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The Seahawks offense has generally been a conservative one under Pete Carroll. I think at times that has played into the Rams hands.
Over the last 8 games, the Rams hold a 6-2 edge.
With Shane Waldron the new Seattle OC, do they unleash Wilson in some manner? What is unclear is how much of the Rams offense Waldron intends to bring.
If things don’t meet Wilson’s expectations... does this have the making of a Rodgers-like stand off between Wilson and Carroll in 2022?
www.nbcsports.com
Below is a ranking of each addition in order of significance.
Note: This has been updated following the addition of Carlos Dunlap on Thursday evening.
Woods appeared in 14 games for the Seahawks in 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season. He isn't the pass rusher that Reed is, but between Bryan Mone, Cedric Lattimore and Woods, the Seahawks may be able to play Poona Ford at 3-tech more frequently to better tap into his pass rush ability.
There’s still a chance that the Seahawks use their second-round pick on an interior offensive lineman.
Witherspoon showed some promise at the end of the 2020 season with a PFF score of at least 77.0 in three-straight games to close the year. Maybe a change of scenery will serve him well. He’s a cheap flier on a one-year, $4 million deal, but Seahawks fans expecting him to replace Shaquill Griffin or become the next D.J. Reed should temper expectations.
Ford should be a cornerstone piece on Seattle’s defensive line for years to come, even though his new contract extension is just for two years.
Carson is one of the league’s most punishing runners and is an underrated pass catcher. Everyone should be eager to see his usage in Waldron’s scheme behind what should be an improved offensive line.
The Seahawks will hope Everett can provide some much-needed YAC ability with speed to be a seam stretcher as well. The bar for free agent tight ends is fairly low after Greg Olsen posted just 24 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown in 2020 on a similar contract.
Waldron surely gave the green light for Seattle to sign Everett which should give fans some confidence in the move. Will Dissly and, to a lesser degree, Colby Parkinson are likely to have roles as well in another three-man rotation at tight end.
Hyder posted 8.5 sacks in 2020 for the 49ers after being thrust into an every down role due to the notable injuries along San Francisco's defensive line, headlined by Nick Bosa.
Hyder should predominantly play the 5-tech, especially in pass rush situations. He serves as a value signing with solid upside as a player with a strong motor and fantastic hands.
His two best seasons, including his 8.0 sacks in 2016, came under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. Seattle is banking on its ability to get similar production out of him in 2021.
Jackson played all 16 games in 2020, and Seattle will be relying on that clean bill of health this season. Jackson should prove to be valuable for Damien Lewis’ growth and could help Ethan Pocic in (potentially) his second season as a starter. The Seahawks needed to make at least one splash addition along the offensive line, and Jackson checks that box.
He produced in clutch moments while making others around him better.
John Schneider worked his magic by unloading Dunlap's $14.1 million cap number, only to get him back at $8.3 million over the next two seasons. Seattle didn't incur a single dollar of dead money in the process.
The Seahawks top pass rush group should consist of Dunlap, Hyder, L.J. Collier and Poona Ford. That's a pretty impressive group, especially if Collier can prove to be similarly productive to Reed.
There's quality depth behind those four with the likes of Benson Mayowa, Alton Robinson, Darrell Taylor, Rasheem Green, Bryan Mone and Cedric Lattimore.
Waldron and his offensive scheme will ideally provide layers of ingenuity and newness that will get Russell Wilson and Co. back on track following a poor second half of 2020. It will be Waldron’s responsibility to get the most out of Wilson while potentially unlocking elements of the QB’s game we’ve yet to see.
Manufacturing easy completions for Wilson will be crucial if Waldron is going to get his new franchise signal-caller comfortable in any sort of short and intermediate passing game. That element was sorely lacking from Seattle’s aerial attack in 2020.
Waldron is the ultimate wild card when trying to forecast how Seattle will fare next season.
www.espn.com
He said his offensive approach starts with the belief that it's "all about the ball," a go-to phrase of Pete Carroll's that emphasizes the importance of winning the turnover battle. He made several mentions of his desire for offensive balance and one about playing complementary football, two more Carroll favorites.
