Last week, I dropped an entry on this blog listing all of my hopes for the Seahawks this offseason. Ain’t no lying, I am a happy guy with how everything is shaking out, thus far.

First and foremost, I wanted them to commit to building up their front seven on defense by hopefully signing back Leonard Williams, and adding a playmaking linebacker like Tyrel Dobson. Boom!

Done and motherf’ing done. We got both.

Secondly, I wrote very strongly about my desire to see this team bring in a quarterback of the future. I implied heavily that I wanted to see them draft this player in April, but I also noted that if they were to go the route of trading for a young quarterback on a rookie contract, I wanted that player to be Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders. I just have a better vibe about his potential that I do Mac Jones, or Justin Fields, or that Ridder cat. BOOM!

Done, and motherf’ing fudging done, mother-fudgers!

I also wrote about my desire to see them bring back tight end Noah Fant.

BOOM, MOTHERFUDGING FUDGERS!

Also, I stated my desire to see them aggressively go at the offensive line in free agency and the draft. I felt they should sign a good vet and draft a couple players. So far, they signed a couple decent vets and are poised to draft a pretty good player in an offensive line rich draft class. BOOM!

So, here are some of my off the cuff thoughts on the additions and retained players this week.

Leonard Williams and Tyrel Dobson can be key players for Mike Macdonald’s exotic defense

Leonard Williams felt like the must bring back player for John Schneider and not just because Seattle dealt a 2nd and 5th round pick to the Giants for him last Fall. He was the best defensive lineman for Seattle last year, and he physically fits the mold of Baltimore Raven defensive linemen. He’s big, long, strong, and athletic, and he’s disruptive. He can play multiple positions but works best as a 3 technique defensive tackle, and should play through his three year deal no problem.

For years, Seattle has been searching for a defensive tackle of Leonard’s abilities. Now that they finally got one, let him be the fixture up front moving forward. I would be totally cool if they doubled down in the draft, as well.

Tyrel Dobson is a very interesting young linebacker who has yet to be much of a name in the league but was an ascending talent for the Buffalo Bills last year, and graded out highly by Pro Football Focus both as a coverage guy and stopping the run. Many Seahawk fans have been bemoaning the team for allowing Jordyn Brooks to leave to Miami, but as I sorta sensed it, I think Seattle let Brooks go with the idea of adding a player like Dobson. This is a new coaching staff with a new scheme, and I think we are about to see a shift in types of players they are going to want. In Baltimore, it seemed like Macdonald preferred ‘backers who were really good coverage guys. I really super dig this signing. I need them to add one more vet, though, before the draft.

I am excited about Sam Howell coming to Seattle and here is why

Look, I get it for you are not wowed by the idea of the Seahawks trading for Sam Howell, especially after the botched Drew Lock experiment. While many are applauding the move, I see some negative reactions on social media ranging from feeling the need to defend Geno Smith by dismissing Howell, to being bummed that maybe Seattle won’t draft Michael Penix Junior after all, or just kinda mean spirited jabs going at Howell’s mistakes he made as a passer in his first season starting in the NFL.

I see Howell, and I think he could become a pretty good player in this league, if given the proper chance. I am not saying he will, but I think he could. He’s got a great arm, and he’s a really good athlete. I think he’s a much better passer than Justin Fields.

He’s got to learn how to limit turnover worthy plays, and not force things into unfavorable coverage. I also think he hangs onto the ball too long in the pocket, instead of dumping it to the check down, or taking off for positive gain, but it’s not like any of this isn’t correctable. These are all things that can be fixed in a young quarterback.

I also think Seattle’s offensive scheme could end up being a really good fit for him. Ryan Grubb designs passing attacks that make it favorable for quarterbacks. In Fresno, Jake Haener put up flashy numbers, and at Washington, they took a flyer on a banged up player who was almost washed out of college football in Michael Penix, and Grubb turned him into a star.

