Have Seahawks Closed Gap on 49ers in NFC West This Offseason?
One day after the Seattle Seahawks dropped their wild card contest to the San Francisco 49ers back in January, coach Pete Carroll wasted little time stating the obvious discussing the root of the wide talent gap between his team and their NFC West rivals.
“There’s a distance here,” Carroll said on Seattle Sports 710. “It’s really because of what they got up front. Their front seven is really, really well equipped.”
Armed with elite defenders in Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Fred Warner in the front seven, the 49ers held a major advantage in all three matchups against the Seahawks last season. Even when Carroll's team managed to go into halftime with a 17-16 lead in the wild card round after a strong first half showing, talent eventually won out as the home team outscored the upset-minded Seahawks 25-6 in the final two quarters behind a suffocating defense.
From the outset, playing a bit of keeping up with the Joneses with hopes of closing the aforementioned gap, Carroll and general manager John Schneider vowed to make their defensive front more dynamic during the offseason. While the jury remains out on whether the moves will yield desired results, Seattle's brain trust aggressively spent to fulfill that mission, signing defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones and All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner to fortify the front seven.
With free agency and the draft now in the past, did Carroll and Schneider do enough to legitimately vault the Seahawks into contender status in the NFC? Or do they still have significant work to do to stack up with the Niners?
Where has Seattle gained the most ground on San Francisco?
While toughness, grit, and leadership are not necessarily quantifiable as statistics, the Seahawks have done an excellent job fulfilling their mission of adding junkyard dogs on both sides of the football ready to mix it up with their bitter rivals. And in the process, they've continued to overhaul their roster with young talent that checked off the "dynamic" mark on the wish list.
Defensively, bringing back Wagner instantly should improve one of the NFL's worst rushing units from a year ago and understands what it takes to succeed against physical, run-centric offenses. Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt will also be counting on newcomers Jones and Julian Love to help in that department combatting the 49ers two-back heavy personnel, while rookies Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Cameron Young, and Mike Morris all received hammer insignias on their scouting reports and will be expected to contribute early.
Aiming to upgrade its interior offensive line between ascending young tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, Seattle brought center Evan Brown in from Detroit, where he started for one of the top rushing offenses in the NFL a year ago. He will compete with heralded fifth-round pick Olu Oluwatimi to replace Austin Blythe, while fourth-round pick Anthony Bradford will have a chance to vie for early playing time against incumbent Phil Haynes at right guard. The organization will be banking on those two positional battles yielding a more physical, consistent ground game.
Upgrading an already potent skill position group, the Seahawks also snagged receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round, giving Geno Smith a physical yards after the catch maestro who can dominate the middle of the field from the slot and make life easier for DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Teaming up with Ken Walker III, second-round pick Zach Charbonnet and seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh should provide excellent depth and pass-catching ability along with adding more punch to the ground attack.
Which areas remain concerning in Seahawks pursuit of 49ers?
As part of a full-scale defensive line rebuild, the arrival of Jones and Jarran Reed in free agency coupled with the selection of Young and Morris on day three of the NFL Draft gives the Seahawks a defensive front with a potentially high ceiling, especially if the rookies come in and play well right away. However, after losing Al Woods, Quinton Jefferson, and Poona Ford to AFC East teams with Shelby Harris also remaining a free agent, the lack of size and experience in the trenches also gives the group an alarmingly low floor if things don't pan out.
Looking at the defensive line as currently constructed, Seattle will need Jones to live up to his three-year, $51 million contract by continuing to ascend as a top-tier interior pass rusher and take significant strides forward in the run defense department. Next to him, Reed will have to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing lone season in Green Bay and prove he can still play at a high level as a starter, while Young doesn't have any healthy competition for nose tackle reps with Bryan Mone recovering from a torn ACL and Woods now in New York.
On the other side of the trenches, while there's reason for optimism with Cross and Lucas headlining a high-upside group, Seattle's offensive line isn't without question marks, particularly in pass protection. Haynes has never been a full-time starter in the NFL and surrendered 18 pressures in a rotational role last season, while Brown regressed in pass protection for the Lions last season allowing 22 pressures. As for the rookies, though Oluwaitimi didn't yield a sack at Michigan last year, Bradford had his share of issues keeping quarterbacks clean, allowing four sacks, 12 pressures, and posting a mediocre 98.3 pass pro efficiency rating.
Going against a 49ers defensive line that added star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a unit already headlined by Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, if the Seahawks don't have a capable starter at center and/or right guard in the pass protection department, it won't matter if they are better in the run game. Much like the defensive line, the cloud of uncertainty hovers over the team.
Closing Verdict
There's no question the Seahawks have improved their roster with savvy free agent additions and another quality draft full of intriguing incoming rookies. But question marks and unknowns remain, casting doubt about whether or not they have caught up with the 49ers enough to compete for an NFC West title next season.
Offensively, with Smith back at the controls on a new three-year contract and several new weapons at his disposal, Seattle has the firepower to be able to compete with anyone, including San Francisco. With that said, the offense will only go as far as the line allows it to, and if the group up front isn't markedly better than the one from a year ago protecting Smith and opening up running lanes, the unit won't be able to reach its full potential and maximize on the immense talent at the skill positions.
On the flip side, the Seahawks have built a secondary that, if healthy, should stack up against any team in the NFC. The addition of Witherspoon across from Pro Bowl cornerback Tariq Woolen paired with star safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams as well as Love rivals any back half in the league talent-wise. Wagner's return next to Devin Bush and eventually a healthy Jordyn Brooks gives the team an upgraded linebacker corps in the short term as well.
While the back seven should be a strength for Seattle, how the defensive line comes together this spring and into training camp will be the ultimate deciding factor on whether or not the team has a shot to catch San Francisco. The group as a whole must do a better job defending the run and without a proven veteran at nose tackle or experienced depth at the 3-tech positions, it stands out as the one worrisome flaw that may still hold the team back.
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