The Seattle Seahawks seemingly were in rebuild mode last year but came out and surprised us all. Geno Smith’s resurgence was one of the most incredible stories in recent memory. Seattle nailed their draft in 2022 and then had another excellent draft in 2023. Like Pittsburgh, Seattle doesn’t have the most talented roster, but they can be very competitive with terrific coaching. Players seem to develop easily here because they have a stellar culture. Devon Witherspoon was a surprise selection but a guy who can turn this defense around. Jaxon Smith Njigba was also a very wise pick, as he solidified the Receiving core.
There are still some areas of weakness on this roster, but the coaching makes up for it, for the most part. Paying Smith was tremendously beneficial for the franchise, especially on that low of a deal. He played like a top-12 QB last year, but whether or not he can repeat the same year is a big question. We’ve never seen him play well outside last year, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares this year with even better weapons. I am very excited to see this team under Geno Smith again this year, and they are certainly in the playoff picture.
I watched all-22 footage on every team and reconciled it with advanced stats such as PFF. Based on film and stats, I develop grades for every position by using a formula that takes into account every player on the depth chart. Shout out to TFG for inspiring this kind of content. Please use code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Gamble responsibly and leave your feedback on Twitter @FBIntellect.
Grading scale: 20-100.
(+): The player is expected to improve.
| Power Ranking – 17 | OVR Grade – 80.7 | Projected Wins – 8.3 |
| HC – Pete Carroll | OC – Shane Waldron | DC – Clint Hurtt |
Like Mike Tomlin, Peter Carroll is another CEO-style head coach who only oversees the defense. He undoubtedly had a down year in 2021 but bounced back strong and is back to being a significantly impactful coach. To make the playoffs right after Trading Russ is incredible. You must also credit him for changing his defensive philosophy over the recent years. He famously popularized the 4-3 Seattle cover-three defense and now uses a much more balanced scheme with a 3-4 front. I call this team an overachiever because they lack high-end starters at various positions but play much better due to Carroll. It’s more of a compliment than anything else. If it weren’t for this coaching and culture he’s established, they’d rank in the 20s.
Shane Waldron, who’s Sean McVay disciple, is a fine offensive play-caller. It’s a wide-zone offense but with fewer 12-personnel and more 11-personnel. He’s less creative than guys like Arthur Smith, but he can run a functional offense. You don’t see many plays that wow you, but you also don’t see many poorly designed plays. In the run game, he calls an excellent variety of runs. While it’s primarily a zone scheme, there is also a fair share of gap schemes. While not a strength, the offensive playcalling is sufficient for Geno Smith to succeed. There are many worse options out there than Waldron, and it made sense for Seattle to bring him back for another year.
Clint Hurtt is entering his second year ever as a defensive coordinator. He was a D-Line coach/ assistant head coach for Seattle from 2017 to 2021 and became the DC in 2022. With Carroll overseeing the defense, the two of them make for stellar coaching. It’s a 3-4 front with not a lot of blitzing. According to Pro Football Reference, they rank 31st in blitz percentage. It’s primarily a split safety scheme in the secondary, but you often see a Safety come down in the box. There are also quite a lot of match coverages in this defense. Seattle has done an exceptional job of acquiring the right personnel to fit this scheme. There’s a reason unproven players looked decent last year, and the defensive coaching remains a massive strength for the Hawks.
| Playcalling – 80 (T22) |
| Scheme – Wide Zone |
| QB – 77.5 (15) |
| Geno Smith, Drew Lock, Holton Ahlers |
| Receiving Options – 86.3 (6) |
| WR1 – DK Metcalf, Dareke Young, Jake Bobo WR2 – Tyler Lockett, Cody Thompson SWR – Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+), Dee Eskridge TE – Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, Tyler Mabry FB – Nick Bellore HB – Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas, Kenny McIntosh |
| Pass-Pro – 76.3 (27) |
| LT – Charles Cross (+), Stone Forsythe LG – Damien Lewis, Kendall Randolph C – Evan Brown, Olu Oluwatimi RG – Phile Hanynes, Anthony Bradford RT – Abraham Lucas (+), Jake Curhan HB – Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas, Kenny McIntosh |
| Run Blocking – 74.6 (25) |
| LT – Charles Cross (+), Stone Forsythe LG – Damien Lewis, Kendall Randolph C – Evan Brown, Olu Oluwatimi RG – Phile Hanynes, Anthony Bradford RT – Abraham Lucas (+), Jake Curhan TE – Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, Tyler Mabry FB – Nick Bellore |
| Run Options – 83.1 (15) |
| HB – Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas, Kenny McIntosh FB – Nick Bellore |
Outside of the skill positions, this offense isn’t in the greatest shape. Although, the weapons here give Seattle a massive advantage on offense. Geno Smith is a quality starter in a critical position and a great team leader. His combination of athletism and arm talent is underrated and a significant reason for his success. DK Metcalf is one of the most daunting deep threats in the league. He may be stiff, but his size-speed combo is rare. Tyler Lockett is another dependable deep threat, though he’s aging.
