Seattle’s biggest off-season challenge is pretty clear. They need to go into next season with the same kind of rounded, complementary roster that enabled them to win the Super Bowl. It’s easier said than done.

They will lose players. How they replace them will determine their ability to contend at the highest level.

I would suggest it’s almost certain Boye Mafe will depart in free agency. There’s a question about Uchenna Nwosu, given his cap-hit is $19.9m next season. That will need to come down and if not, they can save $11.5m by cutting him. Even if Nwosu stays they will almost certainly need to reduce his 2026 cost.

Then there’s DeMarcus Lawrence. He seemed to suggest at the parade that he’d be back next year. Listening to the excellent Brady Henderson on Seattle Sports on Thursday, it might be more in the balance as to whether he retires or not.

Seattle’s EDGE depth could seriously reduce. In order to get back to the Super Bowl, they will need to find ways to keep this as a strength of the team.

There’s a lot of talk about this being a loaded draft for EDGE rushers. I would urge caution there. This is a thin draft overall and there just happens to be more names at EDGE compared to other positions. So yes, we’ll likely see a large number of pass-rushers go in the first two rounds. That doesn’t equate to those players being quality, impact starters though. It’s about quantity, not necessarily quality.

I’d go as far to say this — there are a ton of question marks about the 2026 pass-rush class. You’ve got players with untypical body types, really short arms, a lack of twitch and a central focus on power, you’ve got players who are a liability vs the run. It’s very hard to bang the table for any.

I would suggest that at pick #32 the chances of landing a top replacement or addition at EDGE is remote.

That’s not to say there aren’t any appealing potential Seahawks in this draft. I can easily imagine interest in Michigan’s fierce Jaishawn Barham. He’s an excellent, physical run defender who can easily handle the edge-setting duties as an OLB. He has some upside as a pass-rusher having only recently converted from linebacker. He has the feel of the Seahawk.

Can you take him at #32? No. There’s far too much of a projection about what he can become at the next level. He’s the type of player you hope lasts to the end of round two, perhaps.

If Seattle’s main motivation is to address the EDGE position, I come back to my favourite topic (only briefly though, don’t worry). They enquired about Maxx Crosby at the combine a year ago. Per Brady Henderson, again speaking on Seattle Sports, there was a feeling their offer of Geno Smith and DK Metcalf for Crosby might actually get done — until the Raiders put the kibosh on it.

We also know that before the trade deadline both Jay Glazer and Adam Schefter said to watch out for the Seahawks making a splash. Both went to great lengths to hint that something big was brewing. There’s a strong belief the Seahawks went back in for Crosby but were again turned down. Adding to this is Schefter’s report after the event that the Seahawks had a tentative arrangement to send Mafe to Kansas City, a deal that was eventually cancelled.

It’s pretty easy to imagine that was set up on the proviso Seattle landed Crosby.

I’m going to keep saying this while ever there’s a chance it could happen — acquiring Crosby is the single most impactful addition the Seahawks can make this season, to further increase their Championship window and give them a legitimate shot of returning to the Super Bowl. If there’s ever a time to go big, this is it.

I think they will try again and those talks will likely take place next week. At the end of the day, it looks like they’re going to have to do something at EDGE. Competition will be fierce and they might not win a bid for Crosby. But I think they will try.

If it doesn’t happen what’s the solution? I think probably to try and make sure Lawrence and Nwosu return, to establish consistency, presence and leadership. Box clever in free agency to replace Mafe. Who gets cut, for example? Could Arnold Ebiketie, someone they reportedly liked and was taken just before Mafe in 2022, be a cheaper alternative to the man they’re likely losing? Plus potentially they can use the depth at EDGE to their advantage. Players are going to go on day two who are, frankly, no worse than the EDGE defenders going in round one.

With your top pick, you will have options. I’m stunned to see the popular draft media mock drafts putting the likes of Peter Woods, Kayden Mcdonald and Caleb Banks in the late first or out of the first frame altogether. That will be malpractice. The main ‘national’ mocks rely on scouting sources rather than projection, so that is at least the prevailing thought by those who talk in league circles. If players of that quality drop to #32, you should take them.

If the league sees sense and they’re gone, you might have a shot at one of the top cornerbacks. However, it’s such a premium position I would imagine the top group, including Avieon Terrell, Jermod McCoy, Colton Hood and Mansoor Delane, will be gone. The next tier, for me, are not worthy of your top pick.

I’m not convinced at all they’d take a receiver. I expect Rashid Shaheed will be kept, just as Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones were. Tory Horton will be back. You’re going to invest millions in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp appears ready to continue. This feels more like a depth situation. Day two, perhaps? There’s enough depth if they want to.

This leads me on to the player I really wanted to discuss today.

