This is a guest post written by Curtis Allen
Reviewing the Seahawks’ off-season to date: Offense
With the bulk of free agency done and the draft a couple of weeks away, it is an ideal time to take stock of what the Seahawks have done this offseason so far, discuss what conclusions we can draw and talk a bit about what lies ahead for the draft and the balance of the offseason.
We will be reviewing some of the issues discussed in the off-season position reviews posted in January and February:
Questions the Seahawks have addressed
QB: What kind of roster support will the team give Russ?
It seems clear that the Seahawks intend to provide him with run and short game passing support to supplement the deeper threats of Lockett and Metcalf. It would be a welcome respite from what we witnessed in 2020 – an offense with the lack of running game and near-constant seven-step drop plays that resulted in too many sacks conceded.
Re-signing Chris Carson at a reasonable rate is a smart move by the front office. He has an ability to take a drive over and give Wilson the occasional break.
It is noteworthy that the Seahawks threw to Carson far more frequently in 2020 than in the past. He had the same number of receptions in 2020 as he did in 2019 (37) in almost half the snaps. Look for Shane Waldron to continue to find ways to use him in this capacity and give the quarterback some ‘easy yards’ at times.
Gabe Jackson is a serious investment in the interior. The Seahawks apparently expressed interest in free agents but landed on trading a fifth round pick for Jackson and then signed him to an extension. The question of whether this move can be considered a response specifically to Russ expressing dissatisfaction with his protection is debatable. Pete Carroll directly mentioned that left guard was a position the Seahawks wanted to upgrade at his year-end press conference.
Gerald Everett offers an athletic outlet that is familiar with Waldron’s concepts. This should prove beneficial to assist getting Wilson integrated into the offense.
Supporting him also means giving him a defense who will give him the ball with regularity. The Seahawks did recognize how poorly their defensive line played in 2020 and added Kerry Hyder, Al Woods and brought Carlos Dunlap back after cutting him. So there is at least a try-hard level of support from the front office to keep the defense functional, if not improved.
OL: Who will start at center and left guard?
Gabe Jackson has been acquired and extended, Ethan Pocic re-signed with a modest raise, and Kyle Fuller was tendered to return to the team.
At this point it seems clear that the Seahawks have taken steps to fill the open positions on the offensive line but the exact placement of the positions is still a work in progress.
Logic points to Jackson slotting in at Left Guard and Ethan Pocic at Center, with Damien Lewis returning at Right Guard, all in between Brown and Shell.
So at this point, the Offensive Line could possibly be set. However, the draft is heavy with attractive options in the interior and that presumptive formation could be reshuffled by the time week one rolls around.
WR: Will they look at extending Tyler Lockett?
The reasons laid out in the original review all came to bear as the Seahawks moved up their timetable for extending veteran players, signing Lockett to a handsome extension. The extension accomplished many things:
— it rewards a fantastic player
— it opens up cap room in 2021
— it keeps a key weapon on the roster for Russ to work with
Perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t cripple the Seahawks’ salary cap in the next two or three seasons. The deal includes a handsome bonus but only $5m in guaranteed salary. It is structured very smartly in that it gives the team flexibility. There is no guaranteed salary in 2023 (his age 31 season), just as the Seahawks will be feeling the cap hit of the first season of a DK Metcalf extension. Brilliant.
Whatever way the offense changes under Shane Waldron, the connection between Wilson and Lockett will remain a potent piece of the Seahawks’ offense.
TE: So what do the Seahawks do now?
Since that question was asked, the Seahawks have hired Shane Waldron and signed Gerald Everett.
Everett and Dissly are out of contract in 2022, and behind them is Colby Parkinson. All three should play roles in the offense this season, so the team is set for 2021. However, the position is in flux beyond that.
The Seahawks would be wise to work Parkinson into the offense as soon as possible to fully assess their options for the 2022 off-season.
The team could find a new level of effectiveness if the Seahawks can get the tight ends more involved. If only for the fact that they can be successful in converting more third downs. At times, the offense needed to protect the scoreboard by staying on the field in 2020 and could not get the tight ends involved to accomplish that goal. As a result, some games were tighter than they should have been.
RB: Will they bring Chris Carson back and what about the rest of the players on the roster?
In February I wrote:
It would appear the best option is to have Carson on the roster in 2021.
However, his health issues cannot be ignored. So if the Seahawks are going to invest in Carson, they will have to continue to invest in depth as well to protect the offense.
Can they afford to do that? This season in particular, they cannot. If they feel that Carson is the best option, they must be able to work out a reasonable contract. Giving Carson a big contract and then not having him available for large chunks of the season is not an option.
The Seahawks held firm on Carson and signed him to a very workable extension for two years with only $5.5million guaranteed. It also includes a void year that helps with their 2021 cap room.
This is a brilliant maneuver. Carson is not paid in the top 10 of AAV for running backs, yet the Seahawks get a player they know can be a big factor and set a tone on their offense for not much more than what they would pay a high draft pick.
Yet it addresses the very real concerns with Carson’s durability. The contract does not overburden the team with any expectations. They can use Carson as a lead plow horse in some games and use him less in others without fear of wasting valuable resources.
Alex Collins was an easy choice to resign to the roster. He clearly has a role in the offense to play with some vision and toughness. He is a good addition as the Seahawks continue to collect running back depth.
