Seahawks QB Geno Smith Named Best Deep Passer of 2022
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had a season to remember in 2022, his first season as the team's starting quarterback.
Smith had spent the last several years as a backup, but the Seahawks trading Russell Wilson opened up an opportunity for him to be the new starter. He took the opportunity and ran with it, throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns on a league-best 69.8 completion percentage. For his breakout performance, Smith won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in his 10th season.
One reason why Smith was so effective last season was his deep-ball proficiency. According to Next Generation Stats, He completed 24 of 51 deep passes for 719 yards and 13 touchdowns with only two interceptions, good for a 116.6 passer rating. Those numbers blow his expected completion percentage of 33.8, earning him the top spot on NFL.com's ranking of deep passers in 2022.
"These numbers are all impressive, but what vaulted Smith up to the top spot was just how productive he was when throwing deep," NFL.com writes. "Nearly half of Smith's 30 touchdown passes came on deep passes, and his 13 downfield scores led all quarterbacks. This rate of success was stellar: 25.4 percent of Smith's deep attempts produced touchdowns in 2022.
"With this in mind, it's easy to see how he finished with a deep passing EPA [expected points added] of +42.3. Going deep was highly rewarding for the Seahawks with Smith at the controls, helping him finish third in passer rating on such attempts. Add in a CPOE [completion percentage above expected] of +13.2% -- which leads all quarterbacks on this list -- and it's easy to see why he was the best deep passer of the season."
Smith ranked No. 9 in the NFL at 7.5 yards per attempt. On the other hand, Seahawks receivers ranked No. 20 in yards per reception at 10.7. These stats show that the Seahawks excelled in both the short and long passing games last season.
A former Seahawk made the list as well. Despite Wilson's poor first season with the Denver Broncos, he had an effective deep ball. The longtime Seahawk completed 26 of his 73 deep pass attempts for 1,008 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions, earning a 99.8 passer rating.
If the Seahawks are to take the next step towards contention in 2023, Smith continuing to excel on deep passes would go a long way.
You can find Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News
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