The Seahawks season is over, finishing with a 28-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. We can argue about the officiating or the defense's or offense's lack of consistency, but I'm just going to go over each position group for the Hawks and how they did for the 2019 season. The common theme is that the Hawks were hit heavily with injuries. The silver lining to that is that it gave the backups and rookies experience, most of them playoff experience, too. I'll also discuss how much of a need the position is in the offseason on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being a dire need and 1 being something we could basically ignore. And then finish up with a letter grade.
Quarterback: I think Russell Wilson had his best season. He carried the team more than ever, especially when injuries hit late in the season and we could no longer run the ball effectively. For this reason, he deserves MVP, because there is literally no other player that is more valuable to their team. There's really only one thing about his game I wish he'd improve, and that's throwing the ball away instead of taking sacks. He took a ton of sacks this year, which largely (but not entirely) can be attributed to the offensive line. But late in the year, you can see he occasionally held the ball too long and had opportunities to either find a receiver or throw the ball away. I don't think Geno saw the field at all this year, which is fine with me.
Need: 1
Grade: A
Running Back: Boy it is unfortunate Carson, Penny, and Prosise all went down within a few weeks. Before they went down, Carson and Penny were really doing well. The silver lining to them going down is that it gave us an opportunity to see Marshawn Lynch again and Travis Homer. Homer is a very capable back, and he could very easily be a #2. I think the Hawks consider trading Penny in the offseason. They don't have to, however. Seeing the injury bug hit this position hard will probably make John Schneider want as much depth as possible. I don't think Marshawn returns. And I think the Hawks finally part ways with Prosise. If the Hawks trade Penny, they'll bring in an undrafted rookie to compete for a backup role.
Need: 2
Grade: B
Wide Receiver: Lockett's not a true #1, but he doesn't have to be. With the emergence of D.K. Metcalf, I think the Hawks finally found a #1 guy. Boy was he a steal, and he should only get better. The rest of the group leaves a lot to be desired. Moore, Turner, and Brown all had just ok seasons. I think the Hawks only keep one, maybe two of those guys. I wish John Ursua had gotten more of a shot, but I expect him to in 2020 (Let him work the slot like Doug Baldwin did!). This unit was one of the healthier all year, which is mainly why Ursua was mostly inactive in 2019. I think the Hawks draft a mid-late receiver, hoping he can develop into a legit #3 some day. Overall, this group was criticized for their failure to get open at times, despite Wilson prolonging plays with his scrambling.
Need: 2
Grade: B
Tight Ends: Dissly gets hurt...again. If he hadn't, I think the Hawks win the NFC West and are still in the playoffs. He's a legit all-around tight end, but he just has to stay healthy. Jacob Hollister had his moments, but he also had drops and fumbles. I think the Hawks need to acquire a tight end for depth in case Dissly gets hurt yet again. Wilson to Dissly sure was fun to watch while it lasted in 2019.
Need: 3
Grade: C+
Offensive Line: The shakiest position group on the team, and it has been for years. They weren't as awful as past years, but injuries to Britt, both guards, and Brown really hurt this unit. The Hawks have to address this group in the offseason and make it a primary concern. Depth is needed, as well as a new right tackle, with Ifedi probably on his way out. The Hawks also need more youth at the guard positions and will soon need to find Duane Brown's successor.
Need: 5
Grade: C-
Defensive Line: I have to start out by saying boy LJ Collier has been a disappointment so far. He was mostly inactive all year, and I don't think he made any big plays. Acquiring Jadeveon Clowney was huge, but will he remain a Hawk? I like the rest of the guys in Green, Jefferson, and Reed. Ziggy Ansah was largely a disappointment. This unit did not get enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2019, and it will have to improve somehow in 2020. Unless they expect Collier to live up to his first round status, they need to address this position in the offseason with a fairly significant addition.
Need: 4
Grade: C
Linebackers: Bobby was All-Pro and KJ was pretty solid himself. Kendricks was doing ok, but Carroll/Norton asked him to cover routes more than anything, which included covering wide receivers. Cody Barton had a very solid rookie campaign, and he could be given a starting role in 2020. Ben Burr-Kirven was only seen on special teams but did well. Shaquem Griffin was used in pass rush situations to some effectiveness. This is a group I'm not concerned about going into 2020, but they'll need better coaching next year.
Need: 2
Grade: B
Defensive Backs: Shaquill Griffin had his best season in 2020. He only got flagged once in the regular season, a remarkable achievement for a starting cornerback. Tre Flowers, however, got burned multiple times, got flagged a lot more, and missed more tackles. Most Hawks fans don't think he should be starting in 2020. Quandre Diggs was an excellent addition, and he reminded me of an Earl Thomas/Kam Chancellor hybrid. Bradley McDougald did well, especially with tackling. We'll see what role Tedric Thompson has next year after being hurt for most of the season. I expect more out of this unit as it is Coach Carroll's specialty, and I grade them harshly as a result.
Need: 4
Grade: D+
Special Teams: Myers was certainly shaky at times, but with kicking the way it is in today's NFL, that's honestly about average and the Hawks would be foolish to move on from him. Dickson had a decent season, although not quite as good as his rookie campaign. The coverage was mostly good all season, except for perhaps the Saints game. The return game left a ton to be desired, as I don't think we had an electrifying return all season. I think the Hawks have sorely lacked a return specialist for a while, and with Lockett getting older, he cannot be relied on anymore. The Hawks need to draft some kind of return specialist, maybe KJ Hamler out of Penn State. But otherwise, they are set on ST.
Need: 2
Grade: C-
Coaching: This was both a great and terrible coaching job by the Seahawks coaching staff this season. Being able to get to the divisional round despite a ton of injuries is at least partly indicative of a good coaching job. However, Ken Norton Jr's schemes were largely exposed and he was often left adjusting and trying to fix things, rather than being the aggressor and making offenses adjust to him. Schottenheimer had an up and down season as coordinator, and he did fairly well late in the year given the circumstances. Carroll had some questionable coaching decisions, most notably not going for certain fourth down attempts. I really think this defense needs a different leader, but I can see Carroll wanting to stick with KNJ, unfortunately.
Need: 3
Grade: D+
Overall GPA: 2.33 (C+)
Overall, this team did better than most people expected, and most position groups did a good job. If certain areas are addressed, mainly the lines and secondary, and we can stay relatively healthy next season, I can see this team doing really well. Coordinators aside, if you have good enough players, they will succeed. I think a certain strength and conditioning coach should be fired (Ivan Lewis), even though he was hired less than a year ago. There's a reason they call him "Ivan the Terrible". Let's hope Pete and John address the right needs in the offseason, and there are far less injuries in 2020.
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