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The Seattle Seahawks were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs by the Green Bay Packers. Despite them not reaching their ultimate goal of a Super Bowl, some players provided optimism for the future.
Without a doubt, Russell Wilson had one of the best seasons of his career in 2019. The former third-round pick ended the season with 4,110 yards, 31 touchdowns, and a career-low five interceptions.
If it weren't for Lamar Jackson, Wilson would likely be considered as a front-runner for the NFL's MVP Award. With Wilson leading the offense, the Seahawks came close to advancing to the NFC Championship Game versus the San Francisco 49ers.
By looking at Seattle's point differential during the season, it's safe to say the team slightly overachieved. Even with that being the case, there were a few players that improved throughout the 2019 season.
3. Bradley McDougald
Not too long ago, Seattle boasted a secondary that had Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor manning their safety positions. The Seahawks undoubtedly want to get back to playing a physical brand of football and that begins on the backend of the defense.
Over the past three seasons, Seattle has deployed Bradley McDougald at both safety positions. However, in 2019, the Seahawks decided to keep him exclusively at strong safety.
In his first six starts, McDougald totaled 25 tackles, two deflections, a forced fumble, and an interception. As for the final eight games of the season, the veteran safety got comfortable in the defense and tallied 45 tackles, four deflections, a fumble recovery, and an interception in that span.
2. Chris Carson
When watching the Seahawks, it is evident that their offense is predicated on running the football. As a result, running back Chris Carson has quickly become a focal point of Seattle's offense in the last two seasons.
At the beginning of the season, Carson was rushing well but he couldn't hold onto the football; fumbling it three times in the first three weeks. Then, in the team's last seven games, Carson rushed for 571 yards and four scores—while he fumbled it just once.
Unfortunately, a hip injury prevented Carson from participating in the playoffs. Despite the hip injury, the third-year running back showed plenty of improvement as heads into the final year of his rookie contract in 2020.
1. D.K. Metcalf
During last year's draft, the Seahawks were able to land D.K. Metcalf with the 64th overall selection. At the moment that Seattle drafted Metcalf, many—including himself—wondered how Metcalf slipped that far in the draft.
After seeing Metcalf play his first season in the NFL, people are still pondering how he went overlooked by plenty of teams. In his first eight games, the rookie wide receiver was getting adjusted to the NFL as he caught 23 passes for 402 yards and four touchdowns.
Once Metcalf got acclimated with the offense, he was able to total 35 receptions, 498 yards, and three touchdowns in the last eight games of the regular season. Additionally, Metcalf would thrive in the postseason for the Seahawks.
The Ole Miss product totaled 11 receptions, 219 yards, and one score in his first two career playoff games. Given how his rookie campaign went, the future appears to be extremely bright for Metcalf.
