2022 Team Reports
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Seattle Seahawks Writers
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Team Philosophy
Pete Carroll is the oldest head coach in the NFL and calling him old-school would be an understatement. While the rest of the league is leaning more and more toward the pass, Carroll's heart is always with the power running game. His teams made concessions in recent seasons giving superstar quarterback Russell Wilson opportunities to run the offense as he saw fit, but with Wilson in Denver and either Geno Smith or Drew Lock the likely starter, the Seahawks seem poised to return to their power running roots. A second-round draft pick spent on running back Ken Walker III (despite plenty of other needs on the roster) only reinforces the point.
Quarterbacks
Starter
Key Backups
For the first time in 10 years, the Seahawks enter the season with questions about the starting quarterback position. The first question is, who will be the starting quarterback? The prevailing theory was that Drew Lock would be the starter after being acquired in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver. However, Lock has not even won the job from Geno Smith yet. As of July 6, most practice reports have Smith operating ahead of Lock in team drills. His familiarity with the offense has given him a headstart in the race. Smith is playing in his third season with the Seahawks. Last year, he completed 68 percent of his passes while filling in for Wilson in four games. He also threw five touchdowns to just one interception in that span. For a team that would much rather run than pass, Smith's rushing ability and ball protection make him a preferred option to the more erratic Drew Lock. Smith is not a starting fantasy quarterback in most leagues but could be a decent streaming option in the right matchups.
If the team does not make a trade, Drew Lock will be the primary backup to Smith. Lock threw for just 787 yards in the six games he played in 2021 and only accumulated four total touchdowns in the small sample. His career 59 percent completion percentage is almost 5 points worse than what Seattle saw from Russell Wilson in 2021. The camp battle will be one to watch all summer. Unless Lock changes his game completely and starts protecting the ball better, he will be on a short leash in this conservative offense. The Seahawks added Jacob Eason off of waivers from Indianapolis last season, and if they doesn't add any other quarterbacks, he will serve as the third quarterback on the team for 2022.
Running Backs
Starter
Key Backups
Rashaad Penny should get the starting nod after a stellar finish to last season, but he is not without competition. The team added Kenneth Walker from Michigan State in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. After years of injuries and squandered opportunities, former 1st-round pick Penny finally showed the fantasy world his potential in 2021. Appearing in 10 games, He established career-highs in just about every category, including fantasy points scored. However, he showed his fantasy value from Weeks 14-18 after taking complete control of the backfield. Penny carried the ball 92 times in the last five games for 671 yards and six touchdowns. He was the best running back in all of fantasy football during that five-game span. Seattle gave him a one-year deal to prove last year was not a fluke, and Penny could be an excellent sleeper candidate in 2022. With the team adding a rookie running back in the 2nd Round, Penny's role is far from safe. So while he can be a high-end running back for fantasy, new backfield competition may not give Penny the opportunity.
Most draft analysts consider Kenneth Walker one of the two best backs entering the league this year, and Seattle landed him early in the 2nd round. Walker had a stellar 2022 college season after transferring to Michigan State last spring. His 1725 all-purpose yards and 19 total touchdowns helped him take home the Doak Walker award for best college running back. He will immediately see the field in Seattle, with Chris Carson's retirement and an apparent lack of trust in Rashaad Penny. After 2022, he will be the only back on contract in Seattle and will likely take over this entire backfield.
The bottom of the depth chart does not present much fantasy value for running backs in Seattle. While DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer have shown minor flashes, neither has seized any opportunity to take the reigns while Carson and Penny battled injuries. They combined for 315 yards and three touchdowns last season. They have shown proficiency as pass-catchers but split the work, hurting their values. Neither back will have much fantasy relevance in 2022, and it is unlikely both will even make the team.
Wide Receivers
Starters
Key Backups
There is no lack of talent here, but the questions at quarterback make trusting DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett much more challenging. After a solid rookie season and a 2020 breakout, expectations were high for Metcalf in 2021. While he may not have lived up to those expectations, he was still the 14th best fantasy wide receiver and scored a career-high 12 touchdowns. His catch rate and yardage left something to be desired, but some of that can be attributed to Russell Wilson's injury and missed time. However, not having Russell Wilson is the new normal in Seattle, and fantasy managers have a right to be concerned. If stuck with the quarterbacks currently on the roster, Metcalf should be treated as a high-end WR2 with upside, and his average draft position should reflect that narrative. Lockett's success has always been tied to Russell Wilson, and if fantasy managers are concerned about Metcalf, they are terrified about Lockett. The perpetually underrated wideout was still the 16th-ranked fantasy receiver last year and topped 1000 yards for the 3rd consecutive season. He also scored eight touchdowns, making it four straight seasons with eight or more scores. Lockett's typically low average draft position should fall even farther with the turbulence at quarterback. Freddie Swain, a 2020 sixth-round pick, is the third starting receiver for the Seahawks. While he played roughly 60% of the snaps for Seattle last season, he was targeted just 40 times and made no real waves in fantasy. As a result, fantasy managers can avoid him in all but the deepest fantasy formats.
