One more win and the Seahawks will earn the #1 seed in the NFC.

It’s been a long time since we can legitimately talk about that. Now it’s a reality. One more victory, albeit against a very good 49ers team (despite their long list of injuries) and the Seahawks will do something they’ve only done three times in franchise history. On each occasion, they followed it up with a Super Bowl appearance.

There’s still plenty to do to make any of this a reality.

This is far from a flawless team. There were further turnover issues today — a problem that threatens to be an issue down the road, even if so far it hasn’t proven to be too costly.

Sam Darnold is a question mark. There are good and bad moments it seems every game. They have lost an explosive element to their passing game too.

The play-calling was baffling at times here. On a day where running the ball and playing defense felt like the flow of the game early on, the Seahawks refused to accept this.

The slow starts are an increasingly common occurrence.

It was also confusing why it took until a five-run clinching drive from the Panthers’ 25-yard line for Zach Charbonnet to out-carry Ken Walker on a day where he was the hot-hand.

Even so — this is more or less the 2025 Seahawks. They aren’t as complete or rounded as the legendary 2013 group but we’ll likely never see a team who is. The defense can be brilliant. They do have a very talented roster. They find ways to win games in the second half. They also have shown multiple ways to win games.

Football has three aspects — offense, defense and special teams. Seattle’s combination of the three appears to be the best.

They’re the highest scoring team in franchise history (470 points). They’ve won 19 of their last 24 games (#1 in the NFL during that period) and they could’ve easily won all three of their lost games this season.

They haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in a franchise record 25 consecutive games. What a stark contrast to the end of the Carroll era where we bemoaned the embarrassing loss to the Steelers at Lumen Field as they ran down Seattle’s throat in abject humiliation.

This is what many of us wanted. This is why we called for change, despite a lot of pushback (some of it quite nasty) from fans who disagreed.

It speaks to where we are now that in a close, awkward, sloppy game in Carolina — we expect better. And despite the awkwardness and sloppiness, they still won by 17 points in the end.

Whatever happens the rest of the way, this is a team to be celebrated. They’re heading in the right direction and can be even better in the future.

It would be great to finish the regular season job next week, have a week off and look forward to the best opportunity this franchise has had for 11 years.

I so hope that happens.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

With two weeks to play, the most exciting season in recent Seahawks history is coming to a crescendo.

After a thrilling, improbable, spectacular win against the Rams, all that stands in the way of the #1 seed, a bye and homefield advantage are Carolina and San Francisco.

One game at a time.  The Seahawks must travel to the east coast for an early game and dispatch the Panthers, who stand at 8-7 but have also recently beaten the Rams and Buccaneers, two teams the Seahawks have lost to this year.

Seahawks fans know what happens when you underestimate the Panthers.

Mike Macdonald does too.  I think we can have confidence that he will navigate the post-adrenaline high of beating a fierce rival and the odd schedule of coming off a Thursday game and getting the players time to spend with their families for the holiday.

A lot of the Panthers’ effectiveness has come from mistakes from the opposing offenses.  They are +5 in turnovers their last five games, mostly due to some very poor throws from Baker Mayfield, Brock Purdy and Matthew Stafford.  Generally speaking, they were not under extreme duress, they had options, and they made bad choices and executed them very poorly.

The Rams alone committed three turnovers, all within 35 yards of the end zone.  We can give the Panthers credit for a well-played game.  But the truth is, some of the ‘old Matt Stafford’ mistakes came out and absent those, the Rams score about 50 points and leave Carolina with a win and are in the pole position for the top seed.

So that might be the biggest watch point of all:  Play a clean game.  Thursday Sam Darnold had two interceptions and nearly sealed the game.  An excellent quarter by the defense and a Rashid Shaheed punt return touchdown allowed the offense to recover and get back in the game.

What better way to put a stranglehold on the top seed and gain some confidence going into Week Eighteen than to beat Carolina with a solid game that does feature any major mistakes like turnovers?

