Are Seahawks Doing Enough to Maximize Russell Wilson's Prime?

Seattle continues to make the playoffs, but it's now been five years since the team last appeared in the NFC Championship Game. This begs the question: are Pete Carroll and John Schneider doing enough to help Russell Wilson?

Franchise quarterbacks are extremely hard to find and even harder to keep. Just ask the Browns, Jets, Dolphins, and Jaguars, who haven't had a Pro Bowl quarterback in over a decade while Seahawks star Russell Wilson has collected six nominations in eight seasons, along with a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 2019.

Many wonder, with the run-first offense Seattle uses along with a consistent lack of solid offensive line play- is Seattle wasting Wilson's prime? 

The North Carolina State-turned-Wisconsin product is just 31 years old, very young in Tom Brady years. Oh, and he's already won a Super Bowl and been to another. 

It seems silly to say Seattle is completely wasting his prime when there is a Lombardi Trophy in the case at the VMAC with him under center, but a strong argument can be made in favor of the argument. 

Wilson is all too familiar with playing the role of Michael Jordan on the Tune Squad in the 90s classic movie "Space Jam," carrying the weight of the entire team on his shoulders, willing the team to victory in seemingly fictitious and cartoonish ways almost every week.

When a team is accused of "wasting the prime" of their quarterback, it usually means they have slacked off in giving him proper weapons in top tier receivers and tight ends along with sufficient protection along the offensive line (see Andrew Luck). 

To say the former is true is an insult to what Tyler Lockett has meant to this team, having put together two consecutive seasons of more than 950 receiving yards and at least eight touchdowns and the two have developed a connection bested by very few in the NFL. 

DK Metcalf may come along as one of the best weapons in all the NFL but with just one solid rookie season under his belt, it's still "wait and see." Metcalf needs a strong encore season and he has the tools do become a perennial Pro Bowler. 

Up until Lockett's emergence and Metcalf's breakout, Wilson's best target was an undrafted, undersized receiver from Stanford in Doug Baldwin. This is no knock on the hard-nosed receiver, who turned in eight solid years with Seattle to the tune of 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns. 

Wilson has had weapons, still has them and some have worked out while others have not. For every success story like Lockett or Baldwin, there have been players like Jimmy Graham and Percy Harvin who struggled to meet the hype.

It may be Seattle's scheme holding back Wilson from getting that elusive MVP vote. The Seahawks have been near the bottom in passing attempts nearly every year of his career, including dead last three times, only ranking higher than 23rd just once, 16th overall in 2017. 

What if the Seahawks had the Saints' explosive, passing-based offensive attack when they brought in Graham in 2015, who complemented the established Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse along with the standout rookie Lockett? 

Even with the limited offensive line play and run-first approach, Wilson set career highs in touchdown passes (34) and passing yards (4,024) and led the NFL with a 110.1 passer rating that year. 

Surely, Wilson would have at least gotten one MVP vote that season with a bit more firepower and with less of a hodgepodge offensive line. 

This offseason, the receiver free agent pool contained the likes of Amari Cooper, Emmanuel Sanders, Randall Cobb, and Seattle came away with Phillip Dorsett, who has just one season of over 500 yards in four years. The draft boasted a host of stud pass catchers and Seattle did not select a weapon for Wilson until late in the fourth round, a tight end in Colby Parkinson.

Seattle has made 20 selections in the first three rounds of the draft since 2016, exactly two of them have been pass catchers. The Seahawks have only had one selection at receiver in the Pro Bowl (Baldwin) in Wilson's time in Seattle (Lockett was selected as a return specialist in 2015). 

The offensive line has only produced one Pro Bowler since winning the Super Bowl, Duane Brown in 2017, a year where Brown started the year in Houston and arrived via trade to play in nine games for the Seattle.

2020 looks to be a start in Seattle giving Wilson all the tools he needs to show the entire NFL that he is an MVP-caliber quarterback. With some offensive coaching changes ahead of the 2020 season, there is a belief that Brian Schottenheimer's offense will be more up-tempo and spread out, which plays to Wilson's strengths and could open the door to get him bigger numbers.

Aside from Lockett's presence and Metcalf's high expectations for a strong sophomore season, Seattle added three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen. This gives Wilson three legitimate weapons at his disposal, Olsen's health willing.

Seattle drafted Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan, two college tight ends who eventually could become more like bigger receivers and contribute heavily in the passing game. 

It looks like the Seahawks are setting Wilson up to succeed in 2020 and beyond. However, there is still much to be done. More early draft picks can be used for weapons and solid offensive linemen and more money in free agency can be spent to bring in proven weapons and protection. 

Wilson is under contract for four more seasons and hasn't shown signs of slowing down. On the contrary, he seems to be getting better with age. 

It's time for the Seahawks to let Russ be Russ and support their prized signal-caller in moves they make.