With Howell, the Commanders had him throw at a crazy high volume last year. It was baptism under fire, go be Patrick Mahomes type stuff in his first season starting. While he started out looking great, in the second half of the season it caught up to him when their line turned to trash, and he turned into a turnover machine.

John Elway, Brett Farve, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning were also turnover machines when they first started out, as well. If you are to look at the first year of Brees starting for the Chargers, Howell’s numbers from last year compare pretty favorably to him.

In Seattle, however, the vision is to be a ball control offense that leans into the run and builds play action off of it. Whether it is Geno Smith, or Sam Howell, the quarterback isn’t going to be tasked to be a high volume passer. This isn’t likely going to be the Ryan Grubb offense we saw at the University of Washington the last two years. Grubb is going to build an offense that will run it significantly more, and look for the explosive plays off of it through play action. This is how Mike Macdonald has described it.

In order to run that sort of offense really well, you would like a quarterback with a big arm, and it helps tremendously if he is mobile. Sam Howell has both of those things going for him.

While it is certainly possible that acquiring Howell is simply a hedge for a quarterback in this coming draft, it could also be possible that Ryan Grubb, who knows Michael Penix Junior better than anyone, went down to Eugene to watch Bo Nix throw at his pro day, and he came back saying to John Schneider that there is not that much difference between Nix, Penix, and Howell. Either one of these scenarios could be true, and time will tell how this all plays out.

Here is what I will say about Howell in comparison to the quarterbacks of this draft. He is younger than both Nix and Penix, and he has 18 games of starting experience in this league, and that is significantly more than what Drew Lock has had. I think he has a stronger arm than what Nix has, and he is a much better scrambler than Penix will likely ever be.

Schneider describes him as highly intelligent, and tough. That does actually mean something to me. Those are character traits to work with.

When I see Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, I get some diva vibes, honestly. When I look at Drake Maye, I can see great size and physical tools, but I see a lot of sloppy unrefined play. With JJ McCarthy, it feels like he’s guy who has superb character traits but maybe a limited arm, and ceiling. Each one of these guys kinda bares questions, one way or another. I have a hard time imagining that all of them are going to be superstar passers at the next level. Each comes with a risk.

By trading for Howell, who is roughly the same age, Seattle flipped with Washington a third rounder for a fourth, and a fifth for a sixth. That is all. That’s peanuts.

When they traded for Matt Hasselbeck in the early 2000’s, all they did to get him was to flip first round picks from Green Bay to bring him in. It was a low cost trade not that dissimilar to this one with Howell in order to take a shot on an unproven quarterback who the coach kinda sensed might blossom into a good starter in time, and it ultimately paid off.

If Howell doesn’t work out long term, so what? They gave up little for him.

But if they take Penix at 16, and he proves to be Teddy Bridgewater, that’s going to sting, especially if they passed over a pro bowl guard, or a premier edge rusher. And if they trade future first round picks to move up for JJ McCarthy and he is just mid as a player, at best, well, that’s going to be considerably worse.

Would I love to see Seattle draft a quarterback in April? Yeah, I would absolutely, positively dig that.

Would I be okay if they punted at drafting one and gave Howell a long look here to see if he could be further developed? Yeah, I would be pretty okay with that also.

I kinda dig him, actually.

And I dig this trade. I’m curious in ways I wasn’t with Drew Lock.

Noah Fant is back and this is rad!

One of the things in life that I will never understand, outside of the popularity of mayonnaise, is the lack of popularity of Noah Fant with Seahawk fans. Personally, I think it has more to do with the fact that in 14 years, Pete Carroll had no idea what to properly do with a big athletic tight end than anything else, but still..

What is the deal with all the Noah Fant “meh” crap?

He’s big, and athletic, and fast in ways that most tight ends are not. He also runs good routes and catches well. Ryan Grubb loves to use tight ends.

THIS IS A MATCH MADE IN TIGHT END HEAVEN!

