Seattle Seahawks 23.6 PPG, Sacks 47: Tied 11th

The 2023 Seattle Seahawks saw the end of the second longest tenured coach in the NFL, an end of an era. Pete Carroll spent 14 years at the helm of the Seattle Seahawks, and they were contenders throughout his tenure. His last year was far from the “Legion of Boom”, despite that Seattle finished with a 9-8 record.

9-8 was not enough to compete with the terrific NFC West, and they finished third in the division. It was not good enough to make the playoffs either, and much blame was put on the defense allowing 23.6 points per game. There was great pressure to be great again, and Bobby Wagner had an encore performance which resulted in a league leading 183 tackles. Wagner is not there, nor is Jordyn Brooks and the 2024 season could be a rough one for the Seattle Seahawks.

2024 Projection: 31st

The Seahawks are one of eight teams with new Head Coaches, and most of them are going to experience a rough transition. The Seahawks more so than others. To make matters worse their best IDP Uchenna Nwosu will not be available to begin the season. 

It could be a long and losing season without many sacks or big plays from the Seahawks’ defense. There will almost certainly be a rise in points per game allowed, and less sacks. If there is any hope it is in their secondary which was beefed up over the offseason. The Seahawks D/ST should not be drafted or even rostered, save a possible matchup against a third string or practice squad quarterback they should not be utilized all season.

BEST FF IDPs: In Order of Ranking

DB – Julian Love

DB – Rayshawn Jenkins

DL – Leonard Williams

The Seahawks are the only team that doesn’t have a linebacker, but Julian Love will look to fill the stat sheet. He was a bright spot as a Pro Bowl selection in 2023, and rightfully so. 123 combined tackles, 85 solo tackles, 10 passes defended, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. All that in only 12 games started too.

Look for him to be all over the place again in 2023, and he will likely have more responsibility than last year. 140 tackles are well within reach, but Julian Love is still going relatively late in most drafts. He will likely finish as a top ten defensive back, but is not being drafted like one. Do not reach for Love, but it is not advised to let him fall. He will be a valuable draft pick for fantasy football general managers.

Rayshawn Jenkins comes to the Seahawks from the other end of the country, Jacksonville. Although he has never earned a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection, he has stuffed the stat sheet and been a valuable IDP. The Seahawks will likely help produce Jenkins career high numbers.

He had 101 combined tackles, 9 passes defended, 2 interceptions, and 1 sack. Jenkins is a do it all safety, and it will be interesting to see how he is utilized on the field. He is not drafted early and can be selected late in all drafts. He should have boom weeks with a relatively high floor, and is a perfect late-round defensive back to draft.

Leonard Williams started ten games for the Seahawks last season, and will have his first full season with the organization. He finished with 62 combined tackles and 5.5 sacks last season, 4 of which came while in Seattle. There are not too many defensive tackles that make this list but Wiliams will have an opportunity to earn double-digit sacks like he did in 2020. 

Williams doesn’t have the most draft value, and will likely go undrafted in standard leagues. Jerome Baker, Tyrel Dodson, and Dre’Mont Jones could all have better seasons, but how they will be utilized is a bit of a mystery. Jones should have a high sack total, but if he is gameplanned against it will leave more opportunities for Williams. 

In leagues which require a couple defensive linemen, he has much more value. In standard leagues he is only worth rostering in deep bench leagues. 

 Tomorrow the New York Giants.

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Bet Smart, Be Lucky – Iggy

All statistics come from pro-football-reference and Sleeperbot.