Any Seahawks offseason chatter will center around QB Russell Wilson until he is no longer on the team. And maybe even after. Wilson is on record for wanting the offensive line to be improved "or else". Wilson also has a no trade clause and has never actually said he wants to be traded. So we can speculate all we want but at the end of the day Wilson will be a ‘Hawk. What is happening is a significant shift in the coaching staff (including offensive line coach, the passing coordinator and the quarterbacks coach), but not Coach Carroll himself. Will that be enough for Wilson? Probably not, but what if it isn’t? Then Seattle’s offensive line weakness just must be addressed.

But the offensive line is not Seattle’s only significant Free Agent issue. Here is a quick rundown.

1. Offensive Line. Seattle is set at left tackle as long as they can keep LT Duane Brown on the roster. He has only a couple of years left before he retires, but some team in need may well offer him more than he can pass up. Also RT Brandon Shell could go in free agency, but he is not as irreplaceable. Seattle may not be worse off without him, but they will be worse off without Brown. C Ethan Pocic is a free agent as well, and C Kyle Fuller is a restricted free agent. It is likely that Seattle will be looking to bring in new faces in free agency here.
2. Tight End. TE Gerald Everett had a one year deal. He had a fabulous year, but TE Will Dissly could have done everything Everett did and still could this year. Losing Everett would not be a huge loss for Seattle despite the stats.
3. Secondary. To have a secondary or not to have a secondary? That is the question. FS Quandre Diggs is one of the best but his injury was at a horrible time. Seattle may only have a chance at keeping him because of that or more likely if they put a franchise tag on him. Then add CB DJ Reed to that equation. Reed is not that well known but he is a crucial piece for the ‘Hawks. CB Sidney Jones is also out there and even CB Ryan Neal, but he is an exclusive restricted free agent. Wilson is an explosive play quarterback and Seattle has done best when they have had a secondary that can take that away from the other team’s quarterback. Keeping SS Jamal Adams’ cohort together should be a priority.
4. Running Back. RB Rashaad Penny is a tricky choice - who would have guessed. He finished the season as the second best back in the NFL over the last handful of games. And even his career stats for when he started are stellar. But stats never tell the whole tale. Many fantasy coaches have wasted picks on Penny only to have him injured perpetually. I want to see him do well somewhere, but RB Chris Carson should come back and be everything Seattle needs next year. And if not, the draft class is pretty deep for running backs too. All signs point to Penny trying his luck somewhere else next year.

Draft overview: Seattle currently has 6 picks:

Round 2: 1

Round 3: 1

Round 4: 2

Round 5: 1

Round 7: 1

Very few draft picks and lots of free agent risk is not a very good position for Seattle to be in especially with how tough the NFC West is. But if the coaching staff shake up was the right choice and if the offensive line and secondary end up looking solid, then Seattle should be back in its place contending to be the best in the NFC West.

Go ‘Hawks!

End.