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The Seattle Seahawks have had quite the tumultuous offseason, highlighted by the trade of franchise cornerstone Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Launching full-force into a rebuild, it will be interesting to see how their front office builds their 2022 roster for Pete Carroll and his coaching staff.
Kudos to the people in charge for realizing that their window of competition was closed shut – with how daunting the rest of the division had gotten around them, they certainly were going to be fighting an uphill battle the entire season. By getting value for Wilson when they did, they ensured that they were able to jumpstart their rebuild process now, with a look to the future.
Even with this time likely not being a competitive one, they still need to field a semi-competitive roster this year. With concerns all across their lineup, training camp and their slate of preseason contests will be key to determining how many build-around options they already have in-house.
Seahawks First Stringers in Danger of Losing Starting Jobs in 2022
Artie Burns
Cornerback
Because of rookies Coby Bryant and Tariq Wooley, the odds of both Artie Burns and Sidney Jones V holding starting roles for long as the two boundary cornerbacks are unlikely. But this is the kind of problem that the Seahawks wanted to have, and if they can usher in young starters already, their retooling is going along nicely.
The slight edge will go to Jones, as he is slightly younger and higher paid than Burns, meaning that Burns looks to be the one that is fighting for a starting role currently. As both Bryant and Wooley are earning plenty of practice reps during camp and the preseason, they are putting plenty of work on tape for the coaching staff to analyze.
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Both Bryant and Wooley have made enough noise for national media to start to warm up to the idea that they are potential first-year starters, and the Seahawks should be thrilled that they may have found two potential long-term starters at CB in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively.
Rashaad Penny
Running Back
With the retirement of Chris Carson, the proverbial baton was handed over to Rashaad Penny, a high-upside running back beset by far too many injuries. While the backfield looked to be 100% his, the drafting of Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III put a bit of a damper on those plans.
Penny made a name for himself last season, as the former first-round pick from San Diego State led the league in average yards per carry (6.3). Having toted the rock 119 times for 749 yards, Penny has dealt with a plethora of lower-body injuries, ranging from a torn ACL to a pulled hamstring.
A ‘minor’ groin injury is Penny’s new ailment suffered in Seahawks training camp, which kept him out of Seattle’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh, allowing for Walker to ideally earn the bulk of the work to start the game. However, even though Walker was in on three of the team’s first four drives, he only earned six total targets (five carries), limiting the kind of impact you’d look for in a rookie.
With injury concerns following Penny around, the likelihood of him making it through a whole season is unlikely. Plus, the Seahawks did not use the 41st overall selection on Walker just to have him ride the bench his first season – he will see playing time, and he could ultimately unseat Penny at the top.
