2021 Team Preview: Seattle Seahawks

Thanks for checking out our latest article in our 2021 Team Preview series. We will be breaking down the outlook for teams in 2021, key acquisitions during the off-season and through the 2021 NFL Draft, key losses, and looking at each team from a dynasty perspective. We’ll give you some players to consider buying, selling, stashing, and potential sleeper candidates. Stay tuned for more team breakdowns as we approach the 2021 NFL season. Here is our 2021 Team Preview: Seattle Seahawks.

2021 Outlook

The Seattle Seahawks are poised to have one of the league’s best passing attacks in 2021 with the signing of Shane Waldron as the team’s new offensive coordinator. Waldron spent his last four seasons within the NFC West as the Los Angeles Rams tight end coach, quarterback coach, and most recently as the passing game coordinator.  In arguably the toughest division in the NFL, Russell Wilson and company should be post-season contenders once again with a new offensive philosophy and a fantastic rookie wideout taken in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

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Key Acquisitions/Losses

The defensive unit was touted as the worst in the league in 2020, but the data suggests otherwise. Seattle gave up 365 points, less than the 49ers, Bills, and Browns to rank 18th in points allowed. However, all three levels of the Seahawks defense had key players leave, including cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar. Their replacements are Ahkello Witherspoon and rookie fourth-rounder Tre Brown, while Carlos Dunlap gets to build continuity with the defensive line during his first training camp and preseason with Seattle after signing mid-way through last season. Most notably, linebackers KJ Wright and Bruce Irvin are gone, forcing perennial All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner to shoulder the load in 2021.

Head coach Pete Carroll is the oldest active coach in the NFL but he recognized the need to shift from previous Seahawks OC Brian Schottenheimer, who tried to implement a conservative, run-centric offense. The early success behind the motto “Let Russ Cook” saw Wilson finish the season as the QB6 in 1/2-PPR due to 558 attempts (seventh-highest) and 40 touchdowns (second-highest) behind only MVP Aaron Rodgers (48) and tying Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady (40) due to the emergence of DK Metcalf in his second year. Tyler Lockett managed to secure 10 touchdowns to match Metcalf’s touchdown total despite running fewer yards per route (1.74) and averaging 34 fewer air yards per game (80.4).

The signing of second-round rookie wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge juices up the WR3 position in the newly designed Seahawks offense, which could implement a motion-heavy offense similar to how Waldron designed plays during his tenure for the Rams. He even gets a familiar weapon to scheme up at the tight end position, as the Seahawks signed tight end Gerald Everett to a $6 million per year contract. This amount of money indicates that Everett will quickly ascend to become the TE1 over fourth-year Will Dissly. At the very least, Everett will split targets as he did with Tyler Higbee in Los Angeles, which resulted in a TE24 finish in 1/2-PPR last season.

The Seahawks front office spent the most money on offensive guard Gabe Jackson this offseason, strengthening the interior of an offensive line that ranked 16th in pass-blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.  The veteran leaves the Las Vegas Raiders for the first time in his eight-year career after contributing to the astounding pass protection Raiders quarterback Derek Carr received in 2020.  His presence should boost the production of all Seahawks skilled players as long as he can give Wilson a cleaner pocket to operate within in 2021.

Dynasty Quick Hits

Buy Low: Tyler Lockett

Lockett is currently being valued as the WR23 with an ADP of 54 in 1/2-PPR due to seeing nine consecutive single-digit target games after exploding for 15 receptions, 200 yards, and three touchdowns against the Cardinals in Week 7. In Week 17, Lockett absolutely gutted the 49ers secondary, securing 12 receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets. Ironically, Lockett had a higher targets per snap rate (14.6) than DK Metcalf (13.7) and a slightly higher target share (24.7%) compared to Metcalf (24%) due to the stretch of single-digit target games. He amassed 10 touchdowns and is one of the fastest wideouts in the league, so take advantage of his low-end WR2 value in what projects to be a more pass-centric offense in 2021. After all, Lockett did see the most targets in his six-year career (132) to finish as the WR9 last season. Buy Lockett as much as possible before he goes berserk this season.

Sell High: DK Metcalf

While Lockett’s value is likely at its peak, the same can be said for the premium required to roster Metcalf. The 23-year old wideout is only entering his third season in the league but he had a breakout campaign in 2020, racking up over 400 more receiving yards (1,303) and three more touchdowns (10) than he did during his rookie season. Contrary to popular perception, Metcalf had 17 fewer receptions than Tyler Lockett, including a worse target separation (1.53) versus the 2.17 yards of separation Lockett created on his routes. He’s going to continue to be an elite wideout and performer but the presence of Everett should give the Seahawks a bonafide TE1, something they lacked in 2020. Eskridge could also emerge as a viable WR3, effectively moving the chains without needing to throw the ball deep to Metcalf on play-action. Both Everett and Eskridge could steal some valuable red zone targets as well, which creates the perfect situation to sell Metcalf for a couple of future first-round draft picks.

Sleeper: D’Wayne Eskridge

Eskridge strung together an impressive performance during his senior season at Western Michigan University in 2020, ranking first in receiving yards (768) and touchdowns (8) despite ranking eighth in receptions (33). The 5’9″, 190-pound wideout has quick vertical separation and has home-run speed, utilizing his background as a high-school sprint and long-jump champion to fit the profile of a slot receiver in the NFL. There’s very little discussion of Eskridge and his potential usage under Seahawks new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Eskridge is a markedly better receiver than David Moore, who was the team’s WR3 in 2020 with only 47 targets, who is now in Carolina. He’s a great late second-round pick in rookie drafts as the WR12 and could see a substantially bigger target share sooner than expected. I expect his role to grow as the offense evolves this season, leading to the notorious second-year wide receiver breakout.

Stash: Will Dissly

It might sound crazy to consider stashing Dissly, but he just turned 25 years old and just completed his first full season in 2020, while seeing only 29 targets across the entire season. However, his catch rate percentage last season was extremely efficient at 82.5%, making Dissly a worthy stash in case Everett succumbs to more injuries in 2021. Towering over defenders at 6’4″ and nearly 270 pounds, Dissly’s sure hands and massive frame make him an ideal red zone target, which OC Shane Waldron might opt to lean into like he did when splitting targets between Higbee and Everett during his four-year tenure in Los Angeles. Will ‘Big Montana’ Dissly is currently valued as the TE39 in dynasty, so go ahead and stash him if you have an open bench spot.

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