NFC West offseason outlook: The Seattle Seahawks

The offseason has had many twists and turns not for only the Arizona Cardinals but for the rest of the NFC West.

The storylines have been aplenty no matter where you look in the division, both good and bad.

In an effort to keep up with the additions, subtractions and everything else under the sun surrounding the NFC West, here’s a deep dive into each of the Cardinals’ divisional foes as the offseason presses on.

After taking a look at the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, it’s time to turn the attention to the Seattle Seahawks:

Biggest questions

Who starts at QB?

Russell Wilson is no longer the leader of men in the Seahawks’ locker room following an offseason trade to the Denver Broncos. In exchange, Seattle picked up a massive haul of draft capital, tight end Noah Fant, quarterback Drew Lock and defensive end Shelby Harris. The Seahawks also sent back a fourth-rounder.

Now, with Wilson in Denver, starting quarterback reps are there for the taking for Lock and Geno Smith.

Who grabs hold of the job is anyone’s guess.

Smith is the current leader in the clubhouse given his familiarity with the organization after spending the past two seasons in Seattle.

Head coach Pete Carroll said as much during the team’s mandatory minicamp, telling reporters that Smith had taken first-team reps throughout but that Lock was getting an equal amount of reps in situational opportunities.

That doesn’t mean Lock, who has 24 starts and 25 touchdowns over a three-year career, can’t get up to speed by the end of training camp, however.

There’s also the chance that the Seahawks’ next starting QB is not even currently on the roster.

Where does the team and DK Metcalf stand on a contract extension?

The unknowns continue on from the starting signal caller to No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Metcalf was a notable unexcused absentee from the team’s mandatory minicamp this offseason as he searches for a contract extension. His decision to not show for minicamp came after he had been a participant in the team’s voluntary organized team activities.

And while Carroll remains optimistic that an extension will get done, a lot can happen between now and training camp.

Metcalf is set to make $3.986 million in the final year of his rookie deal.

Failing to lock up Metcalf long term would be a rather large blemish on the organization.

After racking up 900 yards and seven touchdowns on 58 catches his rookie season, the wideout upped those numbers to 1,303 yards, 10 touchdowns and 83 receptions in Year 2.

And despite not having a 100% Wilson in 2021, Metcalf still managed to put up 967 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns on 75 catches.

Biggest addition: Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu

The Seahawks haven’t seen a great influx of free-agent talent this offseason, but did nab outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu on a two-year, $19 million deal.

Nwosu now heads to the NFC West after spending the entirety of his four-year career with the Los Angeles Chargers of the AFC West.

In his first season as an every-game starter for the Chargers in 2021, Nwosu compiled five sacks, eight tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, four passes defensed and 17 QB hits (all career marks) across 17 games played (15 starts).

Nwosu projects to line up opposite fellow pass rusher Darrell Taylor.

Biggest subtraction: Quarterback Russell Wilson

While linebacker Bobby Wagner is a close second, losing Wilson takes the cake for the biggest subtraction on Seattle’s roster.

The quarterback heads to Denver after spending all 10 seasons of his career with the Seahawks. Over that span, he threw for 37,059 yards and 292 touchdowns on 65% passing. In 2013, he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory.

On top of his play on the field, Wilson was also a huge piece in building Seattle’s culture in the locker room.

NFC West prediction: Last

The Seahawks project to be the bottom of the barrel when it comes to divisional standings.

With no Wilson and no Wagner to make up for the rest of the roster, Seattle is the worst team in the division by a mile.

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