Questions the Seahawks have yet to address
QB: Can Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson get on the same page? What does Russ want?
Those two questions remained unanswered and may continue to do so for some time, unfortunately.
It has been months since this drama started and there seems to be no end in sight.
We have heard word through sources like Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Marshall that Russ has compromised and is staying — but nothing concrete yet that can truly put this issue to bed and move on.
The draft seems like a reasonable date to know what the Seahawks plan on doing with their franchise quarterback in 2021.
Trade him before or during the draft and their intentions are known. Keep him through the draft and the questions remain unanswered likely through the rest of the offseason and into the regular season.
OL: The Seahawks need to address the future of the tackle position — soon
Duane Brown, Brandon Shell and Cedric Ogbuehi are signed for 2021 only. There has been no movement towards extensions but also no word that Brown is considering retirement.
It is possible this will be addressed in the draft. If not, the Seahawks are once again gambling that they may have a big hole at two critical positions come 2022. Their cap room is going to dry up very, very quickly if they do not have at least one prospect from this upcoming draft ready to step in.
More importantly — if they do not get this addressed, it will not matter how much they have spent to extend Tyler Lockett or what they are paying Gabe Jackson or who the offensive coordinator is. Their offense will not be able to properly function, and their franchise quarterback’s discontent will only grow.
WR: What do they do behind Lockett and Metcalf in 2021?
This is yet to be addressed. It is possible that with Lockett and Metcalf slotted securely on the roster for 2021, the need is not as great as other positions.
Gerald Everett has been added as a weapon at tight end and if the Seahawks re-focus on making that position group a bigger priority in the passing game, it is possible that adding another wide receiver will continue to take a back seat on the list of offseason needs.
Still, the offense would be hampered by an injury to either of the two starters that requires them to miss a significant amount of time. There is always that possibility and that likely is not too far back in the team’s mind. They would do well to address it.
RB: How can they field a healthier unit going forward?
This will be an ongoing concern. Penny and Carson will have injury question marks following them for the rest of their NFL careers.
Penny lost 2020 to injury and needs to prove he can be healthy enough to stay on the field. He is likely auditioning for a spot with his new team in 2021 – maybe even his future in the NFL. Playing the bulk of the season with a real contribution to the offense would be a godsend for the Seahawks and his career.
Carson had a very strange 2020. Banged up constantly, praised by Pete Carroll for his toughness and yet frequently given a very light workload immediately after being proclaimed healthy and ready to go. It is possible he was hurt more than we know and Carroll was just trying to run some interference.
As it is, Carson only eclipsed 20 touches in a game once in 2020, Week Two against New England where he had 17 runs and three catches. The Seahawks need more.
Keeping both of these guys on the roster will constitute a worthwhile endeavour only if both avoid missing significant stretches in 2021.
Carson may already be heading for trouble with this risky-looking workout posted online:
.@ccarson_32 is on another level 😳pic.twitter.com/WuEZcKY5UV
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 6, 2021
You are not helping, Chris. The Seahawks need you plowing through tackles and taking passes with those soft hands. Not potentially injuring yourself to get some internet buzz going.
Is the team taking Carson’s physical conditioning seriously? It is really hard to say. Posting that video complicates things.
****
Thoughts on the draft
The Seahawks could line up this offense tomorrow and have a solid group to work with — but not complete. Their immediate roster needs on offense are obvious:
— A legitimate threat at third wide receiver
— An interior offensive lineman with some ferocity to pair with Lewis and Jackson
The way this roster is constructed though, you could very well see the Seahawks targeting virtually any position on offense in this draft and it would be justified:
QB: The cloud surrounding Russell Wilson’s future will not go away until the Seahawks make it go away
RB: Chris Carson has no guaranteed money on his contract in 2022. Rashaad Penny is very unlikely to be tendered for his 5th year. Collins is a one-year rental and Deejay Dallas has yet to show much of anything
OL: They need a young tackle or two — now
WR: Somebody needs to take David Moore’s snaps without too big a drop-off in production
TE: Colby Parkinson is the only player under contract in 2022
The offensive roster situation seems negative but there is a silver lining.
Given all these long-term needs, the Seahawks will be free to pursue the best player available. If the team views things that way, they will be able to open their board and look at all the options rather than being pinpoint focused on a position group and/or a couple players they set their hearts on getting.
We saw what the Seahawks did last year when they reached for a position in the second round. The results were about as bad as you can imagine.
Not only are there continued question marks about Darrell Taylor’s availability in 2021 but the team also sacrificed two prime picks to get him. They could have a strong tackle prospect and a rising wide receiver on the roster right now ready to step into key spots this season.
Having only three draft picks at this point could steer the Seahawks toward success almost by default. They will be forced to maximize their returns in the draft, while simultaneously not expecting to find players who can contribute in Week One.
That is a formula for taking the best player available if there ever was one.
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I still cannot believe the Seahawks are posting that video of Carson on their twitter feed, instead of ringing him up immediately and telling him to get the hell away from that clown of a ‘trainer’
Honestly I think you’re overreacting a bit on that one. I’ve seen a bunch of functional/body strength stuff like that lately. In some ways I don’t think that’s more risky than sprints where a hamstring could easily blow out. I don’t really see anything else than falling happening there, and I have to assume even an injury prone powerback can take a fall like a champ.