It's no wonder the Seahawks tabbed Waldron to replace Brian Schottenheimer, whose clashing with Carroll led the team to announce last month that he would not return after three seasons because of "philosophical differences."
"That was really, in my opinion, what was so natural about the interview process, was that there was so much philosophical alignment between he and I," Waldron said. "I had mentioned this to him: It wasn't like an interview where you're trying to sell yourself to win the job in any sort of sales pitch. It was a conversation, and it was a football discussion that had so many things in alignment that it felt just like a natural progression as we got to know each other and talk through things. So, so many of those things were just naturally in alignment, and that's where I think I felt really good about the process."
As much as Carroll and Waldron found themselves on the same page as they spoke via phone, FaceTime and Zoom over the course of several days, Carroll didn't arrive at his decision alone. Quarterback Russell Wilson made it clear he wanted to be involved in the hiring process -- and he was. A source told ESPN that Waldron was among the candidates Wilson was most fond of during the two-week search and that the quarterback was excited over the hire.
Jake Heaps, Wilson's personal quarterback coach and a co-host on 710 ESPN Seattle, called Waldron the "perfect mesh" of what Carroll and Wilson want in their new OC.
"I had the great chance to get to know him as a person," Waldron said of his conversations with Wilson both during the interview process and since. "[We] talked a lot about our families and just really getting to know each other more as people because I do think the football part of it, that's going to be an important part of it when the time is right, but our conversations really have centered around just who we are as people because you're in a room with some guys for a lot of hours every day when that season gets rolling. ... He seems like he has this unrelenting desire to be better, to be the best that he can be, so I think when we started talking about those things, that's where it was some really fun conversations."
Waldron's coaching career has included college stints at Notre Dame and UMass, one year in the UFL and NFL jobs with the New England Patriots and Washington Football Team before his four-year run with the Los Angeles Rams. He said he took things from each stop to build an offensive philosophy centered around three things: protecting the ball, fundamentals and balance.
"I think the great part about Russell Wilson within this system is he does have an ability to do a lot of different things, and just because I'm saying that it's a balanced attack doesn't mean that that's a conservative attack," he said. "I don't ever want to get that confused."
What wasn't clear from Waldron's first comments to Seattle-area reports was how much of the Rams' offense will be what he brings in versus what the Seahawks were already doing.
"I have a core set of beliefs that I'm going to stick to, but we're going to build this thing together," he said. "I think that the one thing with Russell and with the rest of the players that are on this team, they have a great foundation and they have won a lot of football games together, so will there be parts of stuff that carries over? Absolutely, because there's been some great things they've done in the past."
Waldron called Sean McVay a friend and mentor while saying the Rams' head coach has been instrumental in helping him get to where he's gotten. Waldron spent the past three seasons as Los Angeles' passing-game coordinator and said he wore various hats in that role, including being responsible for certain situational aspects of games, helping with game-planning and being on the headsets with McVay. Waldron also held the title of QB coach in 2019.
One thing he didn't do: call plays. McVay handled those duties with the Rams. Waldron has not done so in college or the NFL, at least not in an actual game.
"It's a great challenge, and it's a challenge that I've been preparing for my whole life," he said. "So I think it's one of those things that I'm ready to get going with and excited to attack that opportunity. I've learned a ton from Sean along the way. With that play-calling experience, he's allowed me the opportunity to do it in different settings, whether it's the preseason or scrimmages or practices. So I've had a little hand in it that way knowing that's obviously not the real deal and there is going to be that opportunity here coming up.
"I'm a guy that likes to prepare. I want to be organized, I want to have that really consistent approach, and in my mind, that preparation began a long time ago and I can't wait for this chance to go ahead and do it."
Waldron is bringing one assistant with him from Los Angeles in Andy Dickerson, who will be Seattle's run-game coordinator. That position was vacant with Brennan Carroll leaving Seattle's staff to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona. Waldron said that when Carroll asked him if he wanted to bring anyone with him who could help with the transition, his first thought was Dickerson, who spent nine seasons as the Rams' assistant offensive-line coach. He and Waldron were college teammates at Tufts University.
Over the last 8 games, the Rams hold a 6-2 edge.
