Seahawks Mailbag: 4 Questions Leading Into Cardinals Game

With more than a week to sit on the Seattle Seahawks' 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots, which featured a Sam Darnold injury and a fourth quarter defensive masterclass, I asked my discord server what their biggest questions about the team are right now.

Let’s take a look at what’s on the mind of the fans. The wording of the questions has been lightly edited for this article.

Seller’s Remorse On Ken Walker?

“With Kenneth Walker’s performance on Monday night, should the Seahawks regret letting him go? What can we expect from the RB group this year?”

K9 had a career-best game in Kansas City. — Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (9) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s an understandable time for Seahawks fans to bust this one out, after a career game from Walker on Monday Night Football. But ultimately, I can’t get behind this one. Walker wasn’t let go because we thought he was a bad football player, he was let go because of cost and injury concerns. Both those things still exist, even after what he did a few days ago.

The Walker decision wasn’t made in a vacuum either. Keeping Walker means losing another valuable player, either now or later. Generally speaking, I think opting against giving a running back a second contract is almost always the correct move. Especially when they have issues staying healthy on their rookie deal. This sentiment strikes me as reactionary.

Jadarian Price should be fine. — Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (8) runs against New England Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane (14) during the third quarter at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Furthermore, it’s not as if Jadarian Price looked bad last week. His production is not, and will never be, on the level of what K9 did to the Broncos, but that’s by design as this team favors a timeshare backfield. In terms of ability and value, he can absolutely be what Walker was for this team. Throw in Charbonnet, eventually, and I don’t believe Walker will be missed.

Nehemiah Pritchett’s Third Year Breakout?

“Is Nehemiah Pritchett a flash in the pan, or is there something brewing with him? What can we expect from him going forward, and in what ways can he be a reliable starting corner?”

I think the man can play. — Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28) talks to media members at the San Jose Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I’m higher on Pritchett than most might be because I loved him in the draft. I saw a corner who had a lot of coverage skills and versatility across zone and man. The main issue (and this is an issue of note in a Mike Macdonald defense) was run support and tackling. But those are things that can be taught, in theory. It’s not as if he was excessively small or short-armed.

People turned on him fast after some bad showings his first two seasons, but it was probably a mistake to expect a fifth round cornerback to play well so early in his career. Sometimes you get lucky, but this was clearly a developmental player. So his high level of play last week wasn’t overly surprising to me, and I think he can keep it up for as long as we need it.

Okada, Where Are Thou?

“If Ty Okada ends up missing a significant amount of time, can Seattle get by with Rodney Thomas at safety, or is there a free agent or trade target?”

Waiting for Okada to find his way back. — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) rushes the ball past Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I’m going to assume that Okada not getting placed on injured reserve means he’ll be back relatively soon, although it’s certainly not a guarantee. And it’s likely too early to make a trade anyway, as very few teams will have thrown in the towel on the season. Furthermore, this is a complicated defense for a safety, and I’m not sure you can learn it in a couple weeks.

So I’m happy with Thomas (and Finley and Bell, should the need arise) for now. If we get into October and Okada still isn’t coming around, I’d definitely make some calls. If Arizona is in the basement by that point, I wonder if they’d be willing to trade Budda Baker within the division, for instance. But for now, I’m standing pat and rolling with Thomas.

What Is The Preseason Meta?

“If nobody playing in the preseason is the explanation for why offenses are dominant in the early part of this season, why does it seem like it’s having the opposite effect on the Seahawks?”

Mike is the key to the Seahawks bucking the trend. — Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I’m not convinced the use of the preseason is an explanation for the state of offenses and defenses thus far this season. Teams not playing starters in the preseason has been a topic of debate for years, and the spike in points doesn’t seem to correlate to that. I would just point to the Seahawks going one way a few years ago while other teams went the other way.

Conventional wisdom in the NFL in recent times has been getting a head coach who calls plays offensively, and most teams tend to desire such when making a hire. Offensive coordinators who call plays for good offenses get hired away so fast, it’s hard to maintain a productive offense long-term unless you just give the playcaller the top job. It makes sense.

The Seahawks went the other way in hiring Mike Macdonald. Perhaps this just means they’re one of the few teams in the NFL that actually values defense to that degree. Some of the other teams that played well defensively last week also have defensive-minded head coaches. Although there were some duds (Demeco’s Texans come to mind), it’s fairly correlated.

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