NFC Foe Ruins Seahawks’ Plans to Land Former Super Bowl Champ: Report

Getty Seahawks general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Pete Carroll appear to have won the Russell Wilson trade.

The Seattle Seahawks attempted to add depth at linebacker heading into Week 12, but the Green Bay Packers prevented the team from landing former Rams defender Justin Hollins. ESPN’s Field Yates reported that the Seahawks put in a claim to add Hollins following his release by the Rams, but the Packers were awarded the linebacker since they had a higher waiver priority due to their record.

“A follow-up on two recently waived Rams: RB Darrell Henderson was claimed only by the Jaguars,” Yates tweeted on November 25, 2022. “LB Justin Hollins was claimed by both the Packers and Seahawks, with Green Bay having priority.”

Through his first ten games this season, Hollins earned a 53.2 grade from Pro Football Focus for his play in 2022, down from a 69.8 score last season. Hollins notched 26 tackles, three quarterback hits and one sack during his ten appearances, including five starts, prior to being cut.

The Seahawks Coaching Staff Used the Bye Week to Self Scout

Seattle is hoping that the team’s bye week will allow the squad to bounce back from a disappointing performance in Germany against Tampa Bay. Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt noted that the week off allowed the coaching staff to conduct a thorough evaluation of the team’s performance through the first 10 weeks of the season.

“Just obviously it was good to be able to take kind of overall look about where we’re at,” Hurtt detailed during a November 22 press conference. “Like general rule of thumb is find out the things that you are doing well and then obviously some of the things where you might be struggling in particular calls. Is it something scheme-wise that we need to coach better?

“Personnel evaluations, a lot of those things kind of go into it. It’s how we kind of do a deep dive [of] everything that’s going on. So, good information that we collected and did on ourselves collectively as a staff and it was good. But I’m not going to give any details.”

Seattle Has Been Beat Out Multiple Times in Waiver Claims

As the Seahawks head towards the stretch run of the season, the team has limited options to improve their roster since the trade deadline has already passed. The Seahawks can attempt to claim a player like Hollins who has been released. Seattle also has the option to sign an available veteran free agent.

The Seahawks already had success with this after signing veteran Bruce Irvin back in October. Irvin has made a significant impact on the Seahawks defense during his third stint in Seattle.

The challenge with waivers is the Seahawks are down the pecking order given their 6-4 record. This marks at least the second time that Seattle has attempted to claim a player, but a team with an inferior record was awarded the individual. Yates reported on November 16 that Seattle put in a claim for running back Eno Benjamin following his release by the Cardinals. The Seahawks missed out on Benjamin as the Texans landed the playmaker thanks to having a worse record.