CHAWK LINES, Week 1: Denver

Russell Wilson returns

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Russell Wilson’s first game with the Broncos will be against his old Seahawks. Here’s a good in-depth look from Brady Henderson of ESPN.com at why Wilson is no longer a Seahawk.

A big question is: How will Seattle fans greet Wilson? Cheers or boos? We expect a mix of both before the game and a very loud crowd when Wilson has the ball during the game.  Pete Carroll seems all in favor the latter. Wilson said, “I know they’ll be rowdy. I know they will be excited. I know that. It’s ‘Monday Night Football,’ so it’ll be a special environment.”

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Schedule, Week 1: Denver

Just how many games can the Seahawks win?

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As the Seahawks prepare to start a season without Russell Wilson for the first time in 11 years, they are not expected to win more than four or five games.

In the Wilson years, the Hawks would have been favored to beat Denver, Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas, Carolina and the Giants and Jets while splitting their division games. That would equal 10 wins, with New Orleans, Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City the wild cards.

With no dependable quarterback, though, the Hawks currently are favored against only the Falcons, Panthers and the New York teams. Vegas has the over/under at 5.5 wins. The combined career winning percentage of Geno Smith and Drew Lock is .382, which would translate to six wins.

Is that really the best this team will be able to manage without Wilson?  

It all depends on the running game, special teams, takeaways — and more takeaways. And probably putting Lock at QB.

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Preseason, The roster

Even with Lock sick, Geno can’t claim QB1

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Drew Lock still has a shot at Seattle’s starting quarterback position. So perhaps does Jimmy Garoppolo.

With Lock unable to start Thursday because of Covid-19, Geno Smith had his chance to lock down the position – and he didn’t do it.

In a terribly messy 27-11 preseason home loss to Chicago, Smith failed to lead Seattle to any points in the first half. The Hawks punted five times and missed a field goal off Smith’s drives. He hit just 10 of 18 passes for 118 yards – with 41 coming on a pass to Penny Hart. It was just the latest struggle for Smith to get his offense into the end zone (he also didn’t have a lot of help from a line that committed too many penalties and lost Damien Lewis to an ankle injury).

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Preseason, The roster

First game shows Drew Lock’s upside

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In the first game of the post-Wilson era, Drew Lock showed he probably will end up the starting quarterback and the Seahawks’ top rookies all showed early evidence that they will live up to the promise of draft day.

We think the Hawks could win eight or nine games, depending on the quarterback play, and the rest of the team sure seems capable of backing that projection.

Now we just need to see what Lock can do against starting defenses.

In a 32-25 loss in Pittsburgh, Lock showed more arm strength, zip, mobility and decisiveness than Geno Smith. Yes, he was facing the Steelers’ reserve defenders and lost the ball on a blitz sack late in the game, but he clearly looked like the more explosive quarterback.

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OTAs, Video, X's & O's

Hawks still looking, but Waldron breaks down Lock’s positives

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Pete Carroll recently told KJR that the Seahawks did not draft a QB because they considered Drew Lock, a 2019 second-round pick, to be better than every rookie passer.

Carroll also said the Hawks will not trade for a veteran QB at this point, but he and John Schneider also said they will “keep looking” for possible upgrades at QB.

Meanwhile, as Lock and Geno Smith begin their QB competition during Seattle’s OTAs, Shane Waldron broke down some film on Lock from his Denver days.

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Franchise history, Schedule

No. 1 in miles again, but it’s not that bad

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The Seahawks are at or near the top of the NFL mileage log every season, simply by virtue of the fact that Seattle is farther away from the rest of the league than any other NFL city.

Thanks to their trip to Munich to play Tampa Bay, the Seahawks will travel over 29,000 miles in 2022. That was recently contrasted against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will travel a mere 6,442 miles for their away games.

Some say that is unfair, but it is simple geography and has long been a challenge the Seahawks and other West Coast teams have to overcome. Like the 49ers and Raiders, the Seahawks often travel more than 28,000 miles in a season.

The NFL’s schedulers actually were kind to Seattle in plotting this European getaway. Tampa Bay was the only East Coast game the Hawks had on their schedule, so they really are traveling just 5,000 more miles (round trip) than they would have.

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NFL draft, The roster

Building around QB spot: Roster report after the draft

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The Seahawks may not yet know who their quarterback will be – Geno Smith, Drew Lock or someone else — but they certainly are building around that position.

For once, the Seahawks played the draft by the book – and the result looks like their best set of rookies in a decade.

They filled all of their most pressing needs except center — adding tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, running back Kenneth Walker, pass rushers Boye Mafe and Tyreke Smith and corners Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen. They tossed in a pair of receivers/possible return guys in the seventh round.

The Seahawks got proper value for every pick. Cross, Lucas, Walker, Mafe and Bryant look like five foundational players – four who should be starters now or quite soon. Wooten is an intriguing project as well.

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NFL draft

Hawks can have a big Day 2; will it include a quarterback?

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The Seahawks did what they needed to on Day 1, finding their new permanent left tackle in Charles Cross.

Now they prepare for a big Day 2, where they have the eighth and ninth picks to start the session, plus No. 72 overall (third round).

They figure to be looking for a possible QB, plus a corner, center, running back, linebacker and edge rusher.

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NFL draft

Draft Day 2022: Hawks get a new left tackle

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The Seahawks eschewed drafting outside linebacker Jermaine Johnson, instead filling their void with left tackle Charles Cross.

It’s a redux of 2010, when they drafted Russell Okung to anchor the left side.

Some analysts who know the Seahawks’ penchant for a balanced offense don’t think Cross has the necessary run-blocking skills. But he graded second in the SEC in run blocking last season, per PFF.

No one doubts his pass blocking, as he faced the premier pass rushers in the NCAA and held his own.

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NFL draft

Will other teams be as ‘pliable’ as Hawks?

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It’s no surprise that the Seahawks want to trade down from No. 9 – or that they might be entertaining moving back into the bottom of the first round to get a quarterback.

Those are moves we’ve been projecting in our own mocks leading up to this week’s draft. But the latter might be easier than the former.

John Schneider stated the obvious last week when he said, “People know that we’re very open to moving around. We’re pliable.”

But will any teams have incentive to trade up to No. 9? Which players would be targets?

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