I like your BPA on Offense idea. I still really want a 3rd WR, but I’ve been on that train since Paul Richardson left town, and will continue to believe it’s borderline offensive neglect to ignore the position to the level that we have.
Would agree with Tyler here. I can only assume if it was potentially damaging the Seahawks would do exactly as Rob suggested.
Chris was all about being paid in a way that he didn’t end up being paid. I would doubt he would do anything to impede his last chance of a pay day when this contract ends.
Then I’m afraid you’re both wronger than Mr. Wrong from Wrongstown in Wrong State.
What about Wrong County?
That too
“Mr. Wrong” etc., my first good laugh of the day.
He ran to be Mayor of Wrongstown but lost because he was wrong.
Actually, we do something similar in my aerial yoga class. It’s a plank from the three-legged dog position while leaning into the silks like the handlebars of a motorcycle.
This personal trainer has a terrible reputation. If you research the name Joel Seedman you’ll see what I mean.
I would never profess to be a workout ‘expert’. However, I’d say I train a lot more than the average man and I’ve been working with a specific trainer for the last six years who is at the top of his game and someone who is very much an expert, who has been in the field for decades. He turned 60 recently and he remains in tremendous physical shape. I don’t even need to ask him what he thinks of this ‘exercise’ — I know what his answer will be already.
I have to push back on the comparison to sprinting and muscle injuries. Please don’t take this the wrong way, or personally, but it is a really terrible comparison.
If you warm up sufficiently, you will likely not get injured running sprints. It still happens, of course. But with a proper warm up the risk is minimal and would be considered somewhat unfortunate. The human body isn’t indestructible and muscle strains and pulls happen (of course they do). But sprinting is a very natural movement.
There is nothing natural about this. It is an absolute joke of a workout. There is absolutely no reason for you to balance on one leg on a gym ball which offers zero stability, with chains draped over your back, doing what appears to be some kind of push-up using a band, which also has no stability.
That is insane.
Yet insane, stupid, absurd, ridiculous workouts are Joel Seedman’s speciality.
The benefits are absolutely minimal and the injury risk is tremendous. You could easily put unnecessary strain on your back which could cause all kinds of issues across your body. He could create muscle tears in his core which down the line need fixing — perhaps around September-December, who knows? You could run through a list of injuries that could occur as a result of this farcical exercise which is purely, 100% designed for this clown (who everyone laughs at in the fitness world it seems) to put his video on social media for likes (so big well done to the Seahawks for helping him achieve the fame he craves…).
Falling off is very likely but that’s the least of his worries. It’s a total nonsense workout. Anyone who says you have to do this ‘to build core’ doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Every basic exercise you do involves your core and there so many ways to develop it safely without resorting to this. There is never, ever, ever, ever any reason to balance on one leg on an unstable object like a gym ball with weights draped on your back while doing this action.
It is absolutely crucial the Seahawks get Carson away from Seedman immediately.
But, you know, don’t take my word for it…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQu-3nvo33I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HrJLAQ5y8U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ8Nui0bXYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQhzZ8L5y1A
Informative
Why don’t you think they stop it?
Hopefully this is a new thing and they have stopped it
Or maybe they buy into this garbage and that’s why everyone is injured every season?
Interesting. Would concur removing it from social media would help. Seems to endorse it, tacitly or otherwise.
Also possibly negligent of his agent not to get involved?
Everyone is culpable but mostly the snake-oil salesman calling himself a trainer
People need to realise how STUPID this workout is.
Including the Seahawks.
And they need to get Carson away from this idiot PRONTO.
I was skipping through a couple of these vids, and this part about Seedman’s likely response is hilarious!
https://youtu.be/9HrJLAQ5y8U?t=1275
Chris Carson is training with a complete and utter muppet and one of the biggest laughing stocks in the fitness world.
He has him doing absolutely atrocious, ridiculous exercises (and we all wonder why he gets injured…)
And the chuffing Seahawks twitter account is approving these circus workouts by retweeting and endorsing this total muppet’s twitter account.
What next? Carson on the high trapeze on one leg with a 20kg dumbbell in one hand while balancing a plate of sandwiches on his head?
And then we can all retweet it and say, ‘WHAT AN ABSOLUTE BEAST’
Jesus wept.
The whole chain ball pushup thing seems to be a trend. I saw Derrick Henry doing it too.
Personally, I think Ryan Tannehill’s doing it best – https://twitter.com/i/status/1377674254532022272
I think Henry got it from this clown too
Rob, as a Husky fan and Seahawks fan part of the injury issues stem from having Ivan Lewis as the head S&C coach. When he was at UDub, Husky players constantly has nagging soft tissue injuries. I was so glad when he left UDub, but was totally bummed when PC hired and this ex-USC coach to the Seahawks staff. Lewis is probably the one promoting this, and his reputation isn’t stellar either, or at least to all of us Dawg/Hawks fans.
I have definitely read a few articles/or interviews over the last year or so about team trainers being beside themselves with the crap they have to undo/fix from players personal trainers. It is a problem across sports.
Put me in the “this a completely worthless, for show, social media” exercise camp.
Heard the same thing. Kinesiology is a science.
Personal trainers are often pushing the novelty envelope to get clients.
I love my nephew, but he would not be the smartest person in a room full of Gumps. And, yes, he is a personal trainer who’s only qulification is competing in crossfit competitions. No degree. No professional training. Nothing other than keeping himself fit.
The country is full of this type of “fitness experts”.
