What’s Next for the Seattle Seahawks?

The pain is still fresh and most of Seattle is not ready to relive the season-ending loss to Carolina. The 2015-2016 Seattle Seahawks season may be over, but with the right offseason next year holds endless potential for this young and talented team. Many questions hang around Seattles roster as they will have to choose which players are worth re-signing. Russel Okung, Bruce Irvin and Jermaine Kearse are just a few of the key players who will be free-agents this offseason. And while his contract is not up yet, many are wondering where Marshawn Lynch’s future with the team will lead.

Since arriving in Seattle, Lynch had his least productive season with only 417 rushing yards in 2015. Thomas Rawls and Russel Wilson were able to both pass that mark, granted Lynch missed a large portion of the season. The main reason Lynch’s value is being questioned is due to the astounding numbers put up by Rawls in his short-lived run as the starting running back. 830 yards and 4 touchdowns is a productive rookie season for a running back and Rawls did it in almost half a season. The Seahawks coaching staff will be watching Rawls closely throughout his recovery from a season-ending fractured ankle, as the running back position is open for grabs at this point in Seattle.

they must solidify their offensive line and decide who they want protecting their stars.

Next up is the O-line. Arguably the most underappreciated and influential part of the game, this is where the majority of Seattle’s struggles came from this season. Okung and J.R. Sweezy will become unrestricted free agents at the end of this season, two very dynamic pieces of Seattle’s line. During the shaky 2-4 start for the Seahawks, it felt like Wilson was scrambling every play just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Since then, Patrick Lewis has stepped in at center and provided the missing piece to a solid O-line. Okung went down on Sunday with an injury and would not return to the game so his future poses the most questions at the moment. Regardless of Okung’s injury, Seattle showed troubling signs throughout the game of an offensive line that could not hold back a ferocious Panthers pass rush. Before Seattle can debate who the star running back will be, they must solidify their offensive line and decide who they want protecting their stars.

Now, the defense. Possibly the most praised part of Seattle’s team, they will have the most negotiations happening this offseason. Three of the starters in the front seven will become free agents. Brandon Mebane, Ahtyba Rubin and Irvin will all be sitting down with the Hawks’ front office to discuss their futures soon. Losing any one of those players would create a huge gap in the the league’s most dominant defense. Once you create a defense powerful enough to be the top defense in the league four years in a row, it will be difficult to replace any of those players. This is why I believe these three must be the priority of the offseason. Seattle has already proven that defense wins championships, so why steer away from that philosophy now? On top of these three, Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett both expressed displeasure with their contracts this season. Everyone remembers Kam’s hold-out at the start of the season. These are 5 pivotal players that Seattle must prioritize and do what they can to re-sign. That being said, Seattle has already proven their ability to coach young athletes into top-notch players.

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Lastly, Seattle’s Receiving core. Kearse is the only big name whose contract is up, but what does the future hold for Jimmy Graham? Graham’s season was cut short with a knee injury, but during his time in the game he produced well below than what most expected. Some argue that Seattle’s offense lost their identity as they tried too hard to incorporate Graham into the playbook. Before this season, the Seattle Seahawks were a run-first team. Now, this is shaping up to be Russell Wilson’s team. If Graham can return at full caliber next year, he may prove to be the dangerous red zone threat everyone was hoping for. As for Kearse, he is a beloved Seahawk, but his presence has become less important with the rise of Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin.

Another season filled with joy and heartbreak has came to an end. Lockers will be cleaned, helmets hung up and CenturyLink Field will sit in silence waiting for yet another year of Seahawk football. Go Hawks!