While the summer season brings much enjoyment to the average person, for an NFL fan, it represents a desolate wasteland where Sundays just aren't quite as vibrant as in the autumn months. However, with each passing day, we inch closer to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, which officially kicks off on September 7 this year. Whether you've had your favorite team's tweet notifications turned on all summer or if you've decided to tune out all football news entirely, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know about your team going into the 2023-24 season right here. In today's article, I'll be discussing the Seattle Seahawks. I wrote a guidebook for every team in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. To check out an article for another team, click the link below: https://www.bucketsquadsportsreports.com/nfl 2022 Season Recap Though quiet for most of the 2022 season, the Seahawks managed to win their final two regular season games to secure a wild card playoff spot in their first season without Russell Wilson. However, their playoff push didn’t last long, as they were beaten soundly in the wild card round by the 49ers. Seattle finished in the top 10 in points scored under Geno Smith, but won in many cases in spite of their defense. They played a lot of high scoring games throughout the season, including in their lone playoff game. I’m sure Seahawks fans would be happy to replicate their offensive success in 2023, but they’ll need to tighten up on defense this year to have a shot at the division crown. Significant Roster Moves Most of the heavy contributors from last season’s team who won’t return for the upcoming season come from either the offensive or defensive line, namely Austin Blythe and Gabe Jackson on the offensive side and Poona Ford, Shelby Harris, and Al Woods on the defensive side. The offense will otherwise mostly stay the same, though the defense also lost a couple linebacker and defensive backs as well. Seahawks fans will be happy to welcome Bobby Wagner back to Seattle to start at inside linebacker again in his 2nd stint with the organization. Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed will line up opposite each other at defensive end and Devin Bush and Julian Love will be important backups in the second and third level of the defense. 2023 Draft Class The Seahawks had ten picks in the 2023 draft, including two in the top 20. They used those two picks on CB Devon Witherspoon and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, two guys who will start immediately and have the potential to blossom into stars in the NFL. The remaining picks will start their careers as backups, though Derick Hall and Zach Charbonnet will get a lot of reps at their respective positions. Season Schedule The Seahawks will take on the NFC East and the AFC North in 2023 to go along with their six divisional games. Their other three opponents are the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee Titans. With an opponent prior season win percentage of .517, Seattle has the 13th hardest schedule in the NFL. Seattle’s primetime games include two Thursday night games versus San Francisco and at Dallas and one Monday night game at the NY Giants. Their Thursday night game against the 49ers occurs on Thanksgiving. Depth Charts Offense Defense Special Teams The Seahawks return 14 of their 22 offensive and defensive starters from last year. The offense will be more or less the same except with even more firepower with rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zach Charbonnet added to the mix. The defense will be back at full strength after dealing with some injuries last season and doesn’t have anywhere really to go but up after last year’s struggles. Seattle will also have a new kicker and punter for the 2023 campaign. Coaching Staff Pete Carroll returns for his 14th season as head coach of the Seahawks. He retains all three coordinators from last season’s staff: Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron (3rd season), Defensive Coordinator Clint Hurtt (2nd season), and Special Teams Coordinator Larry Izzo (6th season). They look to build on their success from last season. Betting Odds Oddsmakers have set the regular season win total for Seattle at 9.5 games. As of right now, the Seahawks are the 2nd most likely team to win the NFC West and the 6th most likely team to win the NFC as a whole. At +3000 to win Super Bowl LVIII, they are tied for 12th among all teams in the league. Bucket Squad Predictions Bucket Squad Sports Reports predicts the Seahawks to finish 10-7 in 2023 for 2nd place in the NFC West. They’ll win a tiebreaker with the Lions to finish 6th in the conference and secure a wild card spot in the playoffs.
What do you think? Will Seattle be better or worse than I'm projecting? What offseason moves made by the Seahawks surprised you the most? Leave a comment down below and be sure to check the "NFL" section of the website for more NFL team guidebooks as I finish them. Written by Nick Swatson
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