The backup wide receivers for Seattle combined for just 32 targets last season, and the same group will be back in 2022. Last year's second-round pick, Dee Eskridge, will attempt to unseat Swain as the team's WR3, but even if he does, that will not be enough to place him on your fantasy waiver wire radar. Likewise, Penny Hart will act as the team's WR5 for the 3rd consecutive season and holds no fantasy value. In addition, Seattle added Bo Melton and Dareke Young in the seventh round of the draft. Both will start at the bottom of the depth chart and will have a hill to climb to make the team in 2022. Neither should be on fantasy radars for this season. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was added in a trade with Philadelphia. With the Eagles, he was considered a tight end, but is likely to move back to his natural wide receiver position in Seattle.
Tight Ends
Starter
Key Backups
For the sixth straight season, the Seahawks will begin the year with a new starting tight end. It has been a rotating door since Jimmy Graham left the team. There was a lot of fantasy sleeper hype surrounding Gerald Everett last season, but he failed to crack even the Top 20 at the thinnest position in fantasy. Noah Fant gets the nod this season after coming over from Denver in the Russell Wilson trade. Fant is the only pass-catcher in Seattle who has played with Drew Lock; that experience could pay dividends. Fant has finished as a top-10 fantasy tight end with Lock, despite the quarterback not finishing in the Top 20. Fant will need more than the 63 targets Everett received last season to finish as a top-12 fantasy option, but his history with Lock is on his side. Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson will be the backup tight ends for the third straight season. Interestingly, Seattle gave Dissly a 3-year, $24 million contract to play a backup role on the team. They clearly value his leadership and blocking more than his receiving production. His best fantasy season was in 2019, with just 23 receptions for 262 yards and four touchdowns. Parkinson was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and has accumulated just seven receptions in two seasons. He is primarily used as a blocker if he plays at all.
Offensive Linemen
Starters
- LT Charles Cross [R]
- LG Damien Lewis
- C Kyle Fuller
- RG Gabe Jackson
- RT Jake Curhan
Key Backups
- Phil Haynes, Abraham Lucas [R], Austin Blythe, Stone Forsythe
The duo of right guard Gabe Jackson and left guard Damien Lewis are the top performers on this line. Kyle Fuller is a decent center and will have competition from Austin Blythe (FA from Kansas City). Rookie left tackle Charles Cross (First round, Mississippi State) is a pass-blocking technician. Right tackle is a competition: second-year player Jake Curhan will try to fend off rookie Abraham Lucas (Third round, Washington State) and Stone Forsythe.
Kickers
Myers had a 37 straight field goal attempt streak snapped at the beginning of 2021 and it went downhill from there. He only made 17-of-23 field goal attempts and had a costly missed extra point against the Titans in Week 2. Cutting him would save the team four million in salary and cost only one million in dead cap, but the Seahawks did not bring in any competition for him via the draft and appear to be sticking with their kicker for 2022. Either way, he is of no interest to us with the Seahawks likely sporting one of the worst offenses in the league.
Returners
Kickoff Returners
Tyler Lockett was one of the most consistent and reliable return specialists in the league for years, boasting far and away the lowest fumble rate of any regular returner, but the Seahawks finally reduced his special teams responsibilities in 2021, handing kickoff return duties to running back DeeJay Dallas. Lockett is still on the roster and can help out in a pinch, but Dallas fielded 33 out of 38 possible kick returns in 2021.
Punt Returners
Tyler Lockett was one of the most consistent and reliable return specialists in the league for years, boasting far and away the lowest fumble rate of any regular returner, but the Seahawks finally reduced his special teams responsibilities in 2021, handing kickoff return duties to receiver Freddie Swain. Lockett is still on the roster and can help out in a pinch, but Swain fielded 22 out of a possible 23 punt returns in 2021.
Team Defense
The Legion of Boom completed the transformation to the Legion of Gloom in 2021. Seattle's defense was in the bottom half of the league in takeaways and sacks, and bottom-five in yards allowed. They were only useful against the lowly Jaguars and likely were left on the waiver wire for most, if not all of the season. After trading away Russell Wilson and releasing Bobby Wagner in the offseason, they have the look of a team that will be lucky to be competitive on a weekly basis. It's reasonable to have them as the 32nd-ranked team defense in fantasy leagues.
