On February 3, 2014, Seattle Seahawks fans everywhere were celebrating the franchise's first Super Bowl championship. With a defense that was in the same conversations as the 1985 Chicago Bears and a young second-year franchise quarterback in Russell Wilson, the sky was the limit, and the Super Bowl chances seemed endless heading into the times ahead for the Seahawks.
Little did they know, eight years later general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks would trade that same franchise quarterback, and release the last piece of the feared “Legion of Boom” that led the Seahawks defense for the better part of a decade. How many more Super Bowls had they won? Zero.
Seahawks releasing LB Bobby Wagner. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/TAtrVrMRb8
— NFL (@NFL) March 9, 2022
In the same offseason where they traded Russell Wilson and released Bobby Wagner, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves trying to piece together a roster with little direction, and an alarming lack of talent. Outside of superstar wide receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett the offense has very little to write home about. Likewise, on the defensive side, the cupboards are bare. While the Seahawks were able to retain free safety Quandre Diggs, they've lost cornerback D.J. Reed to the New York Jets after making what is being reported as a “disrespectful offer”, and at the time of this article, not made any attempts to supplement the position otherwise.
While it's certainly looking like 2008 again for the Seattle Seahawks, there are a few things that could be done to limit the pain and make the Seahawks a watchable product this coming fall. Below are two moves the Seahawks should make to complete an ailing roster heading into the 2022 season.
1. Bring in the best corner left in free agency
With the departure of D.J. Reed, the Seahawks are left with Sidney Jones and the recently signed Artie Burns to man up against the insanely talented receivers of the NFC West. Jones and Burns had almost carbon copy stat lines last season with a whopping zero interceptions between the two and just 21 and 19 tackles respectively. If the Seahawks have any hopes of not turning every game into a track meet, something they must try to stop at all costs with many red flags at quarterback, they must try to secure another cornerback that could replicate or improve upon Reed's role from last season.
After Carlton Davis remained in Tampa and J.C. Jackson moved on to LA, the best outside corner left on the market is Stephon Gilmore. The former New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers defensive back has 27 career interceptions. The biggest concern with Gilmore is his health, as he only played in eight games for the Panthers in 2021 before injuring his groin. If he can get his body back to what it was during his three years in New England, the Seahawks would have their top three positions in the secondary filled with confidence heading into the 2022 season.
2. Bring in competition at quarterback, don't settle on Drew Lock
The Seattle Seahawks received tight end Noah Fant and quarterback Drew Lock as a part of the deal that saw Russell Wilson head to Mile High. While Lock has shown glimpses at times of being a serviceable quarterback, the Seahawks are completely kidding themselves if they think he is a part of their long-term solution in the post-Wilson era. Lock has an 8-13 record in 21 career starts in Denver, with a 59.3 completion percentage and a 25 to 20 touchdown to interception ratio. Lock was benched in 2021 in favor of Teddy Bridgewater and started in just three games.
The likelihood of the Seahawks trading for a clear-cut starting-caliber quarterback is very slim. The San Francisco 49ers are most certainly not going to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the same division, and all of the other available quarterbacks have landed with their new teams after the Seahawks missed out on Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan, and Carson Wentz.
While it's been reported that the Seahawks are not interested in trading for embattled Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, they would be remiss to not kick the tires on a possible reclamation project. Mayfield is just one season removed from a 26 touchdown, eight interception season where he led the Browns to their first playoff victory since coming back to the NFL in 1999. The Seahawks have also been linked to Colin Kaepernick, who was spotted working out with Tyler Lockett just last week.
Some more throws from Colin Kaepernick’s workout in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/6z0KGudWSo
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) March 23, 2022
Could Kaepernick or Mayfield be the answer to the prayers of Seahawks fans still mourning Russell Wilson? We will only know if they're brought in to compete.
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