2016 Outlook

Coaching Staff

HC: Pete Carroll

OC: Darrell Bevell

DC: Kris Richard

ST: Brian Schneider

Projected Depth Chart

Offense

QB. Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin

RB. Thomas Rawls, CJ Prosise

WR. Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson

WR. Jermaine Kearse, Antwan Goodley

WR. Tyler Lockett

TE. Jimmy Graham, Luke Wilson

LT. Garry Gilliam, Terry Poole

LG. Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli

C. Justin Britt, Patrick Lewis

RG. Germain Ifedi, Ress Odhimbo

RT. J’Marcus Webb, Bradley Sowell

Defense

DE. Michael Bennett, Frank Clark

DT. Ahtyba Rubin, Jarran Reed

DT. Jordan Hill, Sealver Siliga

DE. Cliff Avril, Cassius Marsh

OLB. Michael Morgan, Eric Pinkins

MLB. Bobby Wagner, Brock Coyle

OLB. KJ Wright, Kevin Pierre-Louis

CB. Richard Sherman, Tharold Simon

SS. Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner

FS. Earl Thomas, Steven Terrell

CB. Deshawn Simon, Marcus Burley

NB. Jeremy Lane

Special Teams

K. Steven Hauschka

P. Jon Ryan

Breakdown

Offense: 

The Seahawks offense is sort of hard to predict. Can they really duplicate their success in 2016 now that Marshawn Lynch is retired and the offensive line is a complete mystery? I say yes! Why do I say that? The answer is simple: Russell Wilson. When you have a top 5 QB that is a dual threat, your team most likely is going to thrive on offense. Wilson, despite his size, plays with guts and determination to go along with some serious wheels that make him 1 of the most elusive QBs in the game and a nice arm. He’s been 1 of the most accurate deep ball throwers in the NFL since arriving into the league. Lynch may be retired, but Seattle more than made sure they’re prepared to move on RB as the team drafted 3 backs in the 2016 draft to go along with Thomas Rawls, who was a pleasant surprise in a breakout season with the Seahwaks. Between Alex Collins and CJ Prosice, the Seahawks should have a nice stable of backs to hand it off to. The receiver position was once a position of question but has now become a position of strength. Doug Baldwin thrived as a number 1 option, hauling in 14 receiving touchdowns last season and Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett are nice young receivers on the rise as well. At tight end, the Seahawks have 2 viable options in Jimmy Graham, who is looking to return to elite form and Luke Wilson, who also has some talent. There is plenty of talent at QB and at the offensive skill positions on this team. The biggest question mark about this entire squad right now is the offensive line and just what to expect from them. The projected starter at LT is Garry Gilliam, who was an undrafted free agent in 2014 and isn’t very good. Mark Glowinski is the projected LG and was the team’s 4th-round pick in 2015. At center, will be Justin Britt, who moves over from the guard position and may be the best overall player of the bunch. At RG will be the team’s 1st-round pick in this year’s draft, Germain Ifedi, who will have to learn a new position after playing tackle in college. And at RT will be J’Marcus Webb, who has proven in this league he’s nothing more than a backup. Maybe the Seahawks talent at the skill positions can make this group look a lot better, but that offensive line scares the hell out of me and could be the 1 thing that keeps Seattle from getting back to the Super Bowl.

Defense: 

Defensively, the Seahawks won’t look much different in 2016. They pretty much only lost 2 starters in LB Bruce Irving and DT Brandon Mebane. Up front, the Seahawks still have the best defensive end tandem in the NFL between Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Inside, Rubin and Hill are decent players at DT and 2nd-round pick Jarran Reed could push for a starting job. Seattle also boasts 1 of the game’s best linebacker groups with 2 All-Pro caliber players in Bobby Wagner, who starts at MLB, and KJ Wright, who starts at OLB. Both are phenomenal all-around linebackers that run, cover well, and make plays in the running game. Replacing Bruce Irvin will be Mike Morgan, who is a very gifted athlete at LB with 4.4 speed. The secondary is also elite featuring the best safety duo in Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor and the game’s top press corner in Richard Sherman. A lot of people are down on the rest of the Seahawks corners, but Deshawn Simon eventually became the starter last season and played well. He’s a big corner at 6’2, 220 pounds and fits right in with the type of corner the Seahawks like. There is still plenty of talent on the Seahawks for them to remain 1 of the game’s best defenses.