I understand the desire to mix cross-training and yoga, but it really shouldn’t be done. I have worked with both and it’s really incompatible. I also did a lot of strength training about seven years ago according to Mike Woicik’s book, who is perhaps the best NFL strength training coach of all time. I got STOOPID strong. But here in the Florida heat, my Seattle lungs found it hard to breathe. I dropped 72 pounds doing yoga.
Totally agree Rob. This dude is one of the biggest clowns in the fitness industry. He’s just posting that fancy shit to seem innovative. Also his work he’s always referring to about ‘eccentric isometrics’ (which by the way is an oxymoron and physiologically impossible), there are only a few sources quoted and the rest is just his hypothesis. This dude is saying you don’t have to warm-up before sprinting and human locomotion is based around 90 degree angles. Could go on for another 10 000 words but that’s not worth the time.
Saw a couple good burns on Steedman at YouTube.
Instability and power don’t mix . Strength training 101.
Whenever I watch Seedman I can’t tell if he’s memeing or he’s serious.
Remember when you were a child and tried to fly. Never worked unfortunately.
This is felony-level quackery. Not a single exercise without a gimmick twist to make it less effective and more dangerous.
The last one is absolutely true
I couldn’t believe what I was watching
It’s like a comedy sketch show on how not to work out
‘Let’s make this 10x more dangerous for zero benefit’
FWIW I’ve been a PT in a sports med clinic for 15 years. This type of training is absurd for many of the reasons noted here. If the medical staff relies on evidenced based practices, then there should be a discussion with the S&C staff about better educating their athletes about what are good exercises and what are parlor tricks. Maybe that discussion has already happened but this type of trainer is not about “how can I build upon what we know is effective” and more about “what new shit can I make up”.
Anyone have any thoughts on Dylan Moses as a sleeper pick. Has flown under the radar this year after his play fell off last year post ACL recovery. Just saw that he played on a meniscus tear pretty much all season, which may have been the reason for his decline in play. Impressive Height/Weight/Speed athlete who was a first-round lock in every year but this one, might be a worthwhile gamble.
I’d love the hawks to take a chance on Moses if they can get him in the 3/4 round range.
Is that Joel Seedman Carson is working with in that video that’s been going around? The man is an absolute quack and a menace. If this is who Carson’s been working with no wonder he keeps getting injured. Jesus Christ. If I was the Seahawks, there’s less than zero percent chance I’d let that keep happening, absolutely unreal scenes.
Yep — he’s working with Seedman
And you are 100% right
Just realised there’s an entire discussion about it above…. I’m shook. Just went and looked at his Instagram for the first time in a while, genuinely appalling how many professional athletes he’s working with.
Chris is working out with a certified fitness idiot. That guy is a laughingstock amongst the fitness community and anyone worth their weight in the industry or with any kind of reputation. Joel Seedman is the same guy who believes squatting above parallel is far superior to hitting 90 or lower. Every time I see an athlete with him I can only feel that they’re selling themselves short and being tricked by his self-proclaimed new age and cutting-edge workouts.
Correct
I think what sets me on edge more than anything in that video is the fact that he’s not wearing shoes.
Socks on a rubber fitness ball is no way to secure your entire load. One slip away from disaster.
The chain in the back is idiotic, the rest of it is meh fine but what absolute tit loads that much weight on a vertebra or two?
The rest is NOT fine
You don’t need to balance on a gym ball to do anything
Thanks for the write-up Cha! This post really highlights how critical it is for the Seahawks to get some players in this draft who can contribute by 2022. It’ll be interesting to see what they do.
Rob,
Is your SeahawksDraftBlog e-mail still valid or is there another way you’d prefer to be contacted?
rob@seahawksdraftblog.com
Aldon Smith visiting.
Would be a nice little piece to add to the rotation
heck yes!
He was a guy I had earmarked as a hopeful offseason addition at a decent cost. So happy to see that news come through. Hopefully it amounts to something. We could use him in our rotation to keep everyone fresh.
#Cowboys free agent pass-rusher Aldon Smith is visiting the #Seahawks today, per me and @MikeGarafolo. A possible low-risk, high-reward addition for Seattle if all checks out. He had 50 QB pressures and 5 sacks last year.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1382311495858540547?s=19
I don’t mind if we take a shot, cause it’s going to be dirt cheap anyways, but just saying he had 4 sacks in the first 3 weeks, and 3 of those were against the Seahawks in week 3, and then only 1 sack the rest of the season.
He may not be what we all hope he might be any more.
Similar to Leonard Floyd. He had 7 sacks in 3 games against us. 5 in the other 14 he played. 2 of those in a revenge game against the bears. 3 sacks in 13 other games. But his contract compared to what Smith might get will be night and day
Correction. 3 sacks in 14 games. Didn’t count the zero sack day against the Packers in the playoffs.
That’s an interesting stat. I wonder how their pressure numbers stack up. I will say that D Law didn’t have a lot of success last year as well for them. They were behind a lot especially when Dak went down and got run into the ground by teams like Washington. Not interior pressure easier to chip out on the DE’s. Plus he was out of the league for many years. There is a chance he excels as a rotational dude.
I agree with you, but i also think that if he’s significa, he would be our 2 best pass rusher on The D-line. I would Love this move
* if he signs
Cellphone corrector from Brasil kkkk
Sorry
I wonder where Rapsheet got his pressure stats from.