With Shane Waldron the new Seattle OC, do they unleash Wilson in some manner? What is unclear is how much of the Rams offense Waldron intends to bring.
If things don’t meet Wilson’s expectations... does this have the making of a Rodgers-like stand off between Wilson and Carroll in 2022?
Ranking the significance of the Seahawks offseason moves thus far
The Seahawks are trying to fill all their needs this offseason despite a non-ideal cap situation.
Ranking the significance of the Seahawks offseason moves
Seahawks draft picks 2021:
- Round 2, Pick No. 56: D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan
- Round 4, Pick No. 137: Tre Brown, CB, Oklahoma
- Round 6, Pick No. 208: Stone Forsythe, OT, Florida
2021 NFL Free Agency
We’re a week into the NFL’s new league year, and it has been a productive seven days for the Seattle Seahawks. Despite operating with minimal cap space, Seattle managed to address nearly all of its most significant roster holes to varying degrees.Below is a ranking of each addition in order of significance.
Note: This has been updated following the addition of Carlos Dunlap on Thursday evening.
13. OT Cedric Ogbuehi
This is a very similar situation to Simmons. Ogbuehi started four games in 2020 and rebounded nicely after a brutal performance against Philadelphia last November. He closed the season with impressive showings against Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Having known commodities as depth pieces on the roster has its value.12. Jordan Simmons
Simmons started six games in place of Mike Iupati last season and also filled in for a few series at a time in almost every contest. He showed enough to deserve a spot on next year’s roster. You could do much worse than Simmons for depth at guard.11. DT Al Woods
We didn't have to wait 24 hours to find out who the Seahawks would target at defensive tackle to replace Jarran Reed.Woods appeared in 14 games for the Seahawks in 2019 before opting out of the 2020 season. He isn't the pass rusher that Reed is, but between Bryan Mone, Cedric Lattimore and Woods, the Seahawks may be able to play Poona Ford at 3-tech more frequently to better tap into his pass rush ability.
10. DE Benson Mayowa
Mayowa is a perfectly suitable rotational pass rusher and a wonderful veteran presence in the Seahawks locker room. He posted 6.0 sacks in 2020 and played his best ball in the second half of the season, notably once Carlos Dunlap entered the lineup. This move wasn’t a surprise to anybody as Pete Carroll shared immediately after the season that the team would love to have Mayowa back in 2021.9. C Ethan Pocic
Pocic showed enough in his first season as a starter to warrant his one-year, $3 million deal. His play tapered off toward the end of the year, an indication that he may have hit a wall. The continued progression of Damien Lewis and arrival of Gabe Jackson should help Pocic as well if he indeed retains the starting center job.There’s still a chance that the Seahawks use their second-round pick on an interior offensive lineman.
8. CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Witherspoon has immense physical talent, headlined by his quick feet and 6-foot-2 frame. But there’s no denying that his time in San Francisco was turbulent. The third-round pick in 2017 was benched on multiple occasions, most notably during the 49ers Super Bowl run in 2019. He was a healthy scratch on occasion and was regularly in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse.Witherspoon showed some promise at the end of the 2020 season with a PFF score of at least 77.0 in three-straight games to close the year. Maybe a change of scenery will serve him well. He’s a cheap flier on a one-year, $4 million deal, but Seahawks fans expecting him to replace Shaquill Griffin or become the next D.J. Reed should temper expectations.
7. DT Poona Ford
The reason why Ford is ranked below Carson is because I didn’t expect Carson to return whereas Ford was never going anywhere as a restricted free agent. Ford is a more valuable piece to Seattle’s future, especially if he continues to contribute as a pass rusher. He posted a career-high 2.0 sacks in 2020 and was arguably the team’s most improved defensive player year-over-year.Ford should be a cornerstone piece on Seattle’s defensive line for years to come, even though his new contract extension is just for two years.
6. RB Chris Carson
Carson got his desired pay day with a contract that maxes out at more than $14 million, and the Seahawks were able to keep his 2021 cap number to just $2.5 million. That’s the definition of a win-win, and it’s also an indictment of sorts against Rashaad Penny, who Seattle clearly doesn’t believe in to be the team’s lead back.Carson is one of the league’s most punishing runners and is an underrated pass catcher. Everyone should be eager to see his usage in Waldron’s scheme behind what should be an improved offensive line.