It seems pretty clear that the situation with Ken Walker could go either way. Next week, at the combine, the Seahawks are going to find out what his market is. If it’s too high — and that could simply be +$10m a year — they will probably move on. If it’s in their wheelhouse, he’ll stay. It’s going to come down to other teams and their willingness to pay Walker to get him out of Seattle. I don’t think the Seahawks will chase this.

If he departs, what then?

They do still have Zach Charbonnet and I’m not convinced by all of these people saying he’ll be back in the middle of next season. Modern technology has rapidly reduced recovery time for ACL injuries.

Jimmy Graham suffered what I think is considered the worst knee injury — a torn patellar tendon — on November 29th, 2015. He returned to practise in August 2016 and played in week one.

You can’t bank on Charbonnet being ready though. They’ll need to do something.

Free agency provides slim pickings. So does the draft. This is not a deep group of running backs.

However — there’s one player who not only could be in their sights, he could be an option with the #32 pick.

This week I went back to study Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. This time I only watched ‘his’ tape. In the past I’d had to fast forward through Notre Dame games to get to his reps, given he was backing up Jeremiyah Love. It’s very hard to get an angle on a player working like this.

Once I had tape of his just his runs, I was able to get a much clearer picture of who he is. And who he is, for me, is one of the 20 best players in this class.

Price’s acceleration and burst hints at major NFL potential, particularly in a zone system. He consistently runs to the outside, hits the edge and then with decisiveness, explodes upfield. He absolutely loves to get outside in zone, stick his foot in the ground and get vertical. I was sat there watching these zone reps one after the other thinking — wow, he could be a star in this system.

Unlike Walker (sorry, Ken) there’s no hesitation or dancing. There’s no wasted movement. The runs to the outside are sharp, he gets to where he needs to go and then when that crease opens up, bang. He’s like lightning. When he’s running up the middle he gets downhill quickly, breaking through the opening if you give it him and that’s when the fun starts.

If he breaks to the second level he’ll be a threat to score any time. He is so fast. His acceleration leaves defenders in the dust. He’s an explosive play waiting to happen.

Despite being spelled for Love, he still managed a +20 yard run in eight games last season. He also breaks through attempted tackles to produce his big gains. He averaged 3.92 yards after contact per attempt in 2025.

Not only that, he’s a major threat as a kick returner — averaging 37.8 yards on conventional college returns last season and scoring two touchdowns.

Price is ideally sized at about 5-11 and 210lbs. That’s typically what the Seahawks have looked for. Having watched several of his interviews, his personality also feels like a big-time fit in Seattle.

I’m just saying — this is a team that has been willing to spend high picks on running backs. Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet were recent second round picks. They spent the 27th pick on Rashaad Penny in 2018.

They might be willing to save money on Walker, to ensure they get everything else done that they need to do. Then, spend a high pick on Price — whose year-one cap-hit would be around $2.6m if they used the #32 pick on him.

Some people will hate this suggestion. They won’t be able to compute the idea of taking another running back early. I understand that — but I would just say that Price, to me, looks like the real deal. He isn’t his Notre Dame team-mate but he’s not a million miles behind. There’s a reason why he feels confident declaring for this draft having never been a starter in college.

It’s very easy to imagine him playing in outside zone and being an absolute killer. If he tests well at the combine, don’t be surprised if he starts getting buzz about being off the board before Seattle’s pick.

Why isn’t that already happening? It’s probably because he didn’t start. There are also some unknowns. He only had six catches on seven targets in the passing game. Can he do anything for you there? I suspect he can but you just don’t know. Can he pass-protect? Again, a bit of an unknown.

I’m fascinated by the idea of him in Seattle though, if they don’t retain Walker. I think he’s someone we should talk more about.

It would leave the Seahawks needing to be creative to fill other gaps on the D-line and at cornerback but you can’t just force those needs. That’s how you end up making mistakes. It’s no guarantee anyway that rookies at EDGE or corner would be ready to start.

If Terrell, McCoy, Hood and Delane are gone you aren’t likely going corner first anyway. Not unless you’re so convinced by the upside of Brandon Cisse (at the moment, I’m not — let’s see after he tests).

You might be forced to take a chance on Marlon Humphrey after he’s inevitably cut. You might need to see if you can help Montaric Brown take the next step. You might have to rely on your defensive staff, including secondary coach Karl Scott, to develop some players and find hidden gems as they did with Josh Jobe. There is depth at corner in the draft.

And as I mentioned, maybe it’s Ebiketie for Mafe at EDGE, or a choice cut from another team. If they acquire Crosby, obviously that takes care of that and removes any prospect of them using their first round pick on anyone, let alone a running back.

It’ll be interesting to see how they take on the challenges of this off-season. Things get interesting in Indianapolis next week.