for the modern game, including wide receiver, cornerback and offensive tackle. Seattle also remains loaded at safety and should feel comfortable at the tight end position.
Let’s see how the Seahawks’ units stack up compared to each other. Here’s how we rank the team’s position groups going into the 2023 season.
1
Wide receiver
Seattle already had a powerful 1-2 punch at wide receiver with Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Now the team has added Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the consensus No. 1 receiver in the 2023 draft class. The Seahawks have also managed to sign several highly-ranked UDFAs at this spot. Cincinnati might be the only team in the league that has more overall depth here, but we will take this group over the other 31 in a heartbeat.
2
Safety
If the Seahawks had only decided to keep their awesome backup Ryan Neal this group would have come in at No. 1 on this list. Even still, Seattle’s safety unit is about as good as it gets in the NFL. Quandre Diggs has become the league’s top ball-hawker at free safety and Jamal Adams can still be a highly-disruptive defender if he’s used right and stays healthy. They’ve also added the incredibly-talented Julian Love and the team may also have a serious sleeper in sixth-round rookie Jerrick Reed II. Stacked.
3
Cornerback
This was a tough choice for the second spot – split between two secondary groups that are both deep and strong. At cornerback the Seahawks found a more-athletic version of Richard Sherman with Tariq Woolen. They’ve also added a No. 5 overall pick at this spot in Devon Witherspoon and found an underrated competitor in veteran Mike Jackson.
4
Running back
You don’t have to like the way Pete Carroll and John Schneider prioritize the run both on the field and in the draft room. The analytics say there are better ways to use resources, but the Seahawks are still blessed with one of the NFL’s top running back rooms thanks to that indulgence. Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet are both high picks with awesome potential and we have a good feeling about seventh-rounder Kenny McIntosh, as well.
5
Offensive tackle
In last year’s draft the Seahawks pulled off an all-time draft coup by finding two quality long-term starters at offensive tackle. Charles Cross looked incredibly polished for a rookie and projects well for the future. Abe Lucas was even better, demonstrating superb potential as a run blocker and competence in pass protection. A proven veteran swing tackle as a backup would make us feel better about this group, but that’s nitpicking.
6
Quarterback
Geno Smith played at a top-five QB level in the first half of the 2022 season, surprising just about everyone but himself. While Smith’s play was plagued by turnover issues in the second half, his overall performance makes him a legitimate top-10 starter if he can maintain it. Drew Lock is a talented backup option but has the same issue with over-aggression, only far worse than Smith. Finding a more conservative No. 2 guy would be practical. However, this is a perfectly-respectable QB situation overall.
7
Tight end
The Seahawks don’t have any stars at the right end position. They do have at least three solid options on the roster, though. We were surprised to see Will Dissly take the starting role over Noah Fant last season but should probably expect more of the same – especially as Seattle shifts to more 11 personnel looks with JSN in the slot. Fant was alright as the second TE and Colby Parkinson also performed well in his time on the field. If they can keep this up, there’s no cause to complain about this position.
8
Linebacker
This would have been the lowest position group on this list if the Seahawks hadn’t managed to get Bobby Wagner back. Getting No. 54 back on the field gives them the game’s best off-ball linebacker. However, the depth behind Wagner leaves much to be desired. Cody Barton and Tanner Muse are both gone, Jordyn Brooks is recovering from an ACL tear and Devin Bush has as-yet to prove himself at this level. Seattle may need to draft a linebacker early next year regardless of how this group does in 2023.
9
Edge
The same dynamic is true for the edge rotation, albeit to a lesser extent. Uchenna Nwosu is arguably the league’s most-underrated outside linebacker (PFF snubbed him from their top 32 edge list) and was Seattle’s most-consistent defender last season. Unfortunately, there are no sure things behind him on the depth chart, here. One of Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Alton Robinson or Tyreke Smith has to step up and show they’re worth a long-term spot opposite Nwosu.
10
Interior defensive line
The Seahawks went all out to totally remodel this unit during the offseason. All three 2022 starters (Al Woods, Poona Ford, Shelby Harris) are gone and have been replaced by the expensive free agent pickup Dre’Mont Jones, the returning Jarran Reed and rookie nose tackle Cameron Young, who’s been working with the first-team unit and earning praise from defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt. Time will tell if this group is actually better than last year’s, or if the front office has mistaken action for achievement.
11
Interior offensive line
Damien Lewis did a solid job at left guard last season after struggling his first year after sliding over from the right side. Phil Haynes was also decent enough at RG, but there’s a big question mark at center. At the moment it seems the team plans to start veteran Evan Brown. However, we feel they’d be better served to go with rookie Olu Oluwatimi, winner of the Outland Trophy and the Rimington Trophy last season. Until they prove they can survive facing San Francisco’s lethal iDL and Aaron Donald this should be considered the weakest position group on the roster.
