The Seattle Seahawks were always known for wanting to run the ball during Pete Carroll’s time as head coach, but that didn’t go to plan during his last year running the show.
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The Hawks finished the season 28th in rushing in the NFL. Second-year back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 905 yards in 15 games while rookie Zach Charbonnet rushed for 462.
So why didn’t the Seahawks find success on the ground in 2023? Former NFL offensive lineman and current Seahawks radio analyst “Big” Ray Roberts shared his thoughts with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Tuesday.
“I think the injuries along the offensive line … eventually came back to bite them because you just can’t get the continuity that you want up there, you can’t get the consistency in the play, you can’t know what to expect from different guys,” Roberts said.
Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas both got hurt in Week 1, with Cross missing three games afterwards and Lucas missing all but six games in 2023. Left guard Damien Lewis and center Evan Brown both missed one game each, while Week 1 starting right guard Phil Haynes missed nine games.
Having a mix-and-match offensive line likely impacted Seattle’s ability to run the ball, as well as the play-calling in general.
“When there’s certain players that are out of the game, you go like, ‘Man, I don’t know if we can run that now. This guy doesn’t block that as well’ or ‘That guy doesn’t run the route better than the other receiver’ or ‘This quarterback doesn’t throw it the same way the other guy throws it,’” Roberts said. “So I think that started to kind of impact what they were able to do on the offensive line with all the guys going in and out. Were they prepared to play? Yeah. But were they prepared to play the style that they wanted to play? I don’t think they could just because of all the rotations on the offensive line.”
Additionally, Roberts thinks the Seahawks’ run game under Carroll tried to replicate one of his former players but to no avail.
“And then I think the Seahawks keep trying to find the next Marshawn Lynch, and he doesn’t exist. Marshawn Lynch is one of one,” he said. “There are dudes that might look like him sometimes, they might have some success in some ways that he’s had success, but they are just not him. And so you have to come up with other ways to also know, ‘Well, this is the best way to use this running back, and how do we devise a system that matches the skills with the offensive line with the skills of the running back?’ And I think that’s where some blame or fault happened.”
The Seahawks hold the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and based on the current roster, there’s plenty of directions the team could go with that selection.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the offseason, and he had Seattle taking UW Huskies left tackle Troy Fautanu.
The Seahawks don’t need a tackle with Cross and Lucas entering their third NFL seasons, but some, including Jeremiah, think Fautanu is likely going to be a guard at the NFL level.
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“I think if you draft an interior offensive lineman in the first round, they have to absolutely be head and shoulders above who you already have. And unless you’re worried about Abe Lucas being hurt, I don’t see the deficiencies that people see where you feel like you have to make a big upgrade there in the first round,” Roberts said. “I think you can find guys later … that can come in and compete for jobs and push some of these guys in the interior. But I would say the biggest issue with the interior line here, it’s just a health issue. And you can’t always guarantee that no matter where you draft them.”
Listen to Bump and Stacy’s full interview with Ray Roberts at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
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The Seattle Seahawks lost a key member of the front office to the Minnesota Vikings, as the NFC North team named Nolan Teasley its new general manager. The hire could change the fortunes of both teams in the immediate future.
Teasley will be taking over a Vikings team that isn’t far away from contending. One of the key reasons the team fired former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t that he couldn’t build a collection of talent, but that he didn’t seem to understand how to get the best possible answer at the most important position in sports: Quarterback.
Vikings fans watched as former QB1 in Minnesota, Sam Darnold, signed with the Seahawks last offseason, and then followed that by helping lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. That was Seattle’s second title. Minnesota has never won a Super Bowl.
Teasley, though, has the experience and, clearly, the ability to create an environment in which a team will thrive. He has been working with general manager John Schneider in Seattle since 2013, and has worked in scouting and been the director of pro personnel. He has most recently served as Schneider’s assistant GM.
Schneider could very well be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day after leading the Seahawks to two Super Bowl wins. Still, with teams with two completely different rosters and coaching staffs (Schneider is the only GM to ever do that), Teasley would have learned at the knee of one of the best to ever perform general manager duties.
Nolan Teasley could also be entering a situation where his new team is already poised to make a deep run in the playoffs. Minnesota finished 9-8 last season despite the fact that its quarterback play was among the worst in the NFL. This offseason, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray.
Murray underwhelmed or was injured throughout his career with the Arizona Cardinals, as Seattle Seahawks fans know well due to their favorite team counting on two wins every season against the NFC West brethren, but under the wise direction of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Murray could be coaxed into playing a much better form of football.
As the Minnesota Vikings play in the NFC, and could potentially be a difficult obstacle for the Seahawks to repeat as Super Bowl champions, Teasley is already in a good spot. The issue for Seattle is that Teasley is smart enough to make moves to get Minnesota even better well into the future. A great rivalry between Seattle and the Vikings might be about to start.
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SEATTLE – After waking up to a smattering of clouds this morning, skies gradually cleared through the afternoon as sunshine increased around Western Washington. Temperatures climbed into the low 60s for many communities, making for a pleasant and quiet start to the weekend.
What’s next:
Sunday will remain mild and dry with a little more warmth expected across the region. Winds will shift to a more northerly direction, helping temperatures inch upward compared to Saturday.
Sunny weather helps Seattle reach the low to mid 80s Tuesday during the warmest day of the week. (FOX 13 Seattle)
The warming trend will continue Monday as highs climb into the 70s under mostly sunny skies.
By Tuesday, a developing thermal trough along the Cascades will help usher in the warmest air of the week. Sunshine is expected throughout the day with temperatures soaring into the low to mid 80s for many communities.
Some of the traditionally warmer locations could climb even higher. The warmer, drier air will also raise fire danger across parts of the region.
This weather pattern helps Seattle experience sinking air, abundant sunshine, and significantly warmer temperatures. (FOX 13 Seattle)
If you’re planning to cool off at area lakes, rivers, creeks, or streams, remember that water temperatures remain dangerously cold despite the warmer air. Wearing a life vest is strongly encouraged.
Stay heat aware on Tuesday as Seattle weather warms quickly while rivers and lakes remain dangerously cold. (FOX 13 Seattle)
The heat will begin easing Wednesday as temperatures fall back into the low 70s. A cooler onshore flow pattern will continue Thursday and Friday, bringing highs back into the 60s. An isolated shower or two may develop Friday as a weak weather system approaches the Pacific Northwest.
Cooler weather returns to Seattle later in the week with highs back in the 60s and a slight shower chance Friday. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Take good care,
Meteorologist Abby Acone and the FOX 13 Weather Team
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