PFR has Aldon with only 20 pressures.
Maybe a typo? Khalil Mack doesn’t get 50 pressures in a season.
Maybe he’s using the Matt Miller scale where by you just more than double someone’s achievement because why not?
Agent tipped well when he sent the info… 😉
“Carson may already be heading for trouble with this risky-looking workout posted online:”
These “workouts” are the absolute dumbest waste of time, energy, and injury risk out there. I wish these guys would do that stuff and keep it to themselves. It makes life so much more difficult for those of us that work in the industry.
I’m going to try stop banging on about Seedman, but I really am stunned. These guys have access to colossal wealth and resources and this is what they choose? It’s so, so, frustrating.
Moving on from that though, fantastic series, Curtis, thanks very much for all your work on it! Does highlight what an appalling job PCJS have done with this roster. Wasteful, negligent, incompetent. Seriously, what have they been doing, and what were they thinking? Legacy ruining work.
Thanks for the work cha. Very enjoyable read as always.
The Tackle situation is very concerning. Even if Duane ends up being re-signed, he is not a young man. This team’s lack of foresight i.e. burning of draft picks is appalling imo.
You’re welcome !
https://twitter.com/NFLFilmStudy/status/1382165368827912194/photo/1
Hi Rob, before asking you about Russ, thank you (and cha as well) again for all the brilliant content you offer us.
Now: Why did the Saints get under the CAP without touching Ramczyk and Lattimore until now? Doesn’t it seem a bit similar to us not touching the contracts of RW, BW and JA?
Could there still be some fire with RW and the Saints without any smoke whatsoever?
I think if you were going to do something with them involved it’s the start of the league year really.
But it is curious that the Saints haven’t moved on their deals.
Excellent work again, Cha!
Thank you
Clowney to the Browns is official. 1 year up to 10 million. Scary pairing with Garrett if he can stay healthy.
I’m guessing it’s a $2-3m base and the “up to $10m” is if he plays 16 games and gets 8 sacks.
Yup, probably something like that. How much did the Titans actually end up paying for half a season and zero sacks?
Gotta be honest I’m not interested in combing through the incentives to see what he got. But I think it was $5m salary and a $7m signing bonus.
Haha, I feel you on that. Why do you think I lazily asked instead of looking it up myself… 😁
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/tennessee-titans/jadeveon-clowney-14410/
Looks like he had 11.5 million guaranteed when he signed with Titans.
Sounds like he has 8 million guaranteed with the Browns and 2 million in incentives.
Thanks, man.
Are you serious? $8m guaranteed? Holy smokes. What are you doing Cleveland?
Carlos Dunlap got $8.5m guaranteed on a 2 year contract.
Still carrying that cache’ as the #1 overall pick?
So scary he may even get to 10 sacks for the first time in his career lol. Somehow I doubt that Garrett is going to unlock him any more than JJ Watt did.
I think everyone agrees that the Seahawks won’t participate in the 2021 draft with only 3 picks. They will almost certainly trade back to garner more picks but what other moves could be made to get back into the draft? Is there any chance at all they trade future picks? What about players?
Rob has said that there are only three pieces that would recoup picks in rounds 1 or 2 (Russ, Adams and Wagner). Is there anybody else that might be on the trade block for later round picks? I am wondering if Ugo Amadi or Marquise Blair could be on the table given our log jam at Nickle CB. Thoughts on what they might bring in? How about Diggs and move Amadi to FS? Is Duane Brown untouchable (if we plan to keep Russ I would assume yes). What about Penny? Is he worth anything given his injury history?
I wouldn’t trade any of the DB depth they have. They’d only get 6ths or 7ths back and they’d just use them on corners to replace the depth they lost.
I think the Seahawks being interested in Bernard signals where Penny is.
Brown isn’t going anywhere.
Giovanni Bernard and Rashaad Penny are not the same type of running back. Penny is a speedy one-cut-and-go zone runner who can beat linebackers to the sideline. Bernard is, like Chris Carson, more of a receiving threat, but, more importantly, unlike Carson Bernard is a top-tier blocking back. Smart coaches who run offenses based on the zone blocking system recognize that really good blocking backs like Bernard or Seattle’s own Travis Homer are worth their weight in gold following the recent rule change that will eliminate cut blocking–crouching low and blocking a defender at the knees. Cut blocking is a central feature of the zone blocking system, as that is how blockers, including running backs, have sealed off pursuit from the non-play side in the running game and how running backs hinder pass-rushing defensive linemen who are much bigger than they are and capable of putting on awesome moves. Now, blocking backs will have to take those guys and the increasingly popular blitzing defensive back on toe-to-toe, so the rare running backs like Bernard who can do that will be absolutely critical to the functioning of the offense.
I just dont see any team giving up anything for Blair/Amadi. Teams can just use that pick to draft a guy with 4 years of cheap control instead of the two that those two have left.
Great write-up.
I definitely worry about the health about RB. If healthy, I really like the Carson/Penny 1-2 punch. That’s the problem. Those two guys and the word healthy. When a guy has played football (Carson) 7 years in a row – what in the world could convince anyone to think he’ll be healthy “this year?”
I love DK/Lockett as starters. I worry about WR3.
Ethan Pocic is one of the least physical Centers I’ve ever seen.
The DT depth, imo, is terrible.
SAM is a worry – though nothing like most other areas of concern.