Moreover, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a fantastic option in the Slot and could step up in a few years and play on the perimeter. His quickness is world-class and should make a difference in the Slot. Additionally, Noah Fant is a quality receiving Tight End. Keneth Walker had a unique but impressive rookie year and should be a legit home-run-hitting threat again.
The O-Line is where I draw concern, as the interior is weak overall. Damien Lewis is an excellent run blocker who improved in pass-pro, but besides him, there’s no one you feel good about on the inside. However, the Tackle duo is very promising, and I expect both to continue to improve next season. They still aren’t star-level talents yet, but they could get there soon. Because this O-Line is very unproven and questionable, and the QB isn’t anything special, it’s difficult to rank this offense any higher. It’s still an explosive offense, and making it to the playoffs will be manageable with this group.
| Coaching – 83 (T14) |
| Scheme – 3-4 Split Safety |
| Secondary – 81.4 (14) |
| CB1 – Devon Witherspoon (+), Michael Jackson CB2 – Tariq Woolen (+), Artie Burns SCB – Coby Bryant, Tre Brown, Jerrick Reed II FS – Quandre Diggs, Julian Love SS – Jamal Adams, Joey Blount, Christian Young |
| Pass Rush – 78.0 (28) |
| ED1 – Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall (+), Alton Robinson ED2 – Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Tyreke Smith IDL1 – Dre’Mont Jones, Bryan Mone, Cameron Young IDL2 – Jarran Reed, Mario Edwards, Mike Morris |
| Off-Ball Linebacker – 84.6 (2) |
| LB1 – Bobby Wagner, Devin Bush, Vi Jones LB2 – Jordyn Brooks, Jon Rhattigan |
| D-Line Run Defense – 72.6 (30) |
| ED1 – Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall (+), Alton Robinson ED2 – Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, Tyreke Smith IDL1 – Dre’Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, Cameron Young IDL2 – Bryan Mone, Mario Edwards, Mike Morris |
It’s hard to imagine this defense being poor, but they don’t stack up too well compared to the rest of the league. There are currently many good defenses in the NFL, and while good, Seattle isn’t on the level of some of these other defenses. With excellent coaching and a stellar secondary, they’ll ultimately be fine. However, there are some weaknesses in this unit. The future at least looks bright in the secondary, as Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon are a terrific ascending duo.
Additionally, Jamal Adams quietly had an exceptional year and is a genuine star to rely on. Quandre Diggs is also an excellent scheme fit and highly versatile. The Linebacking crew is even more impressive than the secondary. Bobby Wagner may be old, but he is still one of the best LBs in the NFL. He was among the few bright spots on LA’s defense last year. Jordyn Brooks is an underrated Linebacker; you feel good about him as your second starter. Besides Devin Bush, the depth is worrisome, but it’s not like these starters have injury issues.
The D-Line is where this defense will struggle in 2023. Uchenna Nwosu is probably the best player on the D-Line, which isn’t great. They at least have good depth at EDGE, but no one here is a star. I’m excited to see Derick Hall in this defense, as he was a favorite of mine and could be a legitimate impact sooner than later. Dre’Mont Jones was a superb signing, and It’ll be interesting to see him in this defense. I expect this defense to be run well and for them to play disciplined. While not in the great tier, they will be a challenging play each week.
| Special Teams – 83 |
| K – Jason Myers P – Michael Dickson LS – Chris Stoll KR – DeeJay Dallas PR – DeeJay Dallas |
Total Win Projection – 8.3
| WK | Seattle | Win % |
| 1 | vs L.A. Rams | 67% |
| 2 | @ Detroit | 43% |
| 3 | vs Carolina | 67% |
| 4 | @ N.Y. Giants | 43% |
| 5 | BYE | |
| 6 | @ Cincinnati | 20% |
| 7 | vs Arizona | 80% |
| 8 | vs Cleveland | 50% |
| 9 | @ Baltimore | 33% |
| 10 | vs Washington | 67% |
| 11 | @ L.A. Rams | 50% |
| 12 | vs San Francisco | 43% |
| 13 | @ Dallas | 33% |
| 14 | @ San Francisco | 20% |
| 15 | vs Philadelphia | 33% |
| 16 | @ Tennessee | 57% |
| 17 | vs Pittsburgh | 67% |
| 18 | @ Arizona | 57% |
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