The way the Panthers defense is shaping up, that is not too tall of an order for Sam Darnold and the offense.

Let’s look at our watch points.

Attack the Prone Areas of the Defense

The Panthers defense is very middling.  They do not have a real standout identity or position group they can feature.

Joe Horn concedes as many touchdowns as he has interceptions.  Mike Jackson has mixed good moments with some confounding play.  Their Linebackers are replacement-level and their top pass rusher is Patrick Jones, who is on Injured Reserve.

The Seahawks can attack this defense in a number of ways.  Here are a couple of them they should focus on.

Attack the edges of this defense.  The last few weeks, Panthers opponents have effectively run the ball around the edges and between the tackle and the guard with regularity:

— McCaffrey could have jogged into the end zone on this play.  DJ Wonnum misreads the play and darts upfield, putting himself a mile out of position, Kyle Juszczyk easily clears Mike Jackson and poor 200lb Nick Scott has to try and handle Trent Williams with a head of steam.

— Black Corum ran seven times against them and was frequently into the second level before anyone could get to him.  The only run he had where he gained less than six yards?  A two-yard touchdown run.

— Rachaad White had a 39-yard run where he patiently waited for the Tight Ends to move their targets out of his way and bolted through the hole.

Eric Saubert, Robbie Ouzts and A.J. Barner could have very effective days leading their Running Backs to solid gains on this defense.

The second area is to take full advantage of their weak pass rush.

Derrick Brown is the only player on the roster with 10 Quarterback Hits on the season (The Seahawks have five such players and Leonard Williams has 22 alone).  Half of their sacks have come on blitzes but they are not very good at it. 

To wit — two weeks ago, they blitzed Tyler Shough thirteen times.  They sacked him five times but could only generate a 15% pressure rate for the game on 37 drop backs.  In the fourth quarter, they called off the dogs and flooded coverage.  Shough easily moved the Saints down the field, finding holes in their defense.  In the Red Zone, they brought the house on a key third down.  They did not get home and Shough made them pay by finding Chris Olave to tie the game up.  The Saints won with another drive that netted them a field goal to break the tie.

They do not blitz, they cannot get pressure and the secondary gets diced up.  They blitz and the secondary cannot consistently win in man coverage.

You feel for the defensive coaching staff.  They are trying everything they can to at least give the offense some support.

With some selective and patient play by Sam Darnold, the Seahawks should be able to move the ball effectively.  He will have the time to find his best option and if he does not get flustered, moving the offense down the field in chunks should be well within their grasp.

Defending the Panthers Offense

The Panthers have found effectiveness mixing some tough running with Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard with force-feeding rookie Tetairoa McMillan with targets to develop some chemistry with his new Quarterback.  McMillan currently has 16 explosive receptions, tied for ninth in the NFL (no shock who is #1).

Some effective running and Bryce Young making smart decisions open the door to take shots to McMillan and his scheme knowledge and confidence are growing by the day.

The best way to keep the offense in check is to limit the running game and get checkdown options like Dowdle to the ground on the first try.

Young has found a bit of a nice safety blanket when he is blitzed, finding Dowdle in the flat and letting him pick up yards because the backfield has one less defender.  In fact, the games where Young has been blitzed the most?  He has been the most effective in passing the ball.  There are some downfield shots on blitzes to be sure.  But finding his hot read and breaking to it will put much more pressure on Young to carry more of the offense himself and that is not a strength of his.

Have a look at how much his effectiveness drops the longer he is in the pocket:

If the defense can get him off of his first read and make him scan the field, there will be opportunities to take advantage.  His sack rate and interception rates skyrocket and his accuracy plummets to undrafted rookie levels.

This bodes well for the Seahawks who are renowned for getting pressure without blitzing.  The quick outlet passes Young likes to rely on?  There will not be as much room in the defense to break off a big play because that fifth man is in the backfield and not trying to fight his way through guards and tackles.

In fact, I can see Young getting some pressure and bailing out on a pass to the flat and one of our quick defenders stepping in front of it for a pick-six.  Call it a gut feeling.