I’m glad they didn’t resign Griffin, but aside from Reed – I’m not overly optimistic about CB. I like Amadi in the slot. I know Witherspoon could be a good fit, but he could not be too.
With only 1 pick of quality coming up – I just don’t see how they’re going to be good enough moving forward.
If they draft Mond/Mills – I will be okay with that. But all those other holes.
If they get Meinerz – I’ll be happy C is taken care of, but worry about QB next year when Russ is mad again and the defense is lacking DT.
It’s such a frustrating year to have such historically limited draft capital.
The reality is that while many fans and media have settled on this being a positive off season, this team isn’t close to winning a SB
This team cant win the division. Honestly…we can be any where from 2nd to 4th given the competition.
They can win the division. Anyone can win a division. San Fran went from the Super Bowl to a walking MASH unit. Anything can happen that impacts a season.
Can they win three playoff games? Not for me
“Anyone can win a division.”??? The Jets say hi. C’mon, Rob.
You mean the Jets who made back to back AFC Championship games with Mark Sanchez at QB?
Well the Patriots won the AFC East both those years, and, even with some playoff magic, the Jets ended up losing both of those championship games.
You really want to argue this for the sake of it I see…
This isn’t an argument, it’s a factual claim.
Sure thing bud
Would agree with this but both those positions can coexist, no? I think it has been a positive off season on balance. Shows how far they have to go and from the relatively low base they were coming from.
Define positive though
Here’s what has really happened this off-season? They managed to retain Carlos Dunlap after cutting him. They lost Jarran Reed though. They’ve signed a journeyman pass rusher on $2.25m and will hope he can do a better job than their first round pick two years ago to make up for losing Reed’s 6.5 sacks.
They lost Shaquill Griffin and just replaced him with an unspectacular, available player.
They retained Chris Carson — a player they had to manage to the max last season to get him to the playoffs and despite having a career-riddled career so far, he’s training with an absolute muppet who has him doing crazy ‘social media’ exercises.
They added a left guard and tight end which I would consider positive moves. The rest is just a great big load of ‘meh’.
On top of this, we’ve had to endure weeks of a Russell Wilson saga, they now have two and a bit draft picks only and there are no solutions to the long term future at various positions.
I get the sense that people were taking ‘any’ news as great news this off-season. Maybe it was all a welcome distraction from the Wilson stuff? Who knows.
Yet on the whole it’s just been a thoroughly middling, nothing off-season that the Seattle media are typically getting over-excited about — making comparisons to Bennett/Avril and all that jazz.
The inconvenient truth is that this is a franchise that isn’t really going anywhere. It needs a long-term ownership solution, probably a new Head Coach, it needs some fresh players that are drafted to be the core.
It needs a major re-work.
At least it does if you want to win Super Bowls. If you just want the same early playoff exit year after year, crack on.
I think in the context that they found themselves in – tight to the cap – they did a good job with the resources at their disposal as opposed.
I think getting Hyder and Dunlap for less than Dunlap is a positive.
I think resigning Carson at the price was a positive.
I think extending Lockett was a good move and a positive.
I think not signing Griffin, a hot and cold player, to a 14 million dollar contract was a positive as was replacing him with a player for only a 4 million dollar.
I think Everett at the price was a positive.
I think the Jackson trade was a positive.
I think that losing Reed was negative.
I think the lack of a WR3 was a negative.
I don’t think it was a wonderful, fantastic or great offseason but I do think it was a positive one in the sense that the good moves they made outweighed the bad in the context of the cap space and limited draft capital.
I also disagree with the Avril/Bennett comparisons and think it needs major surgery too. I don’t disagree with you on that at all.
As you alluded to Collier above, I have a question on him as I know you were bullish on him after we drafted him. What went wrong with him? Is he playing the wrong role?
Would add that the lack of one of the stud interior OLs was a negative too.
But what constitutes a good job? Because anything less than they’ve done for me would’ve been a poor off-season. They’ve basically traded another pick away to get a guard, signed a not-altogether cheap TE (I don’t mind the deal though) and the rest is pretty meh. Are we calling that a good job simply because they didn’t do a bad job? For me it’s just bland, middling.
He’s just not good enough unfortunately.
I liked his Senior Bowl, liked his tape. His testing was crap and was well noted. The Seahawks clearly panicked in that draft.
And remember, why are they tight to the cap? Oh yeah that’s right, they blew $50M a year ago on nothing.
Absolutely right DC – agreed – but was talking about this offseason in isolation.
Of that $50million all that’s spent this year is Brandon Shell, Jamal Adams and Jarran Reeds cap hit. They are tight against the cap for other reasons.
Noted on the trade but are you likely to get a good NFL starter who can play straight away at a decent level in round 5? I think the proven player is a better call there. I think you are underselling the Carson deal a little. I think it was excellent vfm on an admittedly injury prone player.
Like I said, I do not think it was outstanding or fabulous but good. I think a middling job would have seen them miss out on Carson or overpay to keep Griffin. On a scale of atrocious to excellent I don’t think we’re enormously far apart I am just a little further along.
Thanks for the answer on Collier.
That isn’t the point I was making
Sorry, I misunderstood. What was the point you were making?
Spot on. Plus…
They added a LG, who is a ‘name’, but a positional RG who is coming off his second-worst season, with 2019 being his worst.
