3 Seahawks Who Will Exceed Expectations in 2020
As they have for most of the past decade, the Seahawks believe they are Super Bowl contenders heading into the 2020 season. And with Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, and now Jamal Adams, they'll definitely be in the mix. But three superstars don't make up for some of the warts on this roster. To reach the mountain top, they'll need players to emerge from backups to starters, from starters to Pro Bowlers, and if they are lucky, from Pro Bowlers to All-Pros.
But who might these players be? Who can take the next step? Thankfully, the current roster is filled with strong candidates to make such a leap. But today, we look for three players who can make the jump from starter to potential Pro Bowl player and thus surprise most fans in 2020.
Greg Olsen
The first signing of the offseason, Olsen's addition to the Seahawks was met with mixed reactions. Most liked the player but weren't too fond of the price tag as he snagged $7.5 million for one season. But he was once an elite tight end in his prime and while we know he isn't the same player he once was at 35 years old, he proved in 2019 that he could produce with a subpar quarterback. Russell Wilson is anything but a subpar signal caller and he loves to utilize tight ends.
Look at what Wilson turned Jacob Hollister into last season. Thrust into duty after a string of injuries, Hollister finished the season with 41 catches in just 11 games played and in the final eight games of 2019, he was targeted 51 times, a not too distant third behind Tyler Lockett (56) and DK Metcalf (55).
At this stage of his career, Hollister may have an athletic advantage over Olsen, but the veteran is a better route runner and has a size advantage with a bevy of tricks that Hollister hasn't shown yet. The veteran will have to compete with Will Dissly for playing time but should see a target share similar to Hollister and if he does, Olsen may show he has one more Pro Bowl-caliber season left in the tank.
Shaquill Griffin
Griffin broke out in a big way in 2019, making his first Pro Bowl team and flashing the potential to be a shutdown corner. Though he hasn't yet been a true lockdown corner, he has been a solid number one corner for the past calendar year and has shown shut down capabilities. Is 2020 the year he finally reaches that level?
There are a few factors that should lead Seahawks fans to think that he can. Griffin is entering the final year of his rookie contract and regardless of what he said Friday, he's looking to get paid, so the motivation should never be higher for him. In addition, the safety situation from this time a year ago is markedly better. With All-Pro Jamal Adams and a Pro Bowl caliber player in Quandre Diggs behind him, Griffin can take more liberties and trust his eyes, which could lead to more interceptions.
And at the end of the day, that is exactly what we're talking about right? Sure, coverage grades and batted passes are nice, but you want your secondary to create turnovers. This hasn't been a forte of Griffin as of yet, as he has just three interceptions in his career and no forced fumbles. But Griffen gets his hands on plenty of footballs. He just can't close the deal. But with an improved secondary around him and a (hopefully) improved pass rush, Griffin has all the tools to end that stigma and create more turnovers.
Benson Mayowa
After a season of watching an abysmal pass rush, Seahawks fans seem awfully quick to write off a player who had 7.0 sacks in 2019. Whether it's because they think of Mayowa as a retread from the 2013 team or just don't understand how much better he is now than he was as an undrafted rookie free agent, we can't be sure. But one thing we should feel pretty confident in is that Mayowa can have a positive impact on the defense.
As stated, Mayowa had a career-high in sacks in 2019 and nearly twice as many as the Seahawks 2019 leader Rasheem Green. But what is most impressive about those sack numbers is the few opportunities he actually got to rush the passer. Mayowa only played 38.3 percent of defensive snaps with Oakland in 2019 and still managed 10 quarterback hits, 7.0 sacks, five tackles for a loss, and three forced fumbles.
For comparison's sake, Jadeveon Clowney had 13 quarterback hits while playing 77 percent of the snaps for Seattle in 2019. Obviously, Clowney is the better player and I'm not comparing the two. But think of how disruptive Clowney was compared to Mayowa and understand that Clowney literally played twice as many snaps to get there.
Thus far, Mayowa's only competition is Darell Taylor, who hasn't started practice yet, and fifth-round pick Alton Robinson. Mayowa is going to get more snaps in 2020 than in 2019 and if the can keep the same efficiency (we have little reason to believe he can't), he is looking at double-digit sacks in 2020.
