Led by MVP candidate Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks won 11 games during the 2019 regular season, the franchise's highest total since 2014. Seattle continued to roll in the postseason, defeating the Eagles on the road before dropping a tightly contested game to the Packers in Green Bay.
Seattle has addressed the majority of its roster holes this offseason. In the draft, they added three players to a defense that finished just 22nd in scoring during the 2019 season. The Seahawks also selected a pair of tight ends while spending a third-round pick on LSU's Damien Lewis, one of the top-rated guards in the 2020 draft. Seattle also added to their stable of running backs when they spent a fourth-round pick on former Miami running back DeeJay Dallas. Seattle may be in the market to acquire two-time Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams, who mentioned the Seahawks in his reported list of teams he would play for via a trade.
With training camp on the horizon, we decided to project what the Seahawks' starting lineup and 53-man roster may look like when Seattle kicks off the 2020 regular season against the Atlanta Falcons.
Rookies will be denoted with a (*).
Without further ado, let's jump right into it.
Offense
| Starter | Backup | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Russell Wilson | Geno Smith | |
| RB | Chris Carson | Carlos Hyde | DeeJay Dallas* |
| FB | Nick Bellore | ||
| LWR | D.K. Metcalf | David Moore | |
| RWR | Tyler Lockett | Freddie Swain* | |
| SWR | Phillip Dorsett | Cody Thompson | |
| TE | Greg Olsen | Will Dissly | Colby Parkinson* |
| LT | Duane Brown | Jamarco Jones | |
| LG | Phil Haynes | Mike Iupati | |
| C | B.J. Finney | Jordan Roos | |
| RG | Damien Lewis* | Ethan Pocic | |
| RT | Brandon Shell | Cedric Ogbuehi |
Seahawks fans should keep an eye on what should be an entertaining position battle at running back. While Chris Carson (1,230 yards, seven touchdowns last season) and free agent signee Carlos Hyde should be considered the top two running backs on the depth chart, that leaves Dallas, Rashaad Penny and Travis Homer competing for to be the team's No. 3 running back on the depth chart. While Dallas should be considered the favorite to win this position battle, fans shouldn't sleep on Homer, who made an impact on special teams and when he was given opportunities to carry the ball late in the 2019 season. Penny appears likely to open the season on PUP as he recovers from a torn ACL.
Parkinson, one of the team's two fourth-round picks in the 2020 draft, will have to beat out Jacob Hollister for a spot on the 53-man roster. After spending his first two seasons with the Patriots, Hollister enjoyed a solid first season in Seattle in 2019, catching 41 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
While the team's top-three receiving targets are solidified, there should be some spirited competition as it relates to filling the rest of the receiving spots on the roster. Swain should be considered a favorite to emerge as the team's No. 4 receiver, while Cody Thompson and David Moore will look to hold off undrafted rookies Aaron Fuller and Seth Dawkins for the final two spots on the depth chart.
One of Seattle's notable offseason acquisitions on the offensive line is B.J. Finney, a former undrafted rookie who became a valuable member of Pittsburgh's offensive line over the past four seasons. Finney, who saw at both center and guard during his time with the Steelers, is slated to be the Seahawks' starting center to start the 2020 season. With Duane Brown locked in at left tackle and Brandon Shell likely having the edge at right tackle, the biggest question becomes who fills both guard spots between Phil Haynes, oft-injured Mike Iupati and third-rounder Damien Lewis.
Defense
| Starter | Backup | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDE | L.J. Collier | Darrell Taylor* | Alton Robinson* |
| LDT | Poona Ford | Demarcus Christmas | |
| RDT | Jarran Reed | Bryan Mone | |
| RDE | Rasheem Green | Benson Mayowa | Branden Jackson |
| SLB | Bruce Irvin | Cody Barton | |
| MLB | Bobby Wagner | Ben Burr-Kirven | |
| WLB | K.J. Wright | Jordyn Brooks* | Shaquem Griffin |
| LCB | Shaquill Griffin | Neiko Thorpe | |
| RCB | Quinton Dunbar | Tre Flowers | Brian Allen |
| SCB | Ugo Amadi | | |
| FS | Quandre Diggs | Marquise Blair | |
| SS | Bradley McDougald | Delano Hill |
After recording just 28 sacks in 2019, the Seahawks re-signed two members of their Super Bowl-winning defense to help put pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2020. Defensive end Benson Mayowa, a rookie on Seattle's 2013 championship team, is coming off of a season that saw him record a career-high seven sacks during his one year in Oakland. The Seahawks are also welcoming back linebacker/defensive end hybrid Bruce Irvin, a former starter on Seattle's defense who recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks for the Panthers in 2019. The Seahawks could also end up adding a starting-capable defensive end before the start of the season.
At linebacker, the Seahawks are surely hoping that Jordyn Brooks, the team's first-round pick, can quickly develop into an starter while complementing perennial All-Pro Bobby Wagner. The battle between Brooks and K.J. Wright will be one to watch in camp. Along with Brooks, Seattle's other two rookie defenders -- Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson -- will also look to make immediate impacts while fighting for playing time in 2020.
The key spots on the secondary look pretty set, though the starting corner spot opposite Shaquill Griffin could come down to either Quinton Dunbar or Tre Flowers, with the former's status up in the air due to an offseason arrest.
Special teams
| Starter | Backup | |
|---|---|---|
| K | Jason Myers | |
| P | Michael Dickson | |
| LS | Tyler Ott | |
| KR | Tyler Lockett | DeeJay Dallas* |
| PR | Tyler Lockett | David Moore |
Jason Myers is coming off a 2019 season that saw him make 82.1% of his field goal attempts and 90.9% of his point-after attempts. Michael Dickson averaged 45.1 yards per punt last year while a season-long 63-yard punt.
While Tyler Lockett led the team in kickoff and punt returns last season, Seattle could use a boost in production from their return units. This could lead to a spirited battle between Dallas and Travis Homer, as Homer led the Seahawks in kickoff return average in 2019.
