By james art 
Head coach Mike McDonald and general manager John Schneider haven’t been conservative with the Seattle Seahawks’ personnel adjustments this season — both forced out by injury and more.
The team has made numerous trades, both during and before the season, including one that sent starting cornerback Jerome Baker to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Ernest Jones IV, who showed All-Pro potential at the same position. They identified a need and addressed it.
After losing five of their last six games before the bye week, the Seahawks are going back to the drawing board. The defense has been up and down, mainly struggling defensively in most games this season. Quarterback Geno Smith and the offense have struggled with consistency through the air and on the ground as a result of rotten offensive line play.
“It’s our job as coaches to really eliminate that resistance and make it clear to the guys … you have to go into these things with the mentality that everything is on the table,” McDonald said during his press conference Monday.
MacDonald didn’t initially say specifically what’s on the table for the team, but was asked if personnel, scheme and training strategies are under consideration, among other things.
“All of the above,” Macdonald replied. “I mean, I think we’re doing a lot of good things, but if you just go in with the short-sightedness of, ‘Hey, it’s only here,’ then you might miss something. I don’t want to miss a thing. So let’s go through it with a fine comb and let’s be honest and go.
Obviously, that didn’t involve a trade to bolster the offensive line. With Tuesday’s trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Seattle opted not to acquire any new pieces. That leaves the Seahawks with a front five that is 29th in blocking win percentage (67 percent) and 25th in passing win percentage (53 percent), according to ESPN analytics.
Additionally, Smith has become the NFL’s most pressured quarterback (153 pressures) so far in 2024. That’s not a good formula when he leads the league in sacks.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars pro Brandon Scherff, who will be a free agent after this season, was probably the most talked about trade target for Seattle. Scherff will turn 33 in December, but would be an immediate upgrade at right guard with the added potential bonus of a right tackle making his post-bye season debut.
Younger guards or another offensive lineman might also have been available. However, that opportunity came and went. The Seahawks will either have to stick with their current personnel or continue to look for a backup on the available free agent market.
There could still be some changes to the starting lineup on both sides of the ball. But the scheme also needs to be changed to help the team avoid self-inflicted mistakes. Through Week 9, the Seahawks are the league’s most penalized team (74) and are 30th in turnovers (15).
For the rest of this season at least, McDonald and his coaching staff will likely have to make do with the players they have in the building, a point the Seahawks head coach has emphasized repeatedly and believes is sufficient.
“We have the right guys. We just have to make it come alive. But our backs are against the wall and we have to go,” McDonald said after the game after Seattle’s 26-20 loss to the Rams on Sunday.
The Seahawks have a chance to bounce back from a brutal six-game bye streak. McDonald hopes the team can bounce back and correct the issues that have sent them down to last place in the NFC West standings after being first before Week 8.
“We’re trying to get the job done and we’ve got a great plan for next week so we can really get down to business on Monday and get into the second half of the season, which is critical for us because we need to start producing better results.” McDonald said. “Everybody knows that and we’re moving on. But we have a big week ahead of us.”
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