Five Seattle Seahawks Who Should Be Given More Freedom In 2022
On America’s Independence Day, here are five Seattle Seahawks who should be given more freedom during the 2022 season.
The 2022 season will be an important one in determining the future of the Seahawks franchise after the team decided to move on from franchise cornerstones Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. With that being said, it will be crucial for the coming season to be one during which the team finds out exactly what they have in certain players. It will be difficult to compete in such a strong division, so Seattle should use this season as an assessment of talent on the roster. Doing so will require handing off freedom to certain players so that they can show off their ability.
Jamal Adams, SS
Hopefully, the 2022 Seattle Seahawks season will bring more Jamal Adams action like the play we saw in 2020. In the new hybrid Vic Fangio-style 3-4 defensive scheme, we should see more of Adams on the blitz, which will allow him to return to what he’s the best at: rushing the passer. Adams broke the defensive back single-season sack record with nine and a half sacks in 2020, and he’s hot in pursuit of the defensive back career sack record (30.5 by Rodney Harrison). Finding a mix of blitzing and coverage that keeps Adams healthy will be the key, but I expect to see a much more aggressive Jamal Adams in 2022.
Shane Waldron, OC
Here’s a fun one with Shane Waldron, the Seattle Seahawks second-year offensive coordinator. We weren’t able to see a ton of the pre-snap movement, spread-style Rams offense that keeps the defense guessing in 2021. However, Waldron himself said that it would take two seasons to fully install such a complicated system. In theory, Drew Lock or Geno Smith (or even Baker Mayfield) will be better at running a get-the-ball-out-quickly system than Russell Wilson ever was. If Shane Waldron wants to throw his name in the ring for Pete Carroll’s eventual replacement, he needs to take it up a notch this season and I believe he’ll be able to.
Jordyn Brooks, LB
With Bobby Wagner gone to the division rival Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks will look to Jordyn Brooks to take over as their defensive playcaller and, in turn, leader. Brooks has been open about how he is excited to be leading the Seahawks defensive unit, and I believe 2022 will be good to Brooks. Throughout his first two seasons, Jordyn Brooks often found himself in coverage, something he wasn’t as comfortable doing, as opposed to run defense. His responsibility in 2022 will be to hold down the middle of the field and be great against the run, which we know he can be great at.
Dee Eskridge, WR
As mentioned above, the Shane Waldron offense will continue to be installed this season. Eskridge was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks to fit perfectly into the system for jet sweeps and underneath routes. Unfortunately, his rookie campaign was cut short due to a severe concussion, but he should see a great deal more action in 2022. Look for Eskridge to be used in situations where DK Metcalf’s and Tyler Lockett’s strengths don’t lie.
Bryan Mone, DT
The Seattle Seahawks recently signed Bryan Mone to a 2-year, $12 million contract extension. I expect this means that he will take over for Al Woods in the center of the defensive line in the new 3-4 scheme. Mone had 35 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2021, but only played 38% of defensive snaps. Al Woods played 52% of snaps and had 11 pressures, and I would think Mone sees his activity increase to last year’s Al Woods level. While he won’t have a huge role getting to the quarterback as a zero-tech, he’ll be important in locking down the run defense.
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