Scoopage: Raiders told Maxx Crosby they want to shut him down last two games. Crosby, who has played with injuries for much of the year, vehemently disagreed and has left the building @nflonfox has learned. This could lead to questions on his future in Vegas

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) December 26, 2025

This feels like it’s trending a certain way, doesn’t it?

Against Maxx Crosby’s wishes, the Raiders are shutting him down for the season. A cynic might say it’s partly to give them the best chance to secure the #1 overall pick with two games to go. An even bigger cynic might suggest it’s to keep Crosby healthy ahead of a rebuilding period for the franchise.

Jay Glazer isn’t daft. His sentence at the end of his tweet above, “this could lead to questions on his future”, should be noted.

It’s something we’ve been talking about for weeks. As a disastrous 2025 season unfolds, it feels inevitable that the Raiders are going to experience another period of upheaval. Crosby is an asset they can deal as they prepare to embrace a longer-term plan.

His new contract, signed in March, is easy to deal. It looks like it was set-up with the idea he could be moved in the near future. A trade in the coming months would only cost the Raiders $5m in dead money. Compare that to Myles Garrett’s new contract in Cleveland, signed days after Crosby’s deal. It’d cost the Browns $40.8m in dead money to trade Garrett.

I’m convinced the Seahawks are going to be keeping a very close eye on this situation.

They made a move to try and acquire him last off-season. There’s a feeling that interest might’ve reignited prior to the trade deadline.

As we’ve been discussing over the last few months, this is a bad draft class. The worst I’ve covered since starting this blog in 2008.

There’s a good chance players with third round grades will be taken in the top-45. It’s going to be virtually impossible to match grade to value, especially if you’re picking towards the end of each round.

The trade market could be electric when the new league year begins, with contending teams feeling they’re better off using their key draft assets to acquire impact players rather than draft day-two prospects in round one.

John Schneider has shown in the past he’ll take this approach. For the covid-impacted draft of 2021, where there was hardly any 2020 college tape to study and a massively restricted pre-draft process, he was willing to deal his 2021 first round pick for a veteran.

That move, for Jamal Adams, didn’t work out. However, the problem wasn’t the concept of the trade. It was the compensation for a player who wasn’t worth it.

That isn’t a hindsight thought, I hated that trade from day one. Here’s what I wrote at the time:

There is simply no precedent whatsoever for the cost of this trade. Nobody can dispute Adams’ talent. We’ve also talked several times on this blog about the benefit of trading away 2021 picks. The college football season is in flux this year and the 2021 class appears to be top heavy. Dealing your first rounder for a proven veteran who can improve a mediocre defense made sense.

Yet this is the kind of outlay you can really only justify for a quarterback or a truly elite pass rusher or left tackle.

Now the Seahawks face a similar situation. It’s nothing to do with a global pandemic this time — but instead a bad draft.

In the case of Crosby, he isn’t a box safety. He’s a top-level pass-rusher. In this instance, you can justify the big outlay. Particularly in the circumstances.

I keep pitching it like this. The Seahawks could end up having to draft someone with a similar grade to Christian Haynes with their top pick next year. That doesn’t mean the pick would end up with the same result — but it’s far more of a possibility than, say, the times when you’ve felt like you’re getting genuine round one value (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Byron Murphy etc).

Now compare that to swapping the pick for someone like Crosby.

Whether the Seahawks win the Super Bowl this season or not, the off-season will be about finding ways to improve the team to reach an even higher level.

It is going to be extremely difficult to improve the roster through the draft in 2026.

It’ll also be difficult, perhaps even impossible, to make significant free agent moves. Teams do not have an endless amount of cash to put in escrow for guaranteed contracts. If the Seahawks aim to extend the deals of Smith-Njigba, Devon Witherspoon and possibly Charles Cross in the off-season, that will limit how much they have to throw around on the open market.

There are no such issues with acquiring Crosby. His contract is already locked-in to 2029. You wouldn’t need to begin talks over a new deal, or pay him new money up front to get him to join.

