Seattle Seahawks $50.78 Million QB Star Player ‘Getting Better’ And Heading Back To The Game Due To…

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has drawn the ire of 12’s due to him holding onto the football longer than he should, but former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus thinks that criticism isn’t warranted.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has divided opinion among the fanbase since taking over from Russell Wilson at the beginning of the 2022 season. Smith showed his qualities in 2022, leading the franchise to the playoffs, but he has also shown inconsistencies that have left fans frustrated.

In particular, Geno some see holding onto the football a second longer than he needs to and taking an unnecessary sack. While that narrative has been around for the last 12 months or so, Smith was actually sacked less in 2023 (31) compared to 2022 (46).

As such, former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus thinks the suggestion that Smith holds onto the football too long is unfair. He also stated that Smith had a troubled offensive line last year, which likely didn’t help.

“You go ahead and get yourself a Troy Fautanu (in the draft) and move him to the guard,” Bumpas said on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “You go ahead and bring these veteran linemen in to help Geno with this offensive line, and the stats say he’s probably going to get better. So yes, you look at Geno, he held the football at times. People yelling he’s taking unnecessary sacks, he’s getting better at that. And that’s with a line that was mixed up. I think we can pump the brakes just a little bit when it comes to Geno holding the rock.”

Offensive line is one of the key area’s that the Seahawks have to improve in free agency and the draft due to multiple players leaving. Damien Lewis (Panthers) and Evan Brown (Cardinals) have left holes in Geno’s protection that must be sorted out.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider admitted to a “fairly obvious” need at offensive line last week, which hints at a strong focus to get the unit in better shape as we edge closer to training camp.

Luckily for Seattle, this year’s draft class is stacked with offensive line talent. Holding the No. 16 overall pick, the Seahawks could address a serious need in the first round.

Smith has been criticized for taking unnecessary sacks and while that number was down in 2023, the chopping and changing to his offensive likely didn’t help matters.

But with a clear need and the franchise knowing the unit has to get better, more additions are likely on the way.

Many hope that this will result in Smith taking fewer sacks and putting his team in better positions to win football games on a more consistent basis.

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Why the Seahawks are compelled to (eventually) draft a defensive tackle early

The Carolina Panthers extending defensive tackle Derrick Brown has continued an offseason dominated by big paydays for big men who clog and disrupt the interior. From a Seattle Seahawks perspective, they got in on the act by giving Leonard Williams a three-year, $64.5 million deal that makes him one of the highest paid players at his position.

As PFF’s Arjun Menon and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell have noted, interior defensive linemen/defensive tackles have seen their value skyrocket relative to other positions.

As the Seahawks mull their decision over how to reshape their defense, it’s worth noting that all of these highly paid defensive linemen share a commonality: they were drafted early.

I should note that Menon made (and acknowledged) an error in classifying the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Madubuike as a first-round pick when he was actually a third-rounder. Only Madubuike and Javon Hargrave were taken outside of the top-50. Everyone else who’s at or near the top of this list was taken in the first or early portion of the second. I’d expect the New England Patriots’ Christian Barmore to get a big contract, and he was also a second-round pick.

The Seahawks have generally not used early-round draft picks on defensive tackles under John Schneider. Seattle’s only DT picks taken in Rounds 1-3 over a 14-year span are Jordan Hill (3rd, 2013), Jarran Reed (2nd, 2016), Malik McDowell (2nd, 2017), and Naz Jones (2017). If you want to get real technical, L.J. Collier was a first-round pick in 2019 but the Seahawks didn’t make him a full-time DT until 2021. Collier was a 5-tech (lined up on the outside shoulder of the tackle) in the ‘Michael Bennett’ role, which in Seattle’s case meant moving him around like a chess piece along the line. Reed aside, you don’t need me to tell you how the aggregate results look for the other DTs.

eattle had the luxury of Mebane on a $5 million/year contract from 2011 up until his departure in 2016. It’s perhaps not coincidental that the team’s brief interest in early-round DTs occurred right after he left. They’ve also spent several years investing in cheaper veterans like Clinton McDonald (combined cap hit of $1.5 million over three seasons), Kevin Williams ($2.1 million in 2014), Tony McDaniel (never had a base salary higher than $1 million in three seasons), Ahtyba Rubin ($5.6 million total cap hit over two seasons), and Al Woods ($8 million combined cap hit from 2019 and 2021-2022). Undrafted free agents Bryan Mone and Poona Ford were also significant rotation players.

This isn’t to say the Seahawks haven’t made splash moves. Sheldon Richardson cost the Seahawks Jermaine Kearse and a second-round pick, although Richardson likely never gets dealt if McDowell doesn’t have his ATV crash. Leonard Williams cost Seattle another second-round pick and he received a new contract. Dre’Mont Jones’ snap alignments shifted heavily from the B-gap (between guard and tackle) to the outside after the trade.

It is not a coincidence that guards and defensive tackles are getting paid at exorbitant rates at the same time. There’s a clear emphasis in today’s NFL as far as valuing the trenches, and I’m not sure that gets reversed any time soon. A dominant pass-rushing interior lineman is as valuable if not more valuable than a great edge rusher, and the supply of talented iDL is not as plentiful as the edge market.

Perhaps it won’t be this year for the Seahawks, but the bargain hunter approach to defensive tackle in the draft has to stop. If they take Johnny Newton or Byron Murphy II then I’d be totally fine. The Seahawks need young, elite talent at defensive tackle, and it’s way overdue.