Entering Final 2 Games, Seattle Seahawks Must Balance Playoff Push With Eyes On Future
Down to their last shot with two games left to play and sitting in eighth place in the NFC standings, a recent slump of losing five of six games has put the Seattle Seahawks in a desperate situation regarding their playoff aspirations.
Yet despite a prolonged slump that has lasted nearly two months after a stunning 6-3 start that briefly catapulted the franchise into first place in the NFC West, Seattle remains very much alive in the postseason hunt. If coach Pete Carroll’s team can find a way to close out the season with back-to-back wins over the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams, although help would be needed, they would have a great chance to win one of the two finals. wild card points.
But while clinching a wild card would be a fantastic achievement for Carroll and the Seahawks, given the low expectations entering the season, they can’t let such a pursuit keep them from evaluating players for the year 2023 and beyond, when the franchise hopes for a new Super Bowl window. opens.
That doesn’t mean Carroll and his staff should adopt a similar preseason mentality where every player on the 53-man roster gets equal reps. The NFL is not a participation trophy league, and winning takes precedence for everyone from the coach to the training and equipment staff. Stars such as DK Metcalf, Tariq Woolen and Ken Walker III should be on the field working hard as they aim to lead their team to the playoffs.
Still, Carroll shouldn’t hesitate to rotate young players into question marks heading into the offseason to see where they can fit into the puzzle beyond this year, whether such planning begins in two weeks or early next February after a surprise playoff run. .
Defensively, the Seahawks have allowed more than 25 points per game in coordinator Clint Hurtt’s first year at the helm, ranking 29th out of 32 teams. Struggling mightily against the run all season, they have given up more than 2,300 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns, ranking near the bottom of the league in both categories. This is far from close to Carroll’s standards.
Given those struggles, Seattle will undoubtedly look to fill the unit with talent through the draft and free agency next spring with a host of high picks and ample cap space to work with. Significant turnover should be anticipated, and beyond rising star cornerback Tariq Woolen, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and possibly linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive backs Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, no one else should feel confident about the spot. his in the team.
Several key contributors, including starting defensive tackle Poona Ford and linebacker Cody Barton, will be unrestricted free agents in March with concerns lingering about their fit in Hurtt’s hybrid 3-4 defense. Even for players under contract next year, linebacker Darrell Taylor has been wildly inconsistent and lost his starting job early in the year, defensive tackle Al Woods will turn 36 in March, and Diggs carries a big cap of 18 million in 2023, raising questions about their respective futures.
Keeping that potential change in mind as the front office continues to refresh the roster in the post-Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner era, if the Seahawks aren’t committed to players like Ford and Barton beyond 2022 or have doubts about previous high draft picks , for example. With Taylor emerging as a likely starter as planned, they should evaluate players who can replace them as part of their defensive foundation moving forward.
Along the defensive line, with Ford and Woods both potentially gone for various reasons, Seattle should continue to see what they have in Myles Adams, who has played well in recent weeks and will be an affordable free agent without him. exclusive rights in March. While undersized at 300 pounds, he has held up well in limited snaps at nose tackle and offers the athleticism and durability to excel in multiple lineups as a one- or two-gap linebacker.
At linebacker, Barton has steadily improved as his first season as a starter has progressed. But his lack of size and inability to work off the blocks consistently has been a detriment to Seattle-run defenses, and his skill set may not be the best personnel fit for Hurtt’s scheme. Set to be a free agent, the team has nothing to lose by giving Tanner Muse — who played well for Brooks two weeks ago against San Francisco — or auditioning Jon Rhattigan in his place the last two games. .
Most importantly, the Seahawks need to take the training wheels off second-round pick Boye Mafe, who has recorded just 98 defensive tackles over the past five games. In comparison, 35-year-old veteran Bruce Irvin has started every game out of the bullpen and played 210 snaps, producing just five more hits than his younger counterpart in more than double the playing time.
While Irvin has been an invaluable asset returning for a third stint in Seattle, his performance has declined since being thrust into the starting lineup, and given his age, he’s not part of the team’s future beyond this season. . Mafe has been on fire when given opportunities, including producing three catches for two yards or less in Saturday’s loss to Kansas City, and should get the bulk of the snaps opposite Nwosu to see if he could be headliner next year.
On offense, Seattle has already relied heavily on youth this season with tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas starting every game and running back Ken Walker III emerging as one of the best young ball carriers in the NFL. With Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant also under contract through at least next year, the team doesn’t have as many question marks for the upcoming seasons on that side of the ball.
With that said, neither Gabe Jackson nor Phil Haynes have performed as a future starter at right guard, as each player ranks lower than 50th in pass blocking grade per Pro Football Focus and ranks 69th and 75th in pass blocking efficiency. After being held as a healthy scratch most of the season, Jake Curhan could be worth a look there. Behind Metcalf and Lockett, especially with Dee Eskridge still on injured reserve, securing more snaps for seventh-round pick Dareke Young at offensive tackle would also be helpful for evaluation purposes at receiver.
With a playoff spot still within reach, although they will need help from other teams to make it to the wild card round, Seattle will definitely not stop competing. It’s the only way Carroll and his troops know how to operate.
But if Carroll is taking his philosophy to heart, his “Always Compete” mantra shouldn’t be limited to the practice field, and the eyes shouldn’t be in the tunnel vision of simply making the postseason with the house money this year. With a prime opportunity to get back into contention for a Lombardi Trophy coming this offseason, the future must be now with Mafe, Young and other potential long-term contributors getting lengthy tryouts in the heat of a chase of the playoffs.
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