Matt Calkins: Want a Super Bowl win? Seahawks must first get much better in trenches.

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Mar 4, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SEATTLE — Most of us follow the ball.

That pigskin is the primary source of entertainment, and its movements are what drive the multibillion-dollar business that is the NFL.

It’s what head coaches do, too. At least during the game. Ask an HC about interior players after a contest, and he’ll usually say “I gotta watch the film.”

But it’s in that interior where games are won and lost. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald knows as much.

“You’ve got to be able to win at the line of scrimmage,” Macdonald said at the NFL combine last week. “If you can’t see that from watching the playoffs this year, then I don’t know what game you were watching. But obviously we have to be able to do that if we want to win a championship.”

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is the subject of endless discussion around these parts. Debate about whether he has the goods to lead a team to a title abounds. But if the Seahawks do want to compete for another Lombardi Trophy — something that’s seemed a long way from realistic lately — they’re going to have to get better in the trenches. And that’s on both sides of the ball.

Let’s start with the offensive line. It’s been a source of regular derision, but the criticism has been warranted.

What stats do you need? Sharp Football Analysis ranked the Seahawks’ O-line 29th in the league. Seattle allowed a 39.4 percent pressure rate, which was 30th in the NFL. Not surprising that Smith took 50 sacks, which was the third most in the league. Actually, given the pressure rate and the number of dropbacks he had, 50 is actually pretty tame.

Part of the problem has been health, sure. Right tackle Abraham Lucas battled knee issues all year. And center Connor Williams retired in the middle of the season. But the fact is, other than left tackle Charles Cross, the O-line has been among the most porous and unreliable in the NFL.

Can general manager John Schneider fix that in the draft? Cross was a solid pick, no doubt. And Lucas has performed serviceably when healthy. But the others just haven’t landed over the past few years. Christian Haynes was a third-round pick last season who couldn’t crack the starting lineup of one of the more underperforming lines in football. Seattle needs to shore that up. Schneider knows that.

As for the defensive line? It’s been decent. It hasn’t been incredible. Defensive end Leonard Williams had perhaps the best season of his career in 2024, recording 11 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss. And the Seahawks were 10th in the NFL with 45 sacks. But the run defense was rough.

Seattle was 31st in rushing yards allowed (2,053) and 30th in rushing touchdowns (11). If you wanted the advanced stats, they were last in Expected Points Added per rush play (0.03). Losses to the Rams and 49ers, which ultimately kept the Seahawks out of the postseason, were mostly due to their shortcomings on the run defense.

Williams along with a healthy Uchenna Nwosu have been valuable. But the $51 million defensive end Dre’Mont Jones? Less than stellar. Same with the first-round draft pick Byron Murphy.

This might not be the most glaring area for a defense that improved greatly from the season before, but considering how deep this year’s draft is on the D-line, Seattle could (and probably should) bulk up here.

The Seahawks contended for a playoff spot but came up one win short. Winning just three games at home was a major reason why. Schneider knows this — and knows his team can get better.

“I feel bad for our fans not making the playoffs two years in a row. We’ve got to get Lumen rocking again,” Schneider said. “We’ve got to get speed on defense, and be able to run the ball, and get our identity.”

Speed on defense obviously goes beyond just the line. The inability to run the ball, on the other hand, was largely due to a line that couldn’t create space.

It seems we keep having the conversations about Seattle’s problems up front, particularly offensively. As questions about Smith’s ability, or DK Metcalf’s future are asked, the real question is whether the Seahawks can get better in the trenches. The next couple months will be crucial.

The guys with the ball entertain. The guys upfront are what win.

____