Just days ago, the Seattle Seahawks turned the page on the past decade of their history by trading quarterback and future Hall of Famer Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Seattle had a dismal 2021 season, finishing just 7-10 despite being expected by many, if not most, people to make the National Football League playoffs.
Now, with the Wilson era over, the Seahawks have clearly entered a rebuilding phase, even though multiple people in the organization deny that the team is actually rebuilding.
Quandre Diggs says he trusts what he's been told in conversations with Pete Carroll on where the #Seahawks are heading.
"We're not in a rebuild mode. We're trying to get this back rolling."
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) March 23, 2022
But it is pretty obvious that Seattle won’t be a good team this coming season, and that things could get ugly without the signal-caller who led it to its first Super Bowl championship several years ago.
Is it possible the Seahawks will be the worst team in the league?
Huge Downgrade At QB
Even though Wilson, by most accounts, had what was by his standards an off-year, he still had a passer rating of 103.1 and threw for 3,113 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2021.
He did all that despite missing three games with a finger injury.
Just the year before, Wilson put up 4,212 yards and 40 touchdowns as the Seahawks went 12-4.
But now, Drew Lock, who was acquired in the deal with Denver, will start under center for Seattle.
No disrespect to Lock, but he simply isn’t a good NFL-level QB by any means.
In three seasons in the league, he hasn’t accomplished anything of note, nor has he convinced many people that he is on his way to stardom.
He struggled during his rookie season, as he was forced to miss much of the campaign with a thumb injury, and although he showed a couple of glimpses of promise after returning, he recorded just 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns in five games.
He did slightly better in 2020, but only managed 2,933 yards and 16 touchdowns in 13 contests.
This past season, he was benched in favor of Teddy Bridgewater, who proved to be only marginally better than him.
However, it does seem like Lock has the support of one of his most important teammates.
Let’s chill on the Drew Lock slander
— DK Metcalf (@dkm14) March 18, 2022
Another Major Piece Has Left
Let’s not forget that the Seahawks also lost Bobby Wagner, who was also a major part of the team and another last link to its 2013 world championship team.
Wagner has been considered one of the premier linebackers in the NFL for several years, to the tune of eight consecutive Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro First-Team nods.
When the Seahawks were an elite team during the Wilson era, it was known as a unit that won with a smash-mouth defense that held teams down in submission, and Wagner was the grand marshal of that defense.
Without him, Seattle is going to have significant problems getting stops on a consistent basis.
What Seattle Has Going For It
On the other hand, the Seahawks still have D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who are two of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
Some wonder whether they should trade Metcalf and start almost from scratch, or build around the 24-year-old.
After all, he will be entering the final year of his contract, and the Seahawks will need to pay him top dollar.
But as long as he stays in the Emerald City, there is no way the Seahawks will be the NFL’s worst team this coming season.
NEXT: Drew Lock Urges His New Top Receiver To Stay In Seattle