Mark this words; in two years time, Noah Fant’s contract is going to be due and all these ungrateful Noah Fant naysaying nincompoops out there are going to be flipping out of their skulls with worry about him potentially leaving. That’s how awesome he is going to be in this new offense with Sam Howell throwing him darts.

Oh, also of note, the Seahawks signed this run blocking tight end Pharaoh Brown dude who is a former Oregon Duck. He will almost certainly be my wife’s favorite player.

George Fant and Nick Harris are fantastic signings!

Speaking of Fant, how about George Fant coming home?!

George Fant played really well for the playoff Texans last year and Seattle is paying him good money to return home to be a “swing tackle.” Two years $14 million tells me that there are legit concerns perhaps of Abe Lucas staying healthy with a gimpy knee, and Fant is a needed insurance policy.

If Lucas stays healthy, maybe one of them kicks inside to a guard spot. Schneider described Fant as a swing player, but I doubt he signed here thinking he wasn’t going to be a starter. We shall see how this plays out.

Center Nick Harris is a sneaky interesting signing. He played for offensive line coach Scott Huff in college at Washington, and was a really good player there. He was signed for better money that Seattle used on former starter Evan Brown last year. In Cleveland, he was a backup, but he also played snaps as a fullback on occasion. That’s a testament to his athleticism as a big man.

My hunch is Harris is a hedge for Olu Oluwatimi to become the starter after getting drafted last year as the outland trophy winner of college football’s best interior offensive lineman honors. However, there is this other side of me that wonders if Oluwatimi might be tried at guard because he actually has some decent enough size to play there, and Harris is a hedge for a center they like in the draft. Just a wee thought I have.

Just a wild thought. I got lots of them. For example, I think in high school’s across America, there should be a mandatory history class taught about World War Two. Maybe then we can get past the growing number crazy ass extremists that seem to be working at tearing our society apart every election cycle.

Rayshawn Jenkins intrigues at safety

Jenkins has been a proven safety in this league for a while and has played free and strong safety. He’s big at 6-1 221 lbs, he’s fast, he can cover and play the run. He is on a two year deal with very similar financial numbers to the contract Julian Love signed last year.

I think Jenkins and Love are Mike Macdonald’s starting safeties for 2024, but they will look to the draft. I suspect with the trade for Sam Howell, maybe Seattle is now looking to trade back in round one to get more picks and there is a safety or two they may target with some extra picks.

What intrigues me about Jenkins is frankly the financial commitment. Under Pete Carroll, Seattle has spend a ridiculous amount of money at the safety positions. He’d get a couple players he liked and he then had to make them the richest defenders on the team. I wonder with Macdonald whether Seattle now sees the position as something that they don’t need to spend top dollar on, and with his scheme, they can get by fine with good serviceable starters on affordable deals.

I don’t have a great vibe on Jenkins the player. It seemed like he had a market in free agency, and San Francisco was also looking at him. That’s something!

Final thoughts!

Love the Sam Howell trade. Love, love the Leonard Williams, Tyrel Dobson signings. Love, love the Noah Fant return.

I would love to see Seattle add one more proven veteran starting linebacker and a proven guard. They don’t have to be top shelf types either. I’d be happy with kicking the tires at guard on Mark Glowinski in Seattle again, or Halapoulivaati Vaitai. I would be cool to pair Dobson with Denzel Perryman or Kwon Alexander.

I need these two areas covered a bit more before we head into the draft, get a guard and another linebacker. As it stands right now, these are two positions that this team is likely to aiming to draft, but I don’t want them to force any needs.

What if a quarterback they dig does slide to their first pick? What if a great offensive tackle prospect is there? Or a great edge rush prospect?

Passing over great talent to fill a need leads to LJ Collier and Germain Ifedi selections and I would like to see this team avoid that type of mess. So, covering all bases, as much as possible feels vital.

So, go get that guard and linebacker, Schneider. So far, so good, but I need more. I can’t wait for more good news.

Go Hawks