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The Seattle Seahawks will officially enter a new era in the 2022 NFL season. After trading star quarterback and Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson, Seattle will be ushering in a new signal-caller under center, with the likes of former Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock and Seahawks backup Geno Smith the current favorites for the job.
It's not just on offense, either. The once-vaunted Seahawks defense saw the last remaining starter from the Super Bowl team, All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, leave this offseason. Wagner was surprisingly cut by the Seahawks, then signed onto the defending-champion and division-rival Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks will have to replace not one, but two franchise cornerstones in 2022. Not an enviable task. However, it simply means that other players on the depth chart will have to step up. Who will have to step up for Seattle in 2022? A strong season from Lock or Smith would help the Seahawks greatly, though no one is expecting career years out of them.
Safety Jamal Adams will have to be more even more vocal as a leader, though no one is doubting his ability to produce on the field. So, if not those players, who?
These three Seahawks players have the potential to put together breakout campaigns in the 2022 NFL season.
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Seahawks Breakout Players For 2022 NFL Season
3. Jordyn Brooks
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, currently listed as the starter at middle linebacker, will have the unfortunate task of attempting to replace Bobby Wagner.
A former first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brooks played his first full season as a starter this past year- and he didn't disappoint.
The Texas Tech product finished second in the NFL in combined tackles- ahead of Wagner- with 184. He was a legitimate sideline-to-sideline beast, one who should have no trouble translating to the middle with Wagner gone.
While it's difficult to say that someone that successful could have a breakout season, Brooks still has areas where he can improve. The 24-year-old needs to be better in pass coverage, a task Wagner was elite at for years.
If he can do that while remaining excellent against the run, Brooks could be in for a Pro Bowl season in 2022.
2. Noah Fant
Noah Fant has spent three seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. A former first round pick, Fant arrived in Seattle in the Wilson trade.
In three seasons, the 24-year-old has exceeded 600-plus yards in two of them. However, for a player with his combination of size and 4.5 40-yard dash speed, one would expect better numbers from the tight end.
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Part of the problem has been his quarterback play, which isn't exactly going to change in 2022. What is going to change is the fact that Fant will have elite-level wideouts in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett attracting defensive attention away from him.
That will help the former Broncos tight end greatly, particularly in the red zone, where defenses will be zeroing in on the two wideouts.
Fant is one of the better receiving tight ends in the league. He just needs to take advantage of the opportunity to show his talent. He ranked 10th in the NFL in targets inside the 20-yard line.
If given a similar workload in 2022 with the Seahawks, it's not hard to envision Fant putting up a career-high number in touchdown receptions.
Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny technically had his breakout down the stretch of last year. However, he has yet to do it over the course of a full season, which is why he's here at number one.
Penny has been dealt a rough hand in terms of his health, as he has never played a full season in four years. The explosive halfback is already dealing with an injury- and it's not even training camp yet!
However, Penny's potential is still tantalizing if he's able to stay on the field, particularly in Carroll's run-heavy offense. In the last five games of 2021, Penny exceeded 130 rushing yards in four of them while scoring six touchdowns in that span. The Seahawks won three of those games.
Penny, who ran a 4.47 40-yard dash, was unbelievable at the college level. As a senior at San Diego State, he ran for an eye-popping 2248 rushing yards. That's 7.8 yards per carry!
While Penny won't do that to NFL competition, it's a sign of what he's capable of when fully healthy. With fellow back Chris Carson's NFL future uncertain and rookie halfback Kenneth Walker III unproven, this could be Penny's backfield.
Expect a breakout season out of Rashaad Penny in 2022.