5. TE Gerald Everett
Seattle gave Everett a one-year, $6 million prove-it deal to showcase that he still has untapped potential. Everett’s single-season career-highs are 417 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Those modest numbers are hardly worth celebrating, but Everett’s 6-foot-3 frame and tantalizing athletic profile make him worthy of a low-cost flier.The Seahawks will hope Everett can provide some much-needed YAC ability with speed to be a seam stretcher as well. The bar for free agent tight ends is fairly low after Greg Olsen posted just 24 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown in 2020 on a similar contract.
Waldron surely gave the green light for Seattle to sign Everett which should give fans some confidence in the move. Will Dissly and, to a lesser degree, Colby Parkinson are likely to have roles as well in another three-man rotation at tight end.
4. DE Kerry Hyder
Landing both Kerry Hyder and Carlos Dunlap was a huge win for the Seahawks, even though it cost them Jarran Reed.Hyder posted 8.5 sacks in 2020 for the 49ers after being thrust into an every down role due to the notable injuries along San Francisco's defensive line, headlined by Nick Bosa.
Hyder should predominantly play the 5-tech, especially in pass rush situations. He serves as a value signing with solid upside as a player with a strong motor and fantastic hands.
His two best seasons, including his 8.0 sacks in 2016, came under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. Seattle is banking on its ability to get similar production out of him in 2021.
3. G Gabe Jackson
This is a mix of filling a glaring void and acquiescing to Wilson’s public requests for improved pass protection. In a thin guard market, Seattle sent a fifth-round pick to Las Vegas in exchange for Jackson. The Seahawks are on the hook for $9.5 million for the next two years, an expensive yet worthwhile investment in a veteran guard that should be able to stabilize the offensive line.Jackson played all 16 games in 2020, and Seattle will be relying on that clean bill of health this season. Jackson should prove to be valuable for Damien Lewis’ growth and could help Ethan Pocic in (potentially) his second season as a starter. The Seahawks needed to make at least one splash addition along the offensive line, and Jackson checks that box.
2. DE Carlos Dunlap
We've spent months discussing how Carlos Dunlap was the catalyst for the pass rush's extreme turnaround in the second half of 2020.He produced in clutch moments while making others around him better.
John Schneider worked his magic by unloading Dunlap's $14.1 million cap number, only to get him back at $8.3 million over the next two seasons. Seattle didn't incur a single dollar of dead money in the process.
The Seahawks top pass rush group should consist of Dunlap, Hyder, L.J. Collier and Poona Ford. That's a pretty impressive group, especially if Collier can prove to be similarly productive to Reed.
There's quality depth behind those four with the likes of Benson Mayowa, Alton Robinson, Darrell Taylor, Rasheem Green, Bryan Mone and Cedric Lattimore.
1. OC Shane Waldron
Even with the addition of Dunlap, I still think Shane Waldron deserves the top spot in these rankings. Remember, Seattle had Dunlap last season and still lost in the first round of the playoffs. It'll be Waldron who needs to help get the offense over the hump, regardless of what's happening on defense.Waldron and his offensive scheme will ideally provide layers of ingenuity and newness that will get Russell Wilson and Co. back on track following a poor second half of 2020. It will be Waldron’s responsibility to get the most out of Wilson while potentially unlocking elements of the QB’s game we’ve yet to see.
Manufacturing easy completions for Wilson will be crucial if Waldron is going to get his new franchise signal-caller comfortable in any sort of short and intermediate passing game. That element was sorely lacking from Seattle’s aerial attack in 2020.
Waldron is the ultimate wild card when trying to forecast how Seattle will fare next season.
OC Waldron: Approach 'in alignment' with Carroll
Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said that he and head coach Pete Carroll are "naturally in alignment" with many of their offensive philosophies.
OC Waldron: Approach 'in alignment' with Carroll
SEATTLE -- During his introductory news conference Tuesday, new Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron sounded a lot like the head coach who just hired him.He said his offensive approach starts with the belief that it's "all about the ball," a go-to phrase of Pete Carroll's that emphasizes the importance of winning the turnover battle. He made several mentions of his desire for offensive balance and one about playing complementary football, two more Carroll favorites.
