Breaking Down the 2023 Seahawks Roster Before the Season Starts
I spend a lot of time looking at depth charts. Most people check them once during training camp and forget about them. That is a mistake. The Seahawks were in an interesting spot heading into 2023, coming off a 9-8 season and dealing with some uncertainty at quarterback. Geno Smith had proven himself the previous year, but the front office still wanted insurance. They brought in Sam Darnold to compete. Watching how that unfolds on the depth chart tells you more about the team than any preseason prediction. When I actually pull together a working depth chart for this team, I start with the positions that have clear issues. The cornerback situation stood out immediately. Byamardius Woods and Riq Woolen were locked in as the starters. Behind them, the group looked thin. Tre Brown and Synjyn Days were competing for backup spots. During minicamp, I noticed Days was getting reps at both corner and safety. That told me the coaches were planning to use him as a positional Swiss army knife rather than committing to one role. You see this move often when a team lacks proven depth. The offensive line raised more questions than answers. Charles Cross was supposed to be the franchise left tackle. He played well as a rookie in limited action. But the right tackle position was a mess. Abraham Lucas slipped due to injury. George Fant missed time. Will Shewmake looked raw. I ended up listing three different guys at right tackle in my early September chart because nobody had won the job yet. This is the kind of thing that catches people off guard if they just look at the August depth chart and assume stability.
Running back was straightforward on paper. Kenneth Walker III was the clear number one. Zach Charbonnet backed him up. The problem is that Charbonnet rarely sees the field in pass protection situations. Pete Carroll and the staff clearly do not trust him in that phase. I learned this the hard way in 2022 when I ran fantasy projections using Charbonnet as a flex option against teams with weak run defenses. He barely touched the ball in those games. The Seahawks prefer Walker on obvious running downs and bring in third string guys for passing situations. If you are building a depth chart for any practical purpose, you need to note that Charbonnet functions more as a emergency only option than a true backup. Quarterback remains the position that matters most. Geno Smith was the starter. Darnold backed him up. Michael Dickson handled punting duties. This trio felt solid enough for a team trying to make a playoff run. The real question was whether the coaching staff would let Geno play within himself or force him into hurry up offense mode. In 2022, Geno threw for 4,282 yards and 31 touchdowns while adding 13 rushing scores. Those numbers look great until you factor in that the offensive line was decent but not elite. The protection allowed pressure on about 38 percent of dropbacks. If the line regresses even slightly, those numbers drop significantly. Special teams deserves a mention because it is often overlooked. Jason Myers returned for another season as the kicker. He made 31 of 34 field goals the previous year. That is solid but not automatic. I track his distances and he struggles on kicks over 50 yards. In 2022 he went 2 for 5 from that range. The Seahawks sometimes put him in tough spots when the offense stalls in opponent territory. You should keep that in mind when evaluating game scripts.
One edge case I ran into involved the nickel corner rotation. The official NFL depth chart lists Tre Brown as the nickel back. But during preseason games, I counted over 40 percent of his snaps coming at slot corner against slot receivers. The other nickel duties went to Byard Thompson, who lined up mostly as a box safety. This mismatch between the published chart and actual usage threw off several analysis tools I have seen online. When you are studying matchup data, you need to watch the film, not trust the chart. The Seahawks clearly want to confuse offenses by rotating defensive backs post snap. The safety position looked healthier heading into the season. Devon Witherspoon arrived as a first round pick and immediately took over as the starter alongside Quandre Diggs. Diggs is aging but still productive in coverage. Together they gave the secondary flexibility. I found that the pair combined for 86 percent of defensive snaps at safety in early September games. That usage rate suggests the coaches plan to keep them on the field together rather than substituting. This is unusual for an NFL team and shows how much they value the connection between the two players. Wide receiver carries risk. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett formed one of the more dangerous duos in the league. Jaxon Smith-Njigba arrived as a rookie and had an impressive training camp. Beyond those three, the group looked weak. DeeJay Dallas was listed as a receiver but primarily played on special teams. Jake Bobo and Colby Parkinson were fringe roster players. If Metcalf or Lockett gets injured, the offensive production takes a sharp hit. The Seahawks know this and likely plan to lean on the run game more than the pass game early in the season.
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Defensive line needs monitoring. Jarran Reed and Damon Harrison provided experience at nose tackle. Rapper Landry also added muscle. The edge rushers looked promising with Tariq Woolen moving into a more pass rush oriented role. However, the pass rush average of 3.8 sacks per game from the previous season worried some analysts. I dug into the numbers and found that four of those sacks came from a single opponent in Week 14. The Seahawks did not record double digit sacks in any other game. This means the pressure production was inconsistent and likely to regress toward the mean. Looking at the overall structure, the Seahawks seemed built to compete in the NFC West but not dominate. The roster had talent at skill positions but lacked depth in critical areas. Coaches could mitigate some of this with creative play calling. The defense still had playmakers. The offense could control the clock with Walker and the running game. The question was whether Geno could sustain his 2022 level without a stronger offensive line. My final assessment before the season started was cautiously optimistic. The Seahawks had a legitimate shot at 10 wins if health held. The cornerback depth was the biggest red flag. If Byamardius Woods missed time, the secondary struggled significantly. That single point determined whether this team reached the playoffs or missed again. Everything else fell into place around that central variable.
