In the 29th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Seattle Seahawks.
Key Off Season Acquisitions
The Seahawks came to terms with four players on defense via free agency in the offseason. They were defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones of Cleveland, Ohio, free safety Julian Love of Westchester, Illinois, defensive end Jarran Reed of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and inside linebacker Bobby Wagner of Los Angeles, California. Jones came to terms on a three-year deal worth $51.53 million. Love signed a two-year deal worth $12 million, Reed signed a two-year deal worth $9 million, and Wagner signed a one-year deal worth $5.5 million.
Jones played the last four seasons with the Denver Broncos. This past season, he had 47 combined tackles (24 solo tackles and 23 assisted tackles), 10 quarterback hits, nine tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Jones’s forced fumble came in a 16-9 Broncos win over the Houston Texans on September 18.
Love is joining his second NFL franchise. He previously played four seasons with the New York Giants from 2019 to 2022. In 16 games in 2022, Love had 124 combined tackles (79 solo tackles and 45 assisted tackles), six tackles for a loss, one quarterback hit, two interceptions for 44 yards, five pass deflections, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery for eight yards. The sack and quarterback hit came in a 19-16 Giants win over the Carolina Panthers on September 18. The forced fumble came in a 27-22 Giants win over the Green Bay Packers on October 9, and the fumble recovery came in a 23-17 Giants win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 23.
Reed is returning to the Seahawks. He played with Seattle from 2016 to 2020, following one season each with the Kansas City Chiefs (2021) and Green Bay Packers (2022). This past season with the Packers, Reed had 52 combined tackles (29 solo tackles and 23 assisted tackles), five tackles for a loss, 14 quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. Reed’s fumble recoveries came in a 14-12 Packers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 25, and in a 26-20 Packers win over the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day. Reed’s forced fumble also came against the Dolphins on December 25.
Wagner is also returning to Seattle. He played a decade with the Seahawks and won the Super Bowl in 2014, before one season with the Rams in 2022. This past season, Wagner had 140 combined tackles (81 solo tackles and 59 assisted tackles), 10 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hits, six sacks, two interceptions for 13 yards, and five pass deflections.
Fantasy Stars
Quarterback Geno Smith of Miramar, Florida had a surprise season in 2022. No one expected him to have a better season than Russell Wilson, but in fact he did. Smith, who is ranked fifth in fantasy football among quarterbacks, completed 399 passes in 572 attempts for 4282 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Smith also had a completion percentage of 69.8%. On the ground, Smith had 68 rushes for 366 rushing yards and one touchdown. His major score was for eight yards and came in a 48-45 Seahawks win over the Detroit Lions on October 2.
Jason Myers of Chula Vista, California is eighth among kickers. Last year he made 34 of 37 field goals and 41 of 42 converts, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
Projected Finish
Seattle finished second in the NFC West last season, and they should finish in the same spot in 2022. They are clearly better than the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, but are also definitely behind the San Francisco 49ers.
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