The TE is coming off a meh season, and was a non-entity second half of the season all his career. He was basically Greg Olsen.
We still miss WR3 ff, and RB2 ff, the CB corps is league-worst and we’re thin at LB. And god forbid our LT needs a few weeks off.
The resulting document of shame:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/depth/_/name/sea/seattle-seahawks
It seems better than last year’s offseason (if we ignore the Wilson drama)… but that’s an awfully low bar
In fairness it would’ve taken some effort to match the ineptitude of last off-season
You mean the offseason where they did not pay Jadeveon Clowney $12m, did not sign Everson Griffon, did not trade a second round pick for Yannick Ngakoue but instead signed Benson Mayowa for a song who then managed to match Ngakoue’s production? What WERE they thinking?
Yes, the off-season where they blew $50m without addressing their self-confessed priority, then traded two high picks for a player who might never play a down in the NFL, then spent a fortune on a blitzing safety, only to start the year with a defense so bad it was putting up historically awful numbers and needed an equally historical start from Russell Wilson in order to beat crappy teams. And now they have three draft picks and a massively uncertain future beyond 2022.
That one.
By the way Coleslaw — I thought you wouldn’t be interested in posting any more after your silly emails you sent me (I’m happy to share them with the group if you want) or the childish messages you’ve been posting that I had to delete.
I guess you can’t keep away and that’s why you’ve tried to start posting under a new name.
Nice blog post, I enjoyed it cha.
When it comes to offense, my take is we have at least decent starters at pretty much every position except C. This is why we should invest our first draft pick (#56 or the top pick we get after trading down) at C. The problem is depth. Imagine Duane Brown, Tyler Lockett and Chris Carson getting all injured. Not an unlikely scenario, Brown is at the end of his career, Carson is almost certain to get injured and all Tyler needs is a crazy DB hitting him too hard. This would cripple our chances of winning almost any NFL game. It’s impossible though to expect from John to come with solutions for this with only 3 draft picks.
I agree 100%, Mick. C should be priority#1.
A. Smith? This concerns me…
Is Taylor is starting the season on PUP.
Unless you see Smith as a SAM?
* If so, Taylor is starting the season on PUP.
Depth isn’t a bad thing – feels like somebody in the FO finally woke up out of their DL slumber. While they can’t get their hands on a Bosa or a Mack, the least they can do is make up for it in volume.
That said, I’d rather them be looking at the interior, like an Atkins, or maybe Sheldon Richardson if he gets cut from Cleveland.
I’d also be very nervous if I was Rasheem Green right now.
People need to be come to terms that Taylor might never play
That would be a crushing blow. Far worse than the Malik McDowell fiasco. Absolutely sackable offense. Would make the Aaron Curry pick look good.
I’m treating Taylor as though he’s Kaiser Soze :D.
From a non-technical, spectator perspective, the only thing I really hope for this season is for the Seahawks to be a little more exciting to watch then they were last year. Despite achieving a great record in the regular season it was one of the worse seasons to watch in recent memory. Apart from a few exciting games to start the season, the Seahawks were really hard to watch, just bad football.
Sure you always want to be building towards the SB but, at my core, I want to have a fun team to watch.
I’m a long-time season ticket holder of my local soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps, despite them rarely having a winning season I always enjoy games because they are fun to watch, playing exciting, cohesive, energetic soccer.
Seahawks lacked all of that last season, they were not cohesive, not inspiring, not exciting: one of the more boring teams to watch (for all the reasons mentioned at length on this blog–uninspiring and disjointed coaching, lack of team identity, poor drafting, patchwork free agency )I haven’t seen much to change that: a new OC (both to football and the team) is unlikely to be that cohesive in the first year, 3 draft picks, marginally better free agency.
You raise some very valid points
Agree. Once again, I’m gonna pull out a comparison to my “other football” club, FC Barcelona. Also going through a bit of a rebuild/fix. Even if we can’t win anything this year, fans just want to see beautiful soccer being played.
Well the Hawks put themselves in the position to lose Reed with the cap and his salary. With a set of decent DE’s he’s a fine player and will be missed. Woods is just another fire plug run stuffer so, I guess they hope Poona or Mone can generate some middle pressure.
I like that they addressed DE at this point. Dunlap made a huge difference when he came in and Hyder may just be the new Bennett.
Still need a WR 3 and CB, not to mention a viable center (going forward)…They just pissed away so much for Adams….Blech….That guy had better quit being a 1 trick pony but it sure looks like that is what he is.
People need to stop mentioning Bennett’s name with Hyder
We might as well suggest Ahkello Witherspoon might be the next Sherman
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31256498/lawyer-seeks-assault-charges-los-angeles-rams-star-aaron-donald-reports-say
Let me get this straight. The fight started AFTER they left the Boom Boom Room?
Pics or it didn’t happen, lol. In this day in age, at a high profile club, I’d be very surprised if an actual physical altercation occurred and nobody got a photo or video.
There is pics
Mandatory 4 game suspension for being spotted at any place with a name like Boom Boom Room
Yep. Just make sure and hold that suspension until the stretch where we play them in LA and then here 3 games later, or vice-versa.
I was just gonna post that the 4 gamer will be a stretch the Hawks don’t play the Rams.
How sad is it that we’re so tired of being owned by Aaron Donald that we grasp at a suspension due to an incident like this?
