The trade of franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason signaled a new era for the Seattle Seahawks. With Wilson now a Bronco, a rebuild is officially underway in Seattle.
One look at ESPN’s positional power rankings and it might appear obvious why the Seahawks are in need of a rebuild to become Super Bowl contenders again. According to the ESPN review, the Seahawks own one of the worst rosters in the NFL.
And when it comes to the quarterback position, the combination of Drew Lock and Geno Smith comes in dead last. To ESPN, the Seahawks own the league’s “shakiest” quarterback room.
Shakiest: Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson is out and some combination of Geno Smith and Drew Lock is in at quarterback for the rebuilding Seahawks. Seattle is expressing confidence in Lock’s abilities, but it’s hard to expect much after the 2019 second-round pick lost the Denver starting job before struggling mightily in place of Teddy Bridgewater down the stretch last season. Smith, 31, was respectable in place of an injured Wilson in 2021, but he is best served as a backup — he has attempted 196 passes over the past seven seasons.
While the Seahawks entered the quarterback rankings at dead last, the Broncos with Wilson came in at No. 9 on the list. Trading Wilson may have been unavoidable for Seattle, but doing so leaves the Seahawks with a big hole to fill.
Neither Lock nor Smith played a full season last year, with Lock losing the quarterback battle to Teddy Bridgewater and Smith starting in place of an injured Wilson for four games.
One look at their stats in their limited action and it isn’t too hard to see why they are where they are on the positional rankings. In just six games, Lock threw for 787 yards and two touchdowns, while Smith recorded 702 yards and five touchdowns in just four games.
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Simply put, neither quarterback inspires much confidence heading into the season. Yes, one of the two could step up in the absence of Wilson and show that they are a franchise quarterback, but that is far from a certainty to happen.
In all likelihood, the next franchise quarterback is not currently on the roster for the Seahawks. With Seattle owning two first-round picks in the 2023 draft, it would not be difficult for them to move up to get their guy if they really want someone in the upcoming draft class.
As the season gets closer by the day, it is increasingly likely that the Seahawks will roll with the quarterbacks they have on the roster. How good they are and how good the Seahawks are overall is yet to be seen, but don’t rule out this being a rough year for the Seahawks at the quarterback position.
YYou can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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