He is also a perfect fit for the personality of this team. I’d go as far to say I can’t think of a more Mike Macdonald-type player. His relentless commitment to his craft, passion for the game, lead-by-example presence and 100mph playing style are tailor-made for Seattle’s defense.

It isn’t a surprise they’ve tried to get him before.

Crosby is currently ESPN’s #1 ranked player for run-stop win-rate. We know the Seahawks really value run-defense for their EDGE players. He’s just had another 10-sack season playing basically as a one-man-band for a struggling Raiders defense. Imagine what he could do lined up next to Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy, with Nick Emmanwori lurking on the blitz.

I can well imagine Crosby seeing the Seahawks as an attractive destination too. The team personality, contending status and Head Coach would appeal to him.

There would likely be heavy interest in him. The Dallas Cowboys badly need a top pass rusher and they have surplus draft stock to bargain with. The Detroit Lions face a critical off-season after missing the playoffs this year. Crosby is from Michigan and played college football for Eastern Michigan.

It’s also possible the two other NFC West contenders show interest.

However, there are a few things to consider here. The Cowboys are currently $60m in the red for effective cap space for 2026. The Lions are $10.5m in the red. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are $60m in the black. They’re in a much stronger place to make a big trade.

I’d argue the Rams are unlikely to look at adding a big-name pass-rusher in the off-season. They have two of the better, younger pass rushers already in Jared Verse and Byron Young. They’re both among PFF’s top-15 edge rushers for 2025. They have far more pressing needs — including a future beyond Matthew Stafford, cornerback, skill players and O-line.

The 49ers also feel like an unlikely fit if you’ve been tracking their recent moves. They made a conscious effort to get younger starting this year. They’re already paying big contracts to several players, including their quarterback.

The Seahawks seem uniquely suited to Crosby in terms of fit, opportunity, cap-space and a means to take the next step.

I think it’s absolutely clear it’d be the best use of Seattle’s 2026 first round pick. If it isn’t possible for whatever reason, I suspect they might have an extended list of alternative trade targets.

Crosby’s the one who feels like the best option though. The only question is how much they’d have to pay to get it done. Personally, I would be willing to dip into 2027 stock to make it happen. Considering he turns 29 next August, I think throwing in your 2027 second rounder on top of a 2026 first round pick might be a fair price.

If they get it done — this could be the move to make Seattle’s defense truly elite. They lack the quick wins off the edge Crosby will produce with his elite agility (4.13 shuttle at 255lbs) combined with top-end explosive traits.

The 2026 NFL off-season is going to be different. A very weak draft class is going to shift a lot of attention to the trade market. There’s a good chance a decent chunk of teams will use their main off-season asset (first round pick) to acquire veteran talent, because the value will be so poor in the draft.

Yet the question I’ve kept coming back to is — how easy will it be to make deals if the selling teams also know they’re acquiring stock in a bad draft?

That’s why asking prices might include 2027 stock, as we saw in the Quinnen Williams trade. The Jets took Dallas’ second round pick in 2026 but one of their first round selections in 2027.

We might see other deals like this in the coming months. There’s also another reason why teams might acquire 2026 stock — in order to make deals themselves.

Here’s an example for you. There’s a growing weirdness surrounding the Baltimore Ravens. There’s developing chatter that maybe Lamar Jackson might want/need a fresh start — and that perhaps the Ravens would be right to embrace that too.

A Ravens beat reporter called Mike Preston recently wrote about the relationship between team and quarterback and it wasn’t complimentary. At all.

Within the piece he speculated that Jackson might be open-minded about a trade to Miami or Las Vegas. The Dolphins have a major financial stumbling block in their way in the form of Tua Tagovailoa’s contract, in relation to acquiring another expensive veteran QB. They’re already $32m in the red for cap space next year before cutting Tagovailoa — which would come, if designated as a post-June 1st cut, with an extra $11m cap-hit given the tens of millions it’d cost in dead money.

