Thoughts on the Seattle’s offensive coordinator search
I’m posting this mainly in the hope the article will end up as some kind of reverse jinx. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to know who Seattle’s next offensive coordinator is going to be.
According to Hank Fraley’s wife on social media, the decision between Seattle and Detroit was ‘close’. The problem is, it appears after an in-person meeting and subsequent talks over staffing and fit, the Seahawks have missed out on the guy they presumably wanted to hire.
It’s not a big deal provided they can pivot quickly to Plan B. However, there are some issues worth noting. Suddenly the Texans and Buccaneers are looking for an offensive coordinator too. Houston can offer a top young quarterback and some good weapons. The Buccs’ last OC just got paid an absolute fortune to be a Head Coach after one year of production, with a talented offense in a weak division.
Today it’s been revealed Tampa Bay have interviewed Grant Udinski. If these two teams start competing for the same candidates as Seattle, things could get tricky. The Seahawks don’t have a young quarterback, they need major repair work to the offensive line and they just fired their last offensive coordinator after one season.
Meanwhile, you have to wonder what Udinski and Klint Kubiak feel about the situation. Has a nose or two been put out of joint, given they seemingly targeted Fraley and kept them waiting for a week?
Originally I thought Detroit losing in the playoffs was a good thing for Seattle. It would enable them to interview Fraley in person, giving them another candidate to choose from in the coming days with an appointment likely in the middle of the week. Now I’m wondering if a better scenario was a strong Lions playoff run, shifting the Seahawks to act instead of delaying the process.
There was no home-run hire in this cycle. Even so, I think some fans would’ve felt somewhat reassured had the Seahawks had a clear idea on who they wanted to replace Ryan Grubb and landed them swiftly.
Now there’s a little bit of a sense that maybe this isn’t a very attractive job and perhaps some fear over whether they can get this right?
The Senior Bowl practises start on Tuesday. The off-season is well and truly underway. They’ve had three weeks now. It’s time to appoint a coordinator. They can’t afford to let this drag on much longer.
Thoughts on Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft
Contradictory opinions this week on Will Howard aside, Jeremiah does have strong contacts in the league. Last year he was the one who started talking about the Seahawks potentially taking a cornerback at #16. It seems that probably would’ve been the case if Byron Murphy had been off the board.
Here are some thoughts on Jeremiah’s mock, published today:
— I think it’s very likely that his top-two picks are spot on — Abdul Carter at #1 and Travis Hunter at #2. The Giants seem to like Cam Ward and might feel obliged to take a quarterback early — even if other teams don’t even have a first round grade on Ward. I can’t see Shedeur Sanders at #6, however, unless Tom Brady insists on it. To me, Pete Carroll is far more likely to favour building up his roster, adding a veteran QB (Geno Smith?) then taking a quarterback later on. Perhaps even Jaxson Dart with their second pick?
— I’m not surprised he has Tyler Booker going 10th overall. As we’ve said all along, Booker is a perfect combination of size, power, 5-star recruit upside and he has unbelievable character. In a separate tweet, Jeremiah called him ‘Will Anderson on offense’ and that sums him up perfectly. He’s a plug-and-play guard from day one. Increasingly I’ve been thinking he won’t last to #18 — especially with the cost of offensive linemen these days. I’d been thinking #16 to Arizona or #17 to Cincinnati. I hadn’t thought #10 to the Bears — but I think Jeremiah’s onto something here. That makes a ton of sense. Booker not attending the Senior Bowl also suggests he’s getting positive intel about his placing in the draft.
— Tyler Warren has felt like a top-10 pick for weeks. I’m not sure why as a fanbase we’ve talked about him as much as we have. There’s no chance of him reaching #18. I don’t think Colston Loveland will reach #18 either but if he does — he’s someone they might consider.
— The Seahawks take Kenneth Grant at #18, the Michigan defensive tackle. I don’t think this is very likely. They’ve placed a high degree of importance on football character. Grant’s tape was underwhelming in 2024 and he often left you wanting a lot more. Despite possessing great athletic traits and playing alongside top-five lock Mason Graham, he ranked 46th in pass-rush win percentage with a measly 9.4%. He had 27 pressures, good for a ranking of 30th. This is a far cry from a top-20 pick at defensive tackle. For comparison, Byron Murphy led college football last year with a 19.6% pass-rush win percentage and he had the fifth most pressures (45). Grant’s run defense grade of 86.3 was good for 15th but I’m not convinced you’re taking a solid run defender in the top-20.
— The linemen going early and often in Jeremiah’s mock does speak, however, to the likelihood of the Seahawks taking a defender with their top pick. Jihaad Campbell, Malaki Starks, Nick Emmanwori, James Pearce Jr, Shemar Stewart, Mike Green and TJ Sanders are all on the board. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden and Matthew Golden are also there, along with Josh Conerly Jr and Josh Simmons. If the Seahawks stick to BPA — there are plenty of good options here.
If you missed my thoughts on why Geno Smith reuniting with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas is plausible, check out the video below. It’s worth wondering if Tyler Locket will also head that way once he’s cut…
