Geno Smith is playing so well that he may force the Seattle Seahawks into making a difficult decision this offseason. Smith was viewed by many as a bridge quarterback until the Seahawks could land a top signal-caller in the 2023 NFL draft, but the veteran’s play may prompt Seattle to change their strategy.
Despite Smith’s stellar play, not everyone is sure it will prevent the Seahawks from selecting a quarterback in the first round. ESPN’s Matt Miller views the Seahawks as a potential landing spot for Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Kentucky’s Will Levis.
The Seahawks have already evaluated Levis on multiple occasions early in the college football season. Through the first five weeks of the season, Seattle holds the No. 11 and No. 12 picks if the draft was held today.
“Despite how well Geno Smith has been playing, this is a great opportunity both in terms of draft capital and draft class to find a legitimate quarterback of the future,” Miller wrote on October 14, 2022. “General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll hit what looks like a grand slam with their 2022 draft class — Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker III, Abraham Lucas and Tariq Woolen are all starting and playing well — and can use this draft to find a franchise QB and potentially another starter with two top-10 picks. The Seahawks might not even have to trade up to grab a passer — likely one of C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis — but are fortunate enough to have the capital to slightly slide up if needed.”
Could the Seahawks Double Up on Defense?
Bama vs UT was just Will Anderson having to run through two blockers on every play lol.
Texas had to gameplan around Will. Double teams, running away from him, screens, you name it.
He had 5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack and the amount of attention he got opened up plays for others.
It has been the Seahawks defense that largely has prevented Seattle from having a better record than 2-3. Seattle ranks 31st in the NFL allowing 30.4 points per game. All this has ESPN’s Jordan Reid suspecting the Seahawks could bypass quarterback in order to use both first-round draft picks to improve their defense.
“Yeah, quarterback is definitely in play, but Smith is playing really well,” Reid noted. “Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks opt to invest in their defense, which is off to a rough start. Seattle is allowing 6.6 yards per play and 430 per game — both worst in the NFL. It has needs at every spot along the front seven, and the defensive line group is among the strongest positions in the 2023 class. With two top-10 picks, double-dipping to improve that unit wouldn’t be out of the question.”
Seahawks Left the Door Open on Smith’s Future
Smith will be a free agent this offseason, and it remains to be seen what the veteran’s market will be as he seeks a long-term contract. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted that Smith could be the team’s long-term answer at quarterback but also left the door open for things to change.
“He’s doing it,” Carroll explained during his October 10 show with ESPN 710 Seattle’s “Brock and Salk.” “He’s doing everything we could ask of him right now. It’s good, too, that he’s got Drew [Lock]. He’s got Drew nipping at his heels. Every day in practice Drew does stuff. He’s got good stuff going right there in support of what Geno does. It just keeps everybody on their toes. It’s just the good thing about competition, it’s good and we like that it continues to be this way.
“Geno’s not going to sit back now. He’s not going to get comfortable. He realizes the moment, and he’s really going for it. He’s really trying to keep things at bay, whether it’s the media or whatever. He’s trying to do a great job with all of that. He’s going to have a chance to really have a great year and a future. I don’t see any reason why anything would get in his way. Physically, he’s in really great shape right now.”
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Seahawks a Possible Landing Spot for Playmaking Quarterback, Says Analyst