There’s no such issue for the Raiders. They have the second most cap space available per Over The Cap’s projection.

If the Ravens were open to trading Jackson, it would be a costly deal. Russell Wilson-esque. The Raiders are the kind of franchise that is inclined to go big-name hunting rather than rebuild over the time. Some fans would argue they’ve been “rebuilding” for years. Adding a player of Jackson’s reputation might be seen as the shot in the arm the franchise needs, especially in their division.

Increasingly I think the Raiders will finally be open to trading Maxx Crosby in the off-season and I would fully expect the Seahawks to be one of the teams near the front of the queue. He’s a perfect fit schematically, in terms of playing style and his mentality. They’ve tried to trade for him before and I think they’ll try again.

If the Raiders dealt him they would save another $30m in cap space. They would have extra stock to dangle in the face of the Ravens. They’d have the money to bring in Jackson’s salary (his base salary is $51.25m for the next two seasons) and then add some other free agents around him.

There’s a lot of moving parts here, I appreciate that. But I think there’s a good chance Crosby is dealt. There’s a growing chance Jackson will be too. And the fit of the Raiders adding stock and then using it to get Jackson feels plausible.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Seahawks were very much involved in the Crosby sweepstakes.

And if it isn’t him, I also wouldn’t be surprised if they have a list of trade targets, rather than tackle the poor value they’d get picking at the end of each round in this upcoming draft.

The one thing to remember is — any player they add is unlikely going to be someone coming in and immediately getting a big new contract. That’s not how the Seahawks go about things for starters. Secondly, there’s only so much ‘cash’ to go around on big signings. The chances are they will give big extensions to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon next year, plus also Charles Cross. They’ll also want to keep Rashid Shaheed.

That’s why Crosby makes sense — because he signed a very tradable contract earlier this year, he’s locked up until 2029. The fact it’ll only cost Vegas $5m in dead money suggests the deal was set up with a ‘play-it-by-ear’ approach.

I do think there’s a very realistic chance Crosby will be a key future target for the Seahawks.

On that note, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and say thank you for your continued support of this blog and the work I do elsewhere. It’s now 17 years since I started SDB and it’s become such a big part of my life, thanks to those of you who stick with it and keep things ticking along. Have a great day tomorrow and see you on the other side.

The trolls are back in the YouTube comments so if you can, hit the like button and leave your own comment, it’s all really appreciated!

Brian and I discussed a number of Seahawks topics today in the aftermath of Seattle’s win over the Rams. Check it out…

On Wednesday I wrote a piece explaining why I was intrigued to see the Seahawks play without Charles Cross.

The point I was making is — I don’t think Charles Cross is as good as some people think. I don’t think he’s developed much in four years in Seattle and I’m hesitant to make him a $30m left tackle (which I assume is the price-range he will want if contract talks happen in the off-season).

There’s supporting evidence to this theory as I highlighted in the article. He wasn’t included in ESPN’s top-10 pre-season offensive tackles, per polling of league execs, scouts and coaches. He wasn’t even in the six subsequent honourable mentions.

I don’t think his play has improved much since that poll, if at all. He’s only graded as PFF’s 26th best tackle for 2025.

I haven’t been arguing that he should be replaced. I just don’t think enough of a conversation is had about his play and his worthiness for a big extension next off-season (especially with two years of club control remaining in Seattle’s back pocket).

I’m surprised nobody else seems to talk about it. There’s a conventional wisdom, locally and nationally, that Cross is an excellent player. Albert Breer, for example, has repeatedly called Cross a ‘franchise left tackle’ this week. Nearly all the talk going into the game was about the loss of Cross being a massive blow.

I thought this game was a great test of the two theories.

If Josh Jones performed very poorly in relief, it would highlight that even if Cross isn’t necessarily an elite player at his position, he was still markedly better than the next player on the depth chart. That could arguably warrant a significant investment because left tackle isn’t a position to take lightly.