It's no wonder the Seahawks tabbed Waldron to replace Brian Schottenheimer, whose clashing with Carroll led the team to announce last month that he would not return after three seasons because of "philosophical differences."
"That was really, in my opinion, what was so natural about the interview process, was that there was so much philosophical alignment between he and I," Waldron said. "I had mentioned this to him: It wasn't like an interview where you're trying to sell yourself to win the job in any sort of sales pitch. It was a conversation, and it was a football discussion that had so many things in alignment that it felt just like a natural progression as we got to know each other and talk through things. So, so many of those things were just naturally in alignment, and that's where I think I felt really good about the process."
As much as Carroll and Waldron found themselves on the same page as they spoke via phone, FaceTime and Zoom over the course of several days, Carroll didn't arrive at his decision alone. Quarterback Russell Wilson made it clear he wanted to be involved in the hiring process -- and he was. A source told ESPN that Waldron was among the candidates Wilson was most fond of during the two-week search and that the quarterback was excited over the hire.
Jake Heaps, Wilson's personal quarterback coach and a co-host on 710 ESPN Seattle, called Waldron the "perfect mesh" of what Carroll and Wilson want in their new OC.
"I had the great chance to get to know him as a person," Waldron said of his conversations with Wilson both during the interview process and since. "[We] talked a lot about our families and just really getting to know each other more as people because I do think the football part of it, that's going to be an important part of it when the time is right, but our conversations really have centered around just who we are as people because you're in a room with some guys for a lot of hours every day when that season gets rolling. ... He seems like he has this unrelenting desire to be better, to be the best that he can be, so I think when we started talking about those things, that's where it was some really fun conversations."
Waldron's coaching career has included college stints at Notre Dame and UMass, one year in the UFL and NFL jobs with the New England Patriots and Washington Football Team before his four-year run with the Los Angeles Rams. He said he took things from each stop to build an offensive philosophy centered around three things: protecting the ball, fundamentals and balance.
"I think the great part about Russell Wilson within this system is he does have an ability to do a lot of different things, and just because I'm saying that it's a balanced attack doesn't mean that that's a conservative attack," he said. "I don't ever want to get that confused."
What wasn't clear from Waldron's first comments to Seattle-area reports was how much of the Rams' offense will be what he brings in versus what the Seahawks were already doing.
"I have a core set of beliefs that I'm going to stick to, but we're going to build this thing together," he said. "I think that the one thing with Russell and with the rest of the players that are on this team, they have a great foundation and they have won a lot of football games together, so will there be parts of stuff that carries over? Absolutely, because there's been some great things they've done in the past."
Waldron called Sean McVay a friend and mentor while saying the Rams' head coach has been instrumental in helping him get to where he's gotten. Waldron spent the past three seasons as Los Angeles' passing-game coordinator and said he wore various hats in that role, including being responsible for certain situational aspects of games, helping with game-planning and being on the headsets with McVay. Waldron also held the title of QB coach in 2019.
One thing he didn't do: call plays. McVay handled those duties with the Rams. Waldron has not done so in college or the NFL, at least not in an actual game.
"It's a great challenge, and it's a challenge that I've been preparing for my whole life," he said. "So I think it's one of those things that I'm ready to get going with and excited to attack that opportunity. I've learned a ton from Sean along the way. With that play-calling experience, he's allowed me the opportunity to do it in different settings, whether it's the preseason or scrimmages or practices. So I've had a little hand in it that way knowing that's obviously not the real deal and there is going to be that opportunity here coming up.
"I'm a guy that likes to prepare. I want to be organized, I want to have that really consistent approach, and in my mind, that preparation began a long time ago and I can't wait for this chance to go ahead and do it."
Waldron is bringing one assistant with him from Los Angeles in Andy Dickerson, who will be Seattle's run-game coordinator. That position was vacant with Brennan Carroll leaving Seattle's staff to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona. Waldron said that when Carroll asked him if he wanted to bring anyone with him who could help with the transition, his first thought was Dickerson, who spent nine seasons as the Rams' assistant offensive-line coach. He and Waldron were college teammates at Tufts University.
