This time last year, it looked like Seattle was heading for a full rebuild. In reality they managed to unexpectedly strike gold with Geno Smith. Smith helped to propel this team to a 9-8 record and a playoff berth, on his way to winning Comeback Player of the Year.
Roster changes
The Seahawks invested into their roster this offseason, particularly along the defensive line. They added former Broncos defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones, who joined on a three-year, $51.5 million deal, as well as fellow interior lineman Jarran Reed. They also brought in safety Julian Love and re-signed franchise legend Bobby Wagner after one season with the Rams, as well as adding another linebacker in former top ten draft pick Devin Bush.
Most of these acquisitions represent upgrades on those that moved on in free agency. Defensive tackles Poona Ford and Shelby Harris signed with the Bills and Browns respectively. Safety Ryan Neal left for the Bucs after an impressive 2022 campaign, whilst linebacker Cody Barton joined the Commanders.
Coaching situation
Pete Carroll is entering his 14th season as the Seahawks head coach, making him the fourth longest tenured coach in the NFL. After a successful 2023 season he’s also been able to bring back the bulk of his coaching staff. Shane Waldron is back for his fourth season as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt is also returning.
There were a few departures of note though. Their quarterbacks coach Dave Canales left to become the offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay, with Greg Olson taking his place. Assistant head coach Sean Desai also left, joining the Eagles as their new defensive coordinator.
2023 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 1.5 | Devon Witherspoon – CB, Illinois |
| 1.20 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba – WR, Ohio State |
| 2.37 | Derick Hall – EDGE, Auburn |
| 2.52 | Zach Charbonnet – RB, UCLA |
| 4.108 | Anthony Bradford – IOL, LSU |
| 4.123 | Cameron Young – IDL, Mississippi State |
| 5.151 | Mike Morris – EDGE, Michigan |
| 5.154 | Olu Oluwatimi – IOL, Michigan |
| 6.198 | Jerrick Reed II – S, New Mexico |
| 7.237 | Kenny McIntosh – RB, Georgia |
The Seahawks surprised plenty of people in taking a cornerback at No. 5 overall but Witherspoon is a fiesty man cover corner with tremendous ball skills. They then went and got Jaxon Smith-Njigba to give them the slot receiver they clearly lacked last season and perhaps the best receiving trio in football. Keep a close eye on Zach Charbonnet too. He should pair nicely with Kenneth Walker and gives them a back who can add value on all three downs.
Offense
If you want to get excited about the Seahawks offense in 2023 then you need look no further than their array of pass catchers. This is a team that already boasted two legitimate stars in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. They now have a very strong slot receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In his one full season as a starter for Ohio State, Smith-Njigba led all Power Five receivers with 3.75 yards per route run from the slot.
There is reason for confidence at quarterback too. Geno Smith was a legitimately good starter in 2022, with his 34 big-time throws ranking second behind only Josh Allen. He also led the NFL with 14 deep touchdowns last season. Smith is helped out by having two good young offensive tackles to play behind. Charles Cross and Abe Lucas were revelations as rookies and are both already very comfortable pass protectors.
The question for 2023 is whether or not they will have a more reliable running game. Kenneth Walker had plenty of highlights as a rookie, but he was the picture of inconsistency. It might come as a surprise to some, but this is an offense that ranked 32nd in rushing success rate on early downs in 2022. The addition of Zach Charbonnet should certainly help that, but will it elevate it to a point where it is an actual asset rather than a liability?
Defense
Previous Seahawks defenses have been built on the reputation of their secondary, and that is exactly the way this team is trending. They have established an incredibly exciting young group of defensive backs, with cornerback looking particularly strong. Tariq Woolen was fantastic as a rookie in 2022, chalking up a league-best six interceptions. His counterpart Michael Jackson was also very solid, adding 10 forced incompletions and allowing a passer rating of 90.0. They’ve now added a top five pick in Devon Witherspoon, who looks set to take over the slot role.
Seattle’s main issue last year was run defense, ranking way down at 26th in rush EPA per play. The good news is that they have made real steps to address this. All three of their interior starters from 2022 have left. In their place are a number of new faces. Jarran Reed joins from Green Bay, having contributed 23 run stops in 2022. That was more than any of the Seahawks’ interior linemen last season. Whilst nose tackle Bryan Mone might not be back in time for the start of the season they also have a pair of rookies to call upon in Cameron Young and Mike Morris.
The question, as ever with Seattle, is going to be their pass rush. This is still a unit that lacks a true gamewrecker. Uchenna Nwosu turned out to be a nice addition last season, but he is the only returner who had more than 30 pressures. Last year’s second round pick Boye Mafe is currently slated to start opposite Nwosu. Amongst edges with at least 125 pass rushing snaps, Mafe ranked 113th in win rate and 116th in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric last season. They need a big jump from Mafe or another depth piece to be a defensive force in 2023.
Prediction
The Seahawks have bags of young talent on both sides of the ball and with Geno Smith returning they should be an exciting team to watch once again. In a weak NFC this is a team very capable of making the playoffs and potentially even competing with the 49ers in the NFC West.