If Jones basically played at the same level as Cross, or better, what then? Does it perhaps suggest we should have a bigger conversation about Cross? Spend more time analysing the player we see in 2025, compared to the one who entered the league in 2022? Should it really be such an assumption he gets a big new contract in 2026? Especially when many assumed he would’ve already been rewarded this year?

Jones gave up zero sacks, two pressures and two hurries against the Rams. Cross has only given up two sacks in 14 games this season. He’s averaged 1.3 hurries per game and 1.7 pressures. So it’s somewhat similar.

Jones’ PFF grade for the game was a 75.9. Cross hasn’t had a grade that high since week one against the 49ers.

His run-blocking grade was a 70.4 — four of Cross’ 14 games have had a higher grade this season and his overall run-blocking grade for the year is a 66.7.

Regulars know I detest PFF grades and I think for good reason — they are clearly nonsense in many cases, such as Byron Murphy getting a 48.8 grade against the Colts only for Mike Macdonald to say in the aftermath that he single-handedly won Seattle the game.

However, I think this is slightly different — because I’m comparing two players graded in the same system. So even if by and large PFF grades are ridiculous and untrustworthy, I can still look at how they’re assessing these two players.

Based on the data here, not just the grading, there was no big drop-off.

This is just one game. For the purpose of this subject, I’m eager to see more from Jones. Not because I want to see him replace Cross permanently — and not because I want to get rid of Cross or make some point about him being no good. I don’t think any of those things.

I’m just surprised at the lack of discussion around his development, which I think has been underwhelming. I believe we’re still waiting for him to show he’s taken a step forward as a player. I think there’s an assumption on his performance level which is inaccurate. It’s one reason, I think, why he wasn’t extended in 2025 yet I think it’s fairly certain Jaxon Smith-Njigba will get a new deal next summer.

If Jones plays as well against the Panthers and possibly 49ers, to provide a three-game example, it might suggest Cross is closer to his talent level than say Andrew Thomas of the Giants. I remain unconvinced that he’s as good as many others do after watching his replacement basically produce the same performance.

On the 18th January, 2015, the Seahawks played a game of football. They were losing, badly, in a let-down performance. All hope was lost going into the fourth quarter. There was no chance, it was done. The quarterback was turning the ball over and nothing was working.

Then weird stuff started happening, including a flukey, miracle two-point conversion and some special teams magic. Fans went from resignation that their team were going to lose, to suddenly thinking they had half a chance.

The game went into overtime. The quarterback, who’d had a bad day, had a shot at redemption. Big plays, including one to finish it off. A walk-off score. The Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers and went to the Super Bowl.

This game against the Rams was very different in a number of ways but so similar at the same time. The hopelessness when Sam Darnold threw his second interception. The fourth-quarter magic, including the crazy two-pointer (Zach Charbonnet) and the big special teams play (Rasheed Shahid). The game going into overtime. The quarterback, Darnold, having a redemption moment.

Plus the feeling you’ve just watched something you’ll never see again.

Don’t get me wrong — there are plenty of question marks to come out of this game. The defense was diced up and gave up 581 yards. The offense has its own issues — including the quarterback’s play, the O-line and the play-calling.

Today though, we can afford to push all of that to one side. Somehow the Seahawks pulled off the improbable. How did they win this game? Through sheer grit and determination. A will to win that should fill any fan with pride.

Against the odds, they control their own destiny for the #1 seed in the NFC.

Incredible.

This is a guest article by Curtis Allen…

Now comes the true test.

This game has been marked on the calendar as a big matchup before the season started, and the anticipation has only grown since.  A close loss in Week Eleven in which the Seahawks won in every facet of the stat sheet except the most important one has only fueled the rivalry.

And now, with a clear path to both a division title and the #1 seed on the line, we once again see these two colliding.  We should expect nothing less than another memorable matchup.

The Rams are perhaps the NFL’s best team at the moment.  In the last two weeks, they have scored over 40 points and gained over 500 yards of offense in their wins.

