By james art 
Judging by the level of disappointment tested by Seattle Seyhox fans in the 2024 season, it may be difficult to remember that “24 Hawks ended with a winning record. Their 10-7 brand was an improvement in 2023, as well as their second place in the division.
However, 2024 was extremely disappointing for a number of reasons. Although several young players stepped forward, too many young people, which Seattle hopes to build, did not seem ready for the first time. John Schneider, in his first season without Pete Carol next to him, made some really terrible staff solutions. The new coach Mike McDonald has a large extent to an inexperienced group of helpers.
He appeared in some uneven game during the season. Three matches to open the season. Loss of five of the next six. Winning four in a row, coming out of goodbye, followed by a mini-gaming series of two games, which essentially put an end to the hopes of Seahawks playoffs. They were the definition of an inconsistent team.
Seattle Seahawks cannot afford to repeat these errors in the extra season in 2025
Their differential for the season was +7. I guess this is better than -7, but it’s still difficult to get more on average than that. (Unless you are the Texas in Houston, another team 10-7, which has achieved the rare dead, even a point differential, marking and conveying exactly the same number of points during the season.)
It’s not a bad year – not a good year. Combine this with an aging QB, there is no heir to the site and a minimum place for the wage cap to work with, and Seattle finds it in an uncertain position as it starts out of the season in 2025. Here are three things that Schnieder and Macdonald have to do to avoid another mediocre season or worse.
Better diligence with staff solutions
Anyone can swing and miss a free agency. Even the best teams blow it from time to time. But Schnider’s records in 2024 must make fans wonder what he can think and do over time.
He signed two start -ups, which were both thrown away in the middle of the season. Whether he was simply on the same page with his new coach or whether the two had badly judged how Tyrell Dodson and Jerome Baker would fit into the defense, it was a very bad use of resources.
In August, he traded another of his free acquisitions of agents, the Nick Harris Center. He felt comfortable to do it because he had just clicked an even better center, Connor Williams, who was recovering from an injury injured at the end of season 2023. Williams played nine games for Seattle before announcing his retirement at the beginning of November. His decision surprised everyone.
These are all unforeseen Schneider errors. Each of them can be considered a gambling that goes wrong, it happens. But so many of them are grouped so close to each other is unacceptable. He questioned whether the front office is able to make stable decisions forward.
Do not neglect the offensive line
Schneider knew that the offensive line was a problem entering the off -season in 2024. Everyone knew. And he scored players to help deal with this problem. The problem in the background is that it simply does not give priority to the position to invest much of its recognized limited resources to improve the line.
Laken Tomlinson and the Nick Harris/Connor Williams project were at the best side of the side move to replace the departing beginner Damian Lewis and Evan Brown. The overall production did not improve, it was and the club was left in a greater position forward. Most of the other additions were low -circle elections and free low -level agents, none of which made a sign.
In addition to Tomlinson and Harris/Williams, the two highest-profile players they acquired were veteran George Fant and rookie Christian Haines. They both made sense on paper. Fant had to provide some insurance while the right thing to do with Abraham Lucas returned from an injury. Haines had to challenge Anthony Bradford to the guard.
Fant was struck by his own injuries, and Haines was a great disappointment, falling further down and down into the depth diagram as the season continued. Whether Haines has been too received is yet to be seen. Maybe it took him a year to adapt to the pros. But the third round would always be a long shot to make a major contribution in its first season.
The real question is whether Schneider had to go when choosing Byron Murphy in the first round and took one of the many high -caliber liners that were selected shortly after.
There is no guarantee that would solve the problem, but the protective line was a relative force and the offensive line was not. This off-season GM should make the offensive line a greater priority.
Find a backup defender
He may already be on the list. I’m not ready to give up Sam Howel yet. Several times when we saw it in 2024, they were disasters, but it boasts some qualities that can still make it a NFL QB-or low-end starter or plus-thigh. The important point is that McDonald and Clint Cubiak must quickly decide on Howel’s potential. If they decide that he is not the man, they have to make a final move to find a new potential heir to Jeno Smith.
Geno turns 35 in October, and his relationship with DK Metcalf seems to be a problem. It still has some commercial value, perhaps improved now that Pete Carol calls the photos in Las Vegas. But Schneider can’t even entertain the concept of moving a gendo while he has no other QB on the spot.
If not Howel, Schneider can look at former starters with decent ceilings such as Marcus Mariota or Justin Fields. In principle, it was a Gendo before he came to the northwest. Mariota and fields are free agents. They have a financial sense only if Schneider plans to move a Gendo.
If he wants to leave him in place, he can look for a long -term project in the project. Seattle will not be able to choose Blue-Chip QB in 2025, but there are quite a number of quite good players, which will be about two and three days.
The bottom line is quite simple. Schneider and his scout have to do a better job than last year. If they do, there is still enough talent to keep Hawks competitive as McDonald continues to put his seal on franchise.