The old Seattle Seahawks are gone. The Legion of Boom dream teams that ran the ball at a greater than 50.0% clip appears to be a team philosophy of the past.
In 2022, following the departure of Russel Wilson and the rejuvenation of Geno Smith, the Seahawks blossomed into a pass-focused offense, although ran a pace of play near the bottom of the league.
thespun.com
2022 Seahawks Offensive Ranks:
Plays per game: 61.5 (22nd)
Pass %: 57.4 (13th)
Run%: 42.6 (23rd)
PPG: 23.9 (9th)
The organization appears to be doubling down with its early 2023 NFL Draft Picks, suggesting that the trend should continue this upcoming season.
Last season the Seahawks passed at a 57.4% rate, their 4th highest rate in Head Coach Pete Carroll’s reign. The additions of 1st-round wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba and 2nd-round running back Zach Charbonnet lead me to believe the passing game should continue to thrive whereas many analysts are predicting Carrol and company will retrocede to their old philosophies of running early and often.
Regarded as the top WR in the 2023 draft, WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba slipped to pick 20 where he was selected as the first wide receiver off the board. Interestingly, Smith-Njigba ran 88.6% of his routes from the slot in college, a position that Carrol has rarely used at the NFL level.
Sporting News
The Seahawks ran 11 personnel (3 WR Sets) at a below-average rate in 2022, suggesting the need for a generational slot receiver to be incredibly minimal as they often favored heavier personnel with multiple RBs/TEs and two wide receivers flanked out wide. Either the Seahawks' big brass believes that Smith-Njigba can dominate effortlessly on the outside as well as in the slot, or they are blatantly telling us that the team is actively changing their offensive philosophy. It is not abhorrent to believe that Seattle's offensive formations in 2022 were a product of the players in-house more than a forceful decision to minimize 3 WR sets.
Seattle’s other top slot options in 2022 were Marquise Goodwin, Dareke Young, and Dee Eskridge. Talking heads are quick to ignore the simple fact that the lack of talent/production from their tertiary wideouts was what caused Seattle to play 12 personnel (2 WR Sets) at an above-average rate when compared to the rest of the league. With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett dominating snaps outside, the remaining Seattle wide receivers managed a mere 75 targets. It would be foolish to simply allocate 100% of those targets to Smith-Njigba, however, we need to be cognizant that there is ample opportunity for him to thrive as a rookie in the Seahawks’ new pass-heavy offense. Furthermore, the organization appears to making a conscious effort to prepare for a secondary stud receiver to take the workload of the aging Lockett.
Seattle PI
Lockett has been surprisingly healthy as of late, playing in 16 games in each of his past four seasons, averaging 84 targets per season. Before 2019, however, Lockett only played in 35 of a potential 63 games. On the wrong side of 30, it is safe to say that Lockett's most productive seasons are moving into the rearview, allowing for a seamless transition to their new first-round stud wideout.
Landing on the Seahawks' offense is certainly not a death knell to Smith-Njigba's value or range of outcomes. There is plenty of volume to be had for a serviceable tertiary wide receiver. As we have highlighted, a forward evolution in Carrol's coaching philosophy could bring even more opportunity for the talented young wideout. The addition of Zach Charbonnet in the 2nd round merely solidifies the fact that the Seahawks are about to up their passing offense, despite investing in another running back.
It's a tradition unlike any other. No, not the Master’s golf tournament; the Seahawks drafting yet another running back despite having a litany of concerns in other areas. After selecting Kenneth Walker in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Seahawks followed that up by drafting Charbonnet in, you guessed it, the 2nd round of the 2023 draft. Charbonnet’s collegiate metrics are above-average but where he truly excels is in the passing game, both as a blocker and capable receiver. The first thing that @PsychWardFF told me when I asked about RB Zach Charbonnet was that he is "by far the best pass-blocking back in the draft class" and that Charbonnet “crushes defenders and eats blitz pickups like Cheerios for breakfast."
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein highlighted the same thing in Charbonnet’s strengths saying the young back “will throw heavy hits at defenders." Zierlein’s scouting report also lists Charbonnet’s wide variety of routes and plus-sized catch radius as strengths. All of these happen to be primary running back Kenneth Walker's greatest weaknesses. Further establishing that the lack of 11 personnel in 2022 could have been a factor in not being able to trust Walker as a solo blocker.
247 Sports
The Seahawks did not draft Charbonnet as a development project. The organization views him as an immediate contributor to the passing attack, doubling down on their selection of Smith-Njigba with a commitment to increasing the passing volume.
The Seahawks also drafted running back Kenny McIntosh in the 7th round. McIntosh is unlikely to make an immediate impact but it is important to briefly touch on his scouting profile. Per SportsInfoSolutions, RB Kenny McIntosh “produces better when in space and already up to speed” and “he hasn’t dropped a pass in his entire career.” In regards to pass-blocking, McIntosh “lacks strength and the ability to anchor” against defenders as noted in his SportsInfoSolutions scouting report. Although McIntosh doesn't provide the pure-rushing or pass-blocking upside of Walker and Charbonnet, he is arguably a better pure receiver than both of his cohorts. Competing for valuable touches against Walker and Charbonnet is likely a losing battle for the rookie, however, he will sneak onto the field occasionally for additional passing work.
If you would like to learn more about Zach Charbonnet, you can read Matt Ward’s (@PsychWardFF) thoughts here on the Broto fantasy app:
2023 Broto Rookie Player Comparisons: Running Backs
If you would like to learn more about Jaxon Smith-Njigba, you can read Matt Ward’s (@PsychWardFF) thoughts here:
2023 Broto Fantasy Player Comparisons: Wide Receivers
I hope you enjoyed this piece, you can find me on Twitter @FF_Pulse_88 and the Broto fantasy app.
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