The Seattle Seahawks made drastic changes after going 10-7 last season, and only time will tell whether those moves were brilliant or boneheaded. Those around the NFL haven't been overly receptive to the team's decision to part with veteran quarterback Geno Smith.
However, Seattle chose the unknown by bringing in former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold. While some just aren't a fan of the switch at QB, others have criticized the team for failing to surround Darnold with talent.
Bleacher Report questioned what the Seahawks were doing in new pre-draft offseason breakdown.
"Although they went a respectable 10-7 with Smith leading the way last year, they'll struggle to compete with their roughshod offensive line and lack of weapons outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp—the aging and injury-prone veteran who was picked up recently to augment the quarterback," wrote Bleacher Report's Alex Kay.
These are fair criticisms, especially if the team fails to adequately address the offensive line in the draft.
If Kupp is healthy, he should be reliable target for Darnold this season. However, the decision to trade wide receiver DK Metcalf in no way helps Darnold this season, unless the team lucks into another instant-impact player like Metcalf in the second round.
The Seahawks have a ton of draft capital, and while we expect them to address the offensive line with their 10 selections, they may have been better off doing so in free agency. Finding an instant-impact starter up front is easier said than done.
General manager John Schneider has already received a decent amount of criticism, but we'll have to see what he does in the draft before we can truly judge Seattle's offseason as a whole.