Their Week Thirteen loss to Carolina only underscores their prowess.  Carolina needed the following to beat the Rams:

• Three Ram turnovers, including a Matt Stafford pick-6 and two others in Carolina’s Red Zone
• Two daring fourth-down touchdown throws by Bryce Young
• Having possession of the football in 21 of the game’s last 30 minutes

Likely the Rams felt like the Seahawks did after Week Eleven.  We played very, very well.  A couple things go our way and we walk away with a win.

A few things have changed since that game:

The Seahawks have flipped the arrow on the turnover margin, with an excellent +6 number, while the Rams have trended the other way at -1.  Matt Stafford has thrown three interceptions, two of them the familiar variety of poor decision that he has avoided this year.

Seattle’s defense has gotten even better, conceding only 237 yards and 12.25 points per game, while the Rams defense trended down a bit, conceding 338 yards and two touchdown passes to Jared Goff and 164 yards on the ground to Carolina.

Their offense has more than made up the difference, averaging a stellar 37 points and 440 yards per game, while the Seahawks had sputtering halves against Atlanta and Minnesota and could not score a touchdown against the Colts.

On the personnel front, Jarran Reed and Julian Love are back after missing Week Eleven, while Charles Cross will miss the game after an injury Sunday.  The Rams will likely sit Davante Adams with an injury.

Blake Corum is suddenly red-hot with four touchdowns and a crazy 9.3 yards per rush, featuring nine explosive runs.  Old friend Colby Parkinson had a two-touchdown game last week along with five catches for 75 yards.

For the Seahawks, Rashid Shaheed is much more comfortable in the offense.  Byron Murphy and DeMarcus Lawrence have emerged as forces on the Defensive Line to complement Leonard Williams, and Nick Emmanwori’s confidence and role is growing by the week.

Some Game Thoughts

— The Seahawks held Matt Stafford to his worst game of the year in their last matchup.  They will need that and a bit more for this game.  Someone has to make a play that will tilt the game.  In the loss to the Panthers, that someone was Derrick Brown.  He was directly responsible for two turnovers, batting a pass that was intercepted and then strip-sacking Stafford with two minutes to play.

— We talked about the need for poise leading up to the last matchup and unfortunately, that was the key issue in the Seahawks’ loss.  It is no less important this week.  Sam Darnold has a chance to put that performance behind him.  A spectacular game would be fantastic.  But a solidly competent, smart game where he plays within himself and trusts his defense at times to get him the ball back might be just what the doctor ordered.

— The two fourth down touchdowns the Panthers scored?  Emmanuel Forbes was defending on both.  The Seahawks had four completions for 51 yards against him in Week Eleven.  We also pointed out that Nathan Landman is vulnerable in coverage and the Seahawks attacked him three times for 33 yards.  AJ Barner had career-highs in eleven targets and ten catches to log 70 yards against this defense.  Keep going to that well.

— Ken Walker had a quietly effective game on the ground and added three catches for 44 yards in the passing game.  A repeat of that performance would go a long way toward balancing their attack in this one.

— This is the kind of effort the Seahawks need on defense today.

Charles Cross has been ruled out for the Rams game with an injury.

However, rather than be concerned, I’m intrigued to see what a Cross-less Seahawks look like.

There’s an assumption that Cross will be given a hefty extension next off-season. The chances are the new deal would top the $28.5m a year Rashawn Slater earns with the Chargers.

I’m not against the Seahawks extending their young left tackle. I appreciate fully it’s a difficult position to solve.

I don’t think, however, there’s enough of a conversation about how good Cross actually is. It feels like one big assumption that he’s one of the top players at his position. I’m not so sure. And if he isn’t one of the very best tackles in the NFL, what’s the rush to make him the highest paid?

Last summer Jeremy Fowler polled league executives, coaches and scouts to put together a ranking list for each position in the NFL. Cross wasn’t included in the top-10 tackles. He wasn’t even included in the six listed honourable mentions.

He is currently ESPN’s 11th ranked tackle in pass-block win percentage.