And someone remind me……..isn’t Pete Carroll 2-7 vs. Sean McVay with having had a clearly superior QB for every one of those games?
I did another PFN Mock Draft in hopes the Hawks still trade Jamal Adams.
Sent him to MIA for 36 and 50
Did a few other minor trade downs and came out with this haul. Let me know your thoughts.
36. Quinn Meinerz
56. D’Wayne Eskridge
64. Elijah Molden
97. Robert Rochell
129. Dayo Odeyingbo
162. Chuba Hubbard
Like it a lot!
I’m not big on Rochell myself. I know he measured and tested through the roof, but I didn’t like what I saw at the Senior Bowl. I think I’d take St. Juste instead or see if D’Ante Smith is still on the board at #97.
I might consider Divine Deablo over Molden.
I also am starting to convince myself more and more that Eskridge will last into R3 due to his age.
Totally agree with you on St. Juste, I would pick him over Rochell. I like the idea of Deablo too!
So we need a #3 who can play inside, you say…
Darrell Taylor will never see the field. I’d put money on it. Weird medical shit going on behind the scenes. It sucks.
It’s infuriating why they made that move.
And last year of all years.
Pure desperation.
I haven’t seen anything new on this, did I miss something? Or just projecting from last year?
I’m quite confident that he’ll play this season.
Blind faith huh?
I think the same way, maybe this is why they want aldon Smith…
Rob, I know you talked about him previously in your draft preview, but doesn’t Jaelon Darden seem like the perfect Seahawks receiver? The trends with the physical profiles have been well documented, but what about from a statistical standpoint? Golden Tate was the Biletnikoff award winner coming out and is the second leading all time receiver in ND history. Paul Richardson was the leading receiver when he was at Colorado and is 5th all time leading receiver there. Tyler Lockett is the leading receiver for Kansas State. Darden is the North Texas all time leader in career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Steve V on the Breaking Down the Board podcast said just how he is obsessed with football and is a first guy in and last guy out player. On top of all of this, he has the grittiness that the Seahawks love. His father had passed away about a year ago. Maybe with his size, the Seahawks can trade down and get him in the fourth.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/motivated-by-fathers-passing-darden-impresses-at-unt-pro-day/2589682/
Sure, he’s an option
Here is an interview with Chris Simms fawning all over Kellen Mond! 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw-vVAsBRS4
Enjoy! I really like Mond, but I’m biased…
“It is noteworthy that the Seahawks threw to Carson far more frequently in 2020 than in the past.”
21 of his 37 catches came in the first 5 games!! 57% of his total for the year. He scored 3 of his 4 receiving TDs in those first 5 games.
It is the one thing that I most noticed on the film, especially comparing that early run with the late-season collapse. When Carson was hitting a brick wall at the beginning of the game, they featured him on designed plays to the flat. RW3 has got to take the easy yards over the sacks.
Michael Silver confirming what we knew…
Seahawks and Wilson kicking the can down the road
See you in 9 months, Wilson saga
https://mobile.twitter.com/MikeSilver/status/1382386291438985217
Russell Wilson is now George Costanza
That’s what we’ve become
Russell has no hand! He tried the preemptive breakup and it didn’t work.
He has a hand to play, he just doesn’t want to play it and look like the bad guy. Him trying to play both sides did not work.
Wislon was m rejected by 3 out of 4 of his “approved” teams. That 4th team then tried to get him at a bargain rate. THAT is the definition of losing leverage.
That’s not what happened
Kudos. This comment makes me wish there was a ‘like’ option.
I do think it will become an issue again next off season but I dont think it will be an issue in season.
I have a feeling Russell Wilson is going to be happy with the offense. And if that is the case Wilson will be here in Seattle long term. Think 🤔 about it. If Russell Wilson is happy why would he leave?
Don’t be naive
And he says Seahawks open to Sherm and Tate possibly after the draft.
https://mobile.twitter.com/MikeSilver/status/1382388103189528585
His crack about Earl wrung a snicker out of me-not because ET’s stunt was so outre; just that I’m not at all sure he’s got the gas in the tank anymore.
A great free safety can last longer in the NFL than many other positions. I think he can still play at a somewhat high level. I just don’t think anyone wants him. His value on the field doesn’t make up for what he is (flipping off the Seahawks, Ravens hating him).
Cha – (unless I missed it in my quick read), I’m kinda shocked not to see mention of CB as a major issue – specifically a lack of a #1 (even a “sorta #1” like we’ve had with Griffin).
While I was pleased by Reed’s showing last yr, I shudder at thinking Tre will be opposite him and neither are a #1. As for Ahkello, I think I recall him being considered by the Hawks in his draft yr but has he shown that much in the League so far?? And, when was the last time an outsider (pre-Reed) came in and did anything at CB for the Hawks (Browner 10yrs ago?).
While far from their MO and, obviously other needs exist (longer-term tackle solution or QB…), I would seriously consider spending my first pick (3rd round after trade back?) on a CB (or 2!).
I’m terrified that, even with the better pressure I expect to continue this season (and maybe improve with a true rotation at DE), with Jamal vacating the backfield and one side seriously under-manned, we will be carved up at least on one side of the field. <– maybe that's what the "Cook" folk want so we can get into a shootout – lol
Would love to get your / the community's thoughts.
Thanks for reading. But this was just the offense.
Defense is coming up shortly.
Lol. Well that makes all kinds of sense 🙂