NFL power rankings: Vikings, Eagles fight for top spot
By Joe Schiller
19. Seattle Seahawks
The idea of a quick re-build has quickly turned into a disaster project for the Seattle Seahawks. It started with the trade of Michael Bennett and followed with the release of Richard Sherman, Jeremy Lane, and Jimmy Graham. What have the Seahawks have to show for it? Signing Barkevious Mingo, Jaron Brown and Ed Dickson doesn’t equal out the scale. It now really is Russell Wilson’s team but that hasn’t come without a cost.
The Seahawks weren’t gifted with cap flexibility but the moves have created close to $20 million to work with. That’s more than enough to add some quality talent but most of the big-name players are off the board after only a week. This leaves the Seahawks with more holes to fill than options left in free agency. That’s a cause for concern.
As long as Wilson is the centerpiece of the franchise, the Seahawks can compete in a competitive NFC conference. Veteran pieces like Doug Baldwin and Earl Thomas still compete at the highest level but it’s time for a youth movement in Seattle.
The dominance of the Seahawks in the NFC West has come to a halt. Younger and more promising teams take the reigns of the division while the Legion of Boom crumbles to the ground. This is a team that can still contend but they’re not better than the top half of NFL teams at this moment.