Seahawks Position Preview: Quarterbacks

As illustrated by his No. 2 overall ranking in the latest NFL Top 100 players rankings voted on by players, the Seahawks currently have one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL in six-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson.

Over the past five seasons, the 31-year old Wilson has thrown at least 30 touchdown passes four times. Since 2017, he's thrown more touchdowns than any quarterback in the sport, including Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers. Last year, he threw a career-low five interceptions and orchestrated five game-winning drives for an 11-win team, consistently guiding his team to victory in tight contests.

Continuing to build a Hall of Fame-worthy resume entering his ninth season, Wilson is in the prime of his career and hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Now in his third season working in tandem with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, his best football may still be yet in front of him, which is outstanding news for Seattle as it tries to climb back to the top of the league's toughest, deepest division.

As long as Wilson remains under center, the Seahawks will be in the thick of things for an NFC West title and potentially more. But while the star signal caller hasn't missed a start in his career, playing during a pandemic this year will make it especially important for the team to have a reliable backup option behind him.

How will the quarterback room shake out for the 2020 season? Let's take a look at the expected group for the regular season, a potential wild card to watch, best/worst case scenarios, and projections.

Expected Group

There's no drama here, as Wilson will be the undisputed starter and Geno Smith will be the Seahawks backup for a second straight season, providing a proven veteran with NFL starting experience and a year under his belt in Schottenheimer's offense.

Wild Card

Under normal circumstances, undrafted rookie Anthony Gordon would have had a legitimate shot at unseating Smith as Seattle's backup. Though he only started one season at Washington State, he has the arm strength and touch necessary to make NFL throws and he thrived in Mike Leach's offense, throwing for 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns while completing north of 71 percent of his passes. Unfortunately, without the benefit of OTAs, minicamps, or preseason games, there's no way he will be able to receive enough reps to push for a roster spot at this point. With practice squads expanding to 16 players, however, Seattle may choose to keep him around to develop for the future and he could be Wilson's backup as early as 2021.

Best-Case Scenario

Continuing to find ways to improve after being selected Second-Team All-Pro in 2019, Wilson takes another step forward in his progression and starts all 16 games for a ninth straight year. Mastering Schottenheimer's offense, which keeps trending in the right direction with more emphasis on passing on early downs after increasing pass plays on 1st and 10 from 36 percent in 2018 to 47 percent in 2019, he surpasses 40 touchdown passes for the first time in his career, throws for over 4,300 yards for the first time, and approaches a 70 percent completion rate. Wilson also remains one of the best in the game at protecting the football with a surprisingly solid offensive line protecting him, throwing just seven interceptions while remaining adept at picking up yards on the ground when necessary.

Worst-Case Scenario

Having never missed a game in his NFL career, any worst-case scenario for the Seahawks at quarterback would revolved around Wilson missing extended time due to injury or contracting COVID-19. Smith has started 30 games in the NFL previously for the Jets and Giants, but it's been three years since his last start and he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. His familiarity with the scheme would give him an advantage over many backups around the league, but it would still be very difficult for the team to overcome losing Wilson for any amount of time, especially in the rugged NFC West. This would also necessitate promoting another quarterback to the roster, whether that's Gordon or a free agent signing.

Projections

Keeping players on the field will be even tougher than normal this year due to the pandemic, but Wilson hasn't missed a game in eight years and the Seahawks will do all they can to prevent him from being exposed to virus. Assuming the NFL plays a 16-game season, expect the perennial Pro Bowler to start each contest and once again be in the mix for league MVP. With DK Metcalf expected to take a leap forward in his second season and the combo of Greg Olsen and Phillip Dorsett adding extra weaponry to the passing game, look for him to once again eclipse 4,000 passing yards and be in the hunt for another passing touchdown title with 36 touchdown tosses.

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