PFF has him graded as the 26th best tackle in football this year. In terms of pass-blocking he’s their 38th ranked offensive lineman. He’s their 53rd ranked run-blocking tackle.

How good is he, then?

If Jones is able to come in and play at the levels portrayed above and basically pick up the slack, what then?

I’m not arguing that such a scenario should see Cross run out of town and replaced. I just think there hasn’t been enough of a conversation about how well he’s playing or the state of his development in four seasons in Seattle.

I didn’t grade him as a top-10 pick before the 2022 draft. That wasn’t a hot-take. Daniel Jeremiah had him at #22 in his final top-150 players.

His base and core power always bothered me, as did his non-typical frame. I thought he needed to get stronger. Although his footwork was quick and sharp and effectively his calling card, he would lunge to the outside. You didn’t see him often mirror, engage and finish in the air-raid offense. There was a lot of projection as to whether he could do that consistently well.

We see the same issues exist today. It feels like every year we’re waiting for him to take the next step and it hasn’t happened.

I’m not a fan of paying non-elite players top-end salaries when you’re operating under a hard cap. If there’s a deal to be done without re-setting the market, great. The way people talk about Cross though, it just seems like he has a reputation way beyond his performance level. There’s this grand assumption, locally and nationally, that he’s a top player. I think he’s a decent player. He is not great.

His cap-hit next year is $17.56m on the fifth year option per Over the Cap. Their projection for the offensive lineman franchise tag in 2026 is $27.18m. With two further years of club control, do you need to commit to Cross next off-season?

Many people expected him to be paid last summer. It didn’t happen. I argued it shouldn’t happen at the time because I thought he needed to reach a new level of performance to justify it. Simply put, I don’t think he’s done it.

For that reason, I’d be inclined to play this by ear. If there’s a more reasonable number to be found, fair enough. But this shouldn’t be a foregone conclusion that he’ll top Slater’s deal with the Chargers.

I will say though — you often hear how impossible it is to find good offensive tackles without picking in the top-10 of the draft. Let’s look at the ten players ranked ahead of Cross in ESPN’s pass-block win-rate:

#1 Roger Rosengarten — 62nd pick in 2024
#2 Dion Dawkins — 63rd pick in 2017
#3 Tristan Wirfs — 13th pick in 2020
#4 Zach Tom — 140th pick in 2022
#5 Andrew Thomas — 4th pick in 2020
#6 Ronnie Stanley — 6th pick in 2016
#7 Darnell Wright — 10th pick in 2023
#8 Jawaan Taylor — 35th pick in 2019
#9 Garett Bolles — 20th pick in 2017
#10 Rasheed Walker — 249th pick in 2022

The average draft position of these 10 players is 60th overall. If you take out the two most extreme examples — Andrew Thomas (#4) and Rasheed Walker (#249) the average still settles at #44 overall.

The rest of the top-20 also includes Warren McCledon (174th overall), Spencer Brown (93rd overall), Terence Steele (undrafted), Luke Goedeke (57th overall), Brian O’Neill (62nd overall), Jaylon Moore (155th overall) and, predictably, Trent Williams (dealt to the 49ers for a 5th round pick and a future third rounder).

I’m not suggesting it’s a walk in the park to find good pass-protecting tackles. I just think it’s important to note that the concept of these players being impossible to discover, or that they require premium draft stock to acquire, isn’t strictly true.

A bigger conversation about Cross’ play is required. It’s as if nobody really talks about it. I think it’s convenient not to talk about it because the alternative (having to consider other left tackles) is an uncomfortable thought. Plus, his draft status as a top-10 pick has possibly created a misplaced aura over his play (that has arguably been the case with Witherspoon at times too).

Elite contracts should be for the best players. They shouldn’t be given out simply to avoid having to consider alternatives at some point in the future.

I’m interested to see what happens on Thursday. It might mean paying Cross to avoid a Jones-type future develops into a bigger narrative. It might simply mean Jones isn’t good enough. If he basically does the same job Cross has been doing, that should also be the catalyst for a broader discussion on this topic.