Analysis: Ranking Seahawks’ 10 most important players before training camp starts Wednesday
SEATTLE – With the opening of Seattle Seahawks training camp set to begin Wednesday at 1 p.m., we count down the top 10 players.
As would be expected, these are the players on whom the success or failure of the Seahawks’ 2024 season – the first for coach Mike Macdonald – depends on the most.
Let’s get to it.
10. Running back Kenneth Walker III
Potential role in 2024: Starting running back.
Why he’s ranked here: True, Walker saw his numbers drop in 2023 from 2022 – notably, 4.1 yards per carry down from 4.6 as a rookie. That seemed mostly the function of a beat-up and often-changing offensive line. He wasn’t quite the big-play machine he had been the year before, which impacted his stats. His longest run in 2023 was 45 yards after having three of 60 or longer in 2022. He’s entering his third season and still doesn’t turn 24 until October. If he gets suitable help up front, there’s no reason to think Walker can’t have the best season of his career – and set up the question of what to do about his contract.
9. Left tackle Charles Cross
Potential role in 2024: Starting left tackle.
Why he’s ranked here: Cross checks in on our list at the same spot he was drafted in 2022. This is the year, the Seahawks hope, he truly fulfills the lofty expectations that came with that draft slot. A perception exists that Cross didn’t play as well last season, maybe because he simply wasn’t out there as much, missing three games and most of another with a foot injury. If you put stock in Pro Football Focus’ evaluations, Cross was better in 2023 than in 2022, ranked 38th out of 81 tackles compared to 54th of 81 in 2022, and with a better pass-blocking grade. After a tough game at Baltimore where he gave up two sacks, he allowed just three in the final nine games. The Seahawks need him to take the next step this year.
8. Defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones
Potential role in 2024: Starting defensive end.
Why he’s ranked here: Jones didn’t have quite the season many expected when he signed a three-year deal worth more than $51 million as a free agent in March 2023 – the largest the Seahawks had handed out to an external free agent. After playing more outside a year ago in the wake of Uchenna Nwosu’s season-ending injury, he may be used more on the edge this year as the Seahawks hope he can improve on the 4.5 sack total of 2023. Jones has no guaranteed money on his deal in 2025 and a cap number that balloons to $25.6 million from $10.7 million. So this could be a make-or-break season for Jones in Seattle.
7. Safety Julian Love
Potential role in 2024: Starting free safety.
Why he’s ranked here: The decisions to release Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs not only saved the Seahawks a lot of money, but they also displayed confidence in the ability of Love to be the leader in the back end of the secondary. Love showed a knack for the big play with a team-high four interceptions and 10 passes defensed, more than Diggs (five) and Adams (two) had combined.
6. Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu
Potential role in 2024: Starting OLB/edge rusher.
Why he’s ranked here: Nwosu had six QB hits and four tackles for loss before being lost for the season in the sixth game of the year with a pec injury – each of which were on pace to give him the team lead if he’d played the entire season. He appears fully healthy now, among the biggest reasons to be optimistic the Seahawks’ defense could be better this year.
5. Receiver Tyler Lockett
Potential role in 2024: Starting receiver.
Why he’s ranked here: Lockett turns 32 in September and his NFL future is a year-to-year situation at this point in his career. Make sure to enjoy him as much as you can this year as he adds on to what is a certain Ring of Honor career résumé. Lockett’s 612 receptions are second in team history and 92nd in NFL history. One task for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is to get Lockett in better spots to make big plays. Lockett had a long gain last year of 37 yards, and he’d had at least one play of 40 yards of longer in every other season of his career.
4. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon
Potential role in 2024: Starting left cornerback in base defense, starting nickel in the nickel/dime defense.
Why he’s ranked here: As good as he was last year, he could be a lot better this season now that he’s had a healthy offseason (he was limited much of the 2023 offseason with a hamstring issue) and a season under his belt. The team hopes he can avoid the couple of nagging injuries he had last season. His playmaking ability was evident in his 16 pass defenses – five more than anyone else on the team.
3. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams
Potential role in 2024: Starting end/tackle.
Why he’s ranked here: In just 10 games in Seattle after coming over in a trade with the Giants in October, Williams had 11 quarterback hits, fourth on the team (Boye Mafe led with 16). The Seahawks surely decided at the time of the trade they would do whatever necessary to re-sign him. His play only reinforced the team’s desire to keep him, which got done with a three-year deal worth up to $64.5 million, the highest per-year average ever for a defensive player in team history. Williams, who turned 30 in June, also has a history of durability.
2. Receiver DK Metcalf
Potential role in 2024: Starting receiver.
Why he’s ranked here: Metcalf last year became the third receiver in NFL history to record 50 or more catches, 900 or more yards and five or more TD receptions in each of his first five years in the NFL, the others being Hall of Famer Randy Moss and A.J. Green. All while also missing only one game. There still seems to be a feeling Metcalf could put up even bigger numbers. Maybe Grubb’s offense will get that done. Metcalf won’t lack for motivation with the 2025 season marking the final year of his contract and the likelihood that he could get an extension following the 2024 season – or possibly hit free agency in 2026.
1. Quarterback Geno Smith
Potential role in 2024: Starting quarterback.
Why he’s ranked here: Last year’s playoffs only reinforced the value of quarterbacks in the NFL. While Smith is the first one to admit there are things he could have done better in his first two seasons as starter, he’s done plenty to show why the team remains committed to him. To name one, his 1.8% interception rate as a Seahawk would rank tied for the fifth best of all time – with Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Colin Kaepernick – if he had enough attempts to qualify. Now he has Grubb to work with to maximize his strengths and further smooth out any rough edges. Smith’s age (he turns 34 in October) and contract situation (his deal runs through 2025 and contains no guaranteed money beyond this year) means the Seahawks’ QB situation is also best viewed at this point as a year-to-year proposition. It’s hard to see the season being a success without a big year from Smith.