Russell Wilson got paid this offseason. After years of Wilson being one of the best values in football due to his rookie contract, the Seattle Seahawks rewarded their star quarterback by making him the highest-paid quarterback in the league in April. Wilson signed a four-year, $140 million deal that included a $65 million signing bonus, ensuring that he will be in the Emerald City for the prime of his career. Of course, such a huge deal means that the Seahawks don’t have the pieces elsewhere that they did in the past, so this team is an underdog to make the postseason per the NFL betting odds.
Will the Seattle Seahawks Make the Playoffs in 2019?
Yes +150
No -185
Odds Analysis
Seattle has been the most consistent team in the NFC since Wilson was drafted in 2012. The Seahawks have finished with a winning record for each of the last seven seasons, and they made the playoffs in all but one of those years. They are out to make it seven of eight years, but this is not the perennial power we saw in past years.
Breaking Down the Seahawks Offense
Wilson won’t have a lot of proven talent alongside him on the offense. Doug Baldwin’s retirement has deprived the quarterback of his favorite weapon for most of his career, and Tyler Lockett is the top receiver coming into this season. Lockett has been a solid deep threat, averaging 16.9 yards per reception in 2018, but he might struggle to get open as defenses rotate their coverage to shut him down.
It’s unclear who will emerge as the No. 2 receiver. Seattle hopes it will be bulky receiver DK Metcalf since the team drafted him in the second round of this year’s draft, but Metcalf is recovering from knee surgery and might not be available early in the season. The Seahawks also used draft picks on Gary Jennings and John Ursua, but we don’t know how they’ll fare during the regular season. Keenan Reynolds and Jaron Brown were brought in this offseason too.
The running game is in a little better shape. Both Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny averaged at least 4.7 yards per carry in 2019, and they will look to share the duties with Mike Davis now in Chicago.
Everything depends on Wilson though. After being labeled a game manager during his first few seasons in the league, he proved that he was one of the league’s elite quarterbacks in recent years. This is his team, and its success or failure is largely on his shoulders.
Breaking Down the Seahawks Defense
Seattle’s linebackers are fantastic, and that unit is the strength of this defense. Bobby Wagner has been one of the NFL’s best linebackers since joining the team in 2012, and he is the leader of the unit. KJ Wright is a fantastic outside linebacker, and Shaquem Griffin continues to prove all the doubters wrong.
The front four is a bit of a worry. There are no proven players, and this unit has been entirely revamped. Seattle is hoping that first round pick LJ Collier can make an immediate impact or else this could be a major issue.
There are some worries in the secondary too. Shaquill Griffin is superb, but the other three positions are a little less settled.
Prediction
I see why Seattle is an underdog to make it back to the playoffs. Other than Wilson and the linebacking corps, question marks abound. There’s a lot that must be answered, but I believe the front office has found some players that will surprise. Seattle has a knack for out-scouting rivals, and that’s why I’ll bet Seattle to make the playoffs.
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