SEATTLE — Happy football is day back, everyone!
After 206 days without football in our lives (did we count? Maybe...), America's favorite sport will be back Thursday evening and put an end to our collective boredom.
So, with the excitement of the season reaching its peak, this is perhaps the best time to look at the five most important storylines facing the Seattle Seahawks in 2023.
Can Geno Smith repeat his 2022 success?
Let's compare two quarterback seasons from 2022.
Quarterback A (15 games): 3,524 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 60.5 completion percentage, 7.3 yards per attempt, 3.3 touchdown percentage (TD%), 2.3 interception percentage (INT%)
Quarterback B (17 games): 4,282 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 69.8 completion percentage, 7.5 yards per attempt, 5.2 TD%, 1.9 INT%
"Quarterback A" was Russell Wilson, while "Quarterback B" was Geno Smith but you probably already knew that so you don't win a cookie or anything like that (This is a Seahawks-centric space, after all!)
The gap between the two quarterbacks was massive in 2022, with Smith earning a Pro Bowl nomination and Comeback Player of the Year. Wilson earned plenty of jokes at his expense on social media.
Will the gap between the quarterbacks be as large again in 2023?
Probably not.
It's hard to fathom another repeat of last season, mostly because Wilson's drop was so precipitous. He is not too far removed from being one of the five best quarterbacks in the sport. Sean Payton should help Wilson's progression in his second Broncos season, too.
But Smith still has one of the best-receiving cores in the league and another year of familiarity with Pete Carroll's system. It's not fair to assume his 2022 was flukey either.
So for the time being we are living in a world where Geno Smith is regarded as a better quarterback than Russell Wilson. Let's hope it stays that way.
Jaxon Smith Njigba's rookie year expectations
Seattle has a habit of zigging when others zag in the NFL Draft.
In 2023, the Seahawks drafted wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick despite already having DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on the roster. (Seattle's other first-rounder and second-round pick were also surprises, but we'll touch on that later.)
But in taking Smith-Njigba, regarded by many as the best prospect in the class, Seattle capitalized on a rare opportunity to add talent at a position that matters in football.
Smith-Njigba's collegiate career is unique because he essentially had just one season of service. In that 2021 season, Smith-Njigba led his Ohio State team in receptions and yards as a sophomore. That Ohio State team had Garrett Wilson, the 2022 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Chris Olave, another impressive receiver who eclipsed 1,000 yards in his rookie season, for what it's worth.
Smith-Njigba played just 10 games in his other two collegiate years, so NFL teams only had one real year of game tape to value his game. He fell to the 20th overall pick and the Seahawks pounced on what could be a huge hit.
The rookie was outstanding in the preseason. He embarrassed defenders for large gains and was open early and often. Here's a clip for proof.
The only negative in Smith-Njigba's first NFL offseason was needing surgery for a crack in his wrist. At the time, it appeared Smith-Njigba would miss the first few weeks of the NFL season, but Pete Carroll said Wednesday that the highly anticipated rookie would play Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Count us in for an exciting rookie season for the Ohio State product, who could very well ascend to become the Seahawks' best receiver on the team by the end of the season. This is not hyperbole either; he really could be that good.
Bobby Wagner's return to Seattle
This feels right.
After a fairly miserable season with the Rams in 2022, Wagner returned to his longtime NFL home this season. The 32-year-old was still productive with the Rams, totaling 140 tackles and 10 quarterback hits but his team floundered under the weight of expectations.
Wagner had joined the Rams to compete for a Super Bowl, while the Seahawks appeared to be in a precarious position after jettisoning Wilson to the Broncos. It was a move that made sense on paper when we were living in a world where surely the Rams would be good and the Seahawks would surely be not very good.
Instead, the Rams won just five games and the Seahawks won nine games to clinch a postseason berth.
Wagner's return to Seattle is a boon in the leadership department, of course, but the seven-time Pro Bowler is still more than capable of being a force in the middle of the field.
Will the Seahawks regret passing on Jalen Carter?
Entering this year's draft, Seattle had one of the best positions in the league.
The Seahawks had the No. 5 overall pick (from the Broncos) and its own pick (No. 20 overall) to bolster what was already a playoff-caliber team.
When it came down to it, Seattle did not draft Carter -- at once regarded the best prospect in the 2023 class before he slid because of off-field issues -- and instead took cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
It was a head-scratcher, but not because of anything to do with Witherspoon. Cornerback happened to be a position the Seahawks addressed in the 2022 draft to great success (landing Riq Woolen in the fifth round) and Carter made more sense considering the team's struggles along the defensive line.
The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles landed Carter with the ninth pick. Early reports from training camp have made it seem like Carter is going to absolutely wreck NFL offensive lines and make the eight teams that passed on him not happy.
Meanwhile, Witherspoon was the last rookie in the entire class to sign a contract after a brief holdout in training camp. Then he suffered a hamstring injury that put him out of action for a few weeks.
It was not an auspicious start for a guy that many NFL draft analysts were surprised was taken with a top-five pick. Can Witherspoon outperform Carter in 2023 -- or at least make the Seahawks happy with his production?
Walker III vs. Charbonnet
The Seahawks being the Seahawks meant the organization made several, let's say interesting, choices in the draft.
Taking Zach Charbonnet was another one.
Much like the Witherspoon selection, the Seahawks opted to fortify a strength in the draft rather than addressing another perceived weakness. Seattle had already invested a second-round pick at running back in 2022, with Kenneth Walker III.
An early season injury to Rashaad Penny paved the way for Walker III and he dazzled to the tune of 1,215 total yards and nine touchdowns. Going into the offseason, Seattle was not expected to select a running back and lean on Walker III as its fulcrum of the rushing attack in 2023.
Nope, said the Seahawks. Seattle drafted Charbonnet, a top running back prospect in this year's class, in the second round to build out its running back room with two young talents.
When you consider the fragility of the running back position, it may not be a bad bet to stockpile talented young players in case of injuries. But investing not one, but two, high-priced assets at a replaceable position is a cause of concern when you consider the Seahawks could have addressed more important positions.
At least for 2023, we can expect Walker III to lead the backfield while Charbonnet fills in the gaps. But if Charbonnet, the better receiving back in college, has more success than anticipated this could turn into a fascinating timeshare.