Defensive Linemen
Starters
- DT Shelby Harris, DE Uchenna Nwosu, DT Quinton Jefferson, DE Darrell Taylor
Key Backups
- DE L.J. Collier, DT Poona Ford, DE Boye Mafe
Last year was a pretty quiet year for the Seattle defensive line. As a team, the Seahawks were ranked 24th in total sacks, and the defensive lineman only accounted for 23.5 sacks. In addition, they only ranked slightly better, 19th in the league, in tackles for a loss. So, it should be no surprise that the Seahawks immediately addressed the line in the offseason. Seattle acquired Shelby Harris in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver. The team also signed former Raiders' defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson and former Chargers' rush linebacker, Uchenna Nwosu. Nwosu will play defensive end in this defense. Harris is a different player than Carlos Dunlap, whom he replaces. He may not accumulate as many sacks as Dunlap, but his impact will be felt in more places, especially in the run game. Jefferson is a definite upgrade at defensive tackle. He recorded more sacks and tackles for a loss than any of Seattle's defensive tackles last year. Uchenna Nwosu was also brought in to improve the team's sack numbers. He was an edge-rusher for the Chargers since being drafted in the second round in 2018, and has recorded 15 sacks in four seasons. All in all, not one Seattle defensive lineman was a top-20 fantasy lineman last season, and that needs to improve in 2022. However, unless Harris improves his sack numbers or Nwosu takes a huge leap forward, there is no fantasy value on this line.
Every backup defensive lineman from 2021 returns to the team in the same role for 2022. L.J. Collier, a 2019 first-round pick has not lived up to his draft stock, recording just 15 starts and three sacks combined in his first three seasons. The entire backup group combined for just four sacks last season and is unlikely to make much noise in fantasy, even if a starter gets injured. The team did draft Boye Mafe from the University of Minnesota in the second round this year. Mafe was an excellent pass-rusher in college and could immediately win the weak-side defensive end job from last year's second round pick, Darrel Taylor.
Linebackers
Starters
Key Backups
While losing Russell Wilson was the most significant sign of the changing of the guard in Seattle, a close 2nd is the release of Bobby Wagner. Wagner handled the middle for the Seahawks since 2012 and was the heart and soul of this defense. Replacing him will not be an easy task. The first attempt to fill his shoes and the biggest benefactor for fantasy purposes will be the third-year linebacker, Jordyn Brooks. Brooks led the team in tackles last season and will see even more opportunities with Wagner no longer clogging the middle. Brooks was a top-5 fantasy linebacker in 2021 and could take the top spot in 2022. The other two starting spots will be filled by 2019 third-round pick Cody Barton and free-agent addition Joel Iyiegbuniwe. Barton has recorded 96 total tackles with 56 solo tackles in three seasons with limited playing time. Iyiegbuniwe joined the team after four seasons on the bench in Chicago.
Like the defensive line, the backup linebackers consist primarily of late-round and undrafted free agents. Last year, Jon Rhattigan was the only one to even record a tackle. If there is an injury to a starter, it will be a tough task for this group to answer the call.
Defensive Backs
Starters
- CB Tre Brown, CB Sydney Jones, CB Justin Coleman, S Quandre Diggs, S Jamal Adams
Key Backups
- CB Artie Burns, CB Coby Bryant, S Marquise Blair, S Ryan Neal
Jamal Adams has been the star of the Seattle defense for the last two years, and, with the exit of Bobby Wagner, he will now be asked to be their leader too. His 2021 was very different from his 2020, even before the Week 13 shoulder injury that ended his season early. In 2020, Adams was asked to play closer to the line of scrimmage and used in many blitz packages. As a result, the safety led the team that season with 9.5 sacks. It was the most sacks by a defensive back in NFL history. He returned to a more traditional role in 2021, recording 87 tackles and two interceptions, with no sacks, in 12 games. His 2022 fantasy value will depend on how the team utilizes him. He is still a top-10 safety without the sacks but he is one of one if playing in the box again. Quandre Diggs will be the free safety and is coming off a solid season with 94 tackles and five interceptions. It was by far his best season as a professional. Both he and Adams could benefit from tackles that may have been made by Bobby Wagner a year ago, and both should be on your IDP radar. Sidney Jones is a solid corner but does not make enough tackles or interceptions to have fantasy relevance. Tre Brown, a fourth-round pick from a year ago, is currently listed as the 2nd corner but will have to play exceptionally well in the preseason to keep that job after rarely playing as a rookie in 2021.
Artie Burns comes to Seattle after down years in Pittsburgh and Chicago. Burns was a first-round pick for the Steelers in 2016, but his play fell off after a solid rookie season. He is listed behind the unproven Tre Brown on the depth chart and has a chance to win that job and maybe reboot his career with the Seahawks. Both backup safeties, Marquise Blair and Ryan Neal, joined the team in 2019. Blair played well as a rookie, and Neal had a decent 2020 while playing in relief of Adams. They represent solid depth at a position that Seahawks would prefer that their starters never leave the field.