Will the Seahawks have a good defense in 2022?
Seaside Joe 1206: Live stream and answering your questions!
On Wednesday, I asked Seaside Joe readers to send me questions for an AMA on the Seattle Seahawks. I’ll answer a few of those questions today and save some for next time.
I am also doing a live stream at 10 AM PT on Friday (right now) with Thad Wenatchee of Field Gulls and we’ll be talking about the offensive and defensive ceiling/floor for the 2022 Seahawks. CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND SEND QUESTIONS
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“I would like to know why the Seahawks restructured Shelby Harris's contract to free up $3million plus for this season.” - Chris Snape
John Gilbert did a better job of covering Harris’s restructure for Field Gulls than I ever could.
“As for the logical follow up question of “Why?”, that’s anybody’s guess as well.”
It is such a relatively small commitment—by all accounts the Seahawks were going to pay Harris his base salary this year anyway, this just spreads it out over two seasons—and if Seattle wants to make him a cap casualty in 2023 that is still on the table. Perhaps Pete Carroll just feels he has more options in the immediate without sacrificing much flexibility in the future.
“With all of the defensive coaching changes, the scheme changes, etc - how good do you expect our defense to be?” - Roger Woitte
Setting aside the poor measurement of points per game allowed, the Seahawks defense was unacceptably bad in 2021. Seattle ranked 26th in pass defense by DVOA, 31st in plays per drive allowed, 30th in time of possession, 31st in first downs allowed, 25th in takeaways, 24th in net yards/pass attempt, 31st in passing yards allowed, bottom-10 in sacks and most of those players are no longer on the team. To answer this, I’d ask myself these questions:
Was the defense decimated by injuries?
No. Jamal Adams missed five games but by in large they danced with the dates that they had asked to the prom.
Have the Seahawks added any notable new defensive starter upgrades?
While fans are more than welcome to believe that Shelby Harris, Uchenna Nwosu, and Artie Burns will outplay their predecessors, it is not clear that Seattle has any definitive upgrades.
Have the Seahawks lost any notable defensive starters?
The free agent departures of D.J. Reed, Rasheem Green, and Kerry Hyder, the releases of Bobby Wagner and Carlos Dunlap undoubtedly change the make-up of the starting rotations. Is Seattle getting better by subtraction? Because the Seahawks were so bad on defense last season, it is hard to feel that any loss wasn’t calculated by Pete Carroll; the one player who Seattle had to have back was Quandre Diggs and Quandre Diggs is indeed back.
Is Clint Hurtt an upgrade to Ken Norton, Jr?
This can only be answered in theory, nobody knows the answer now. And even after the season is over, the answer will be abstract and debatable.
Can the Seahawks have a “good” defense next season?
Seattle should have an improved defense next season because the 2021 version gives a lot of room for improvement. However, the reason why I doubt that the Seahawks will have an exceptional defense in 2022 is that the team lacks a proven superstar in the front-seven, as well as a probable number one cornerback in the secondary. I am not closing the door on any breakout seasons (Darrell Taylor, Jordyn Brooks, Nwosu seem like the obvious candidates, if we allow rookies to have their growing pains) but when you compare Seattle’s roster to their NFC counterparts it is hard to come away with the idea that the Seahawks are likely to be “good” on that side of the ball this soon.
The Seahawks would be fortunate to have a single Pro Bowl player on defense who isn’t a safety. Maybe a fair ceiling is that Seattle will have an average defense (good run defense, good coverage, mediocre pass rush, more turnovers than last year) with a floor of… the floor.
“Let's say you accepted a long-term assignment to cover a team you've never heard of, in a city you've never been to, competing in a sport you know nothing about. Your first article is due in 2 weeks. How would you approach it, and what would you write about?” - Brian W
As a freelance writer for six years, I have actually been in this position before. Sometimes out of desperation, freelancers are forced to accept any offer that pays and the only excuse for accepting the assignment is “Fake it till you make it.”
I wrote a couple of articles in the field of “FINTECH”, something I had literally never heard of until I was offered the gig and went to Investopedia.com to read the description of the thing that I had just accepted to write articles about.
My approach was to do as much research as I could before the deadline, find interview subjects of experts in the field, turn in the first draft knowing that copious editor notes are coming back in return, and hope that the second draft is the final one. It went about as horribly as you could expect and I didn’t hear from those editors again. But to be fair, the website was behind an extremely expensive paywall and the whole company seemed like a front.
Thanks for your questions! More answers on the way.
The Hawks defense will be better for two reasons: one , it can't be much worse than last year, and two, Ken Norton has finally been replaced ! He did less with more than any DC in the NFL.
That doesn't taste anything like the Seahawks Kool-Aid I drink.
It's true, but it's not as fun as much imagination make the Hawks defense.
Okay, Harris is an upgrade from anyone I saw on the line last year. He was very active in all the Broncos film I've had to endure seeing what Seattle got in return. Ucheena has real potential. I know, I know, thought the same of Hyder who always seemed to play the Hawks tough; it didn't work out, scratch. It failed.
Carlos was bad until he wasn't for a few games (apparently, Penny's running somehow helped him--lol).
If Dunlap and one other pass rusher having above average seasons for them, and Myers making kicks like he did the year before, the Hawks might have snuck in the playoffs (and would have been dangerous with Penny running like that).
Agreed, the 'what ifs' this year are more numerous than last year. And Wagner was stout against the run, diagnosing runs plays--even though he was a step or two slower getting there. So run defense has to be a real concern.
And don't sleep on Quinton. He has gone out, become a good veteran, and returned happy. I like our line prospects this year more than last.
I think there's been enough talk about Jamaal's positioning and tentativeness in the scheme last year to think he could be vastly improved--if his shoulder stays attached to his body. He's an incredible athlete that can change a game, not by himself, but nearly.
I think with the rookie potential, and new coaching with less arrogant schemes, above average is a possible ceiling. But it's easy to see your scenario--Kenneth--happening.
</rose colored glasses>