3. Are there real problems in Seattle?
From Richard Sherman being placed on the trade block to a perceived rift surrounding Russell Wilson in the locker room, Seattle’s offseason has been filled with turmoil. This comes on the heels of a 2016 campaign that saw the Seahawks fail to display the same dominance we had seen earlier in the Pete Carroll era.
The question now is whether Seattle has regressed. More than that, it’s about whether fans in the Pacific Northwest have to worry about the first non-playoff season since 2011.
Sure the issues surrounding Sherman and Wilson might subside. Then again, they could end up being lingering problems within the team’s locker room.
Though, the larger issue here is on the field. Can a previously out of shape Eddie Lacy team up with an injury prone Thomas Rawls to create a solid running back tandem? The lack of consistency there last season led to a regression on offense. It’s something Carroll himself has focused on changing in 2017. But the players on the field need to actually perform at a high level for this to come to fruition.
Staying on offense, one of the largest question marks for any contending team in the NFL is the offensive line in Seattle. Former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round bust Luke Joeckel will now be tasked with protecting Wilson’s blindside. Considering how poorly he played with the Jags, that’s probably not a great thing.
And in reality, the rest of Seattle’s offensive line is made up of makeshift players that actually are well below Joeckel when it comes to a track record of success in the NFL.
Defensively, Seattle’s previously vaunted Legion of Boom regressed a great deal last season when All Pro safety Earl Thomas went down with a broken leg. It exposed Sherman without the backside help Thomas provided. It also led to questions at the other cornerback position, an area Seattle attempted to fortify in the draft.
While the NFC West remains relatively weak in the grand scheme of things, the Seahawks themselves appear to be taking a turn for the worst. The question now is whether perceived locker room issues will doom the team in 2017.