Seahawks 'Intriguing Sleepers' in Super Bowl Race Under Mike Macdonald
The Seattle Seahawks narrowly missed out on a playoff berth last season after making the postseason in the first year post-Russell Wilson.
With the team's consistency lacking after a solid 6-3 start, a four-game losing streak meant the team was fighting against the tide to secure a playoff spot. They narrowly missed out and Pete Carroll was moved on from as head coach.
Now, as a new era begins under defensive mastermind Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks have an "unknown commodity" feel about them. Defensively, the Seahawks will likely see improvement, and offensively, with Ryan Grubb, the unit could be much improved from last season.
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CBS Sports has put all 32 NFL teams into tiers as we enter free agency, and the Seahawks under Macdonald have been placed in the "Uphill Climbers" tier.
"The stage is set for a decent makeover under new coach Mike Macdonald, and they could be intriguing sleepers if they find a quarterback of the future with the No. 16 pick," CBS Sports writes. "But they've also had to cut ties with some key vets, including Pro Bowl defensive backs Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, while preparing to let others, like Leonard Williams, walk."
The biggest changes no doubt loom on the defensive side of the ball where Macdonald will have a lot of input. Seattle ranked 25th for points allowed in 2023 (23.6 points per game) under Clint Hurtt and Macdonald will look to recitfy that.
Offensively under Shane Waldron, there wasn't the consistency that many had hoped for and after such a good start that saw Seattle hot on the heels of the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, things fell apart and left the team playing catch up.
With Seattle holding the No. 16 pick in the draft, there have been mock drafts that have the franchise taking a quarterback due to Geno Smith's uncertain future beyond 2024.
In what could be a last-chance hoorah with Geno, the Seahawks, under Macdonald could surprise a lot of teams and after being a Super Bowl darkhorse last offseason. With an improved defense and an offensive coordinator that likes to air the ball out, Seattle could sneak up on teams.
Of course, a lot of this is speculation, but the ground work is being laid for the Seahawks to be a much better version of themselves under Macdonald's guidance.
