The Seattle Seahawks entered last year in the consensus toughest division in professional football.
Today, the NFC West is collapsing, and the Washington-based team is slated to compete for third place with the Arizona Cardinals. This offseason, furthermore, isn’t doing much to brighten optimism.
Sam Darnold is the new QB in town. After going 10-7, Seattle missed out on the playoffs only on the strength of wins. Since then, the franchise has opted to see the departures of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Geno Smith.
Teams are rarely, more or less, able to run the same squad back from the previous year. Difficult choices often have to be made, particularly in the salary cap era. These maneuvers not only point to a Seattle Seahawks rebuild but are puzzling when considering the latest acquisition.
Why It Worked In Minnesota
Darnold is coming off a career year in Minnesota. His past before then, however, is questionable at best. Stints included time with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. Out of USC, he was initially drafted by the New York Jets.
In 2023, he learned a lot under coach Kyle Shanahan. Playing time as a starter wasn’t going to happen, though. Before then, his career had more embarrassing moments and bad plays than anything else. Under coach Kevin O’Connell, the quarterback reinvented himself as the number one option. The Seattle Seahawks hope this version will take the field again.
This needs to come with a caveat, however. Playing in the current Vikings’ offense is something of a QB dream. Not only is the head coach offensive-minded, but the surrounding talent bodes well for the passing game. Granted, they too had to deal with injuries on the offensive line, but for the most part, that was a solid unit.
Being able to, furthermore, pass to one of the best in Justin Jefferson is a tremendous security blanket. Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson round out an excellent receiving group at the top. They then had the services of Cam Akers and Aaron Jones to help in the running game.
Current Situation With The Seattle Seahawks
This current Seattle Seahawks roster is a far cry from what Darnold had to work with last season. And with the side losing their top receivers, they haven’t replaced the lost production in free agency yet.
The NFL draft is yet to come. Either way, they will now be forced to rely on young, unproven talent. On the offensive line, the unit is coming off one of the worst years among all NFL teams. They haven’t yet done anything to enhance Darnold’s protection either.
It worked last year in Minnesota. Darnold, however, playing on this Seattle Seahawks roster is entirely different. Playing well and leading this team to a playoff berth would do everything to quiet critics. For that to happen, the organization must do more to legitimately hope for postseason play.
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