We are projecting that Geno Smith will start for the Seahawks at quarterback come Week 1 against Russell Wilson’s Broncos. That’s far from a guarantee though and the QB1 battle may ultimately come down to who performs better in the team’s three preseason games: Smith or Drew Lock.
While he’s considered a throw-in as part of the Wilson trade by many analysts, Seattle may be higher on Lock than most people outside of the orgaization. According to Doug Kyed at Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks really believe in him – even though his grades are among the league’s worst over the last few years.
“The QB class in the draft was weak, and I have heard the Seahawks believe in Lock, who one team was interested in trading for to start last offseason. That being said, Lock ranks 40th among 50 qualified quarterbacks (min. 600 snaps) with a 61.8 overall PFF grade since 2019. The only players ranked below him that are projected to start in 2022 are Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Davis Mills, all of whom were rookies in 2021.”
Lock has shown promise on play action throws, which figure to be a large part of Seattle’s passing offense going forward. However, he’s struggled with decision making, leading to a brutal turnover total. In 24 career NFL games, Lock has posted 25 touchown throws to go with 20 interceptions and 13 fumbles.
Cutting down on those mistakes will be critical for Lock in passing Smith for the starting QB job. That said, even if Lock breaks through with a strong 2022 season, odds are the team will be moving on next year and attempt to find their next franchise quarterback in the draft.
