By: Jake Rajala

The polarizing and somewhat confusing Jamal Adams has enjoyed a rich career as a whole. Adams appears to be out for the remainder of this season. Of course – he also missed five contests a season ago & four games in the season prior. Nonetheless, Adams was once constantly marked as one of the top safeties in the league. He cracked a Pro Bowl nod with second-team All-Pro honors in 2018. He then proceeded to earn first-team AP honors (including a PB berth) in 2019 and then second-team AP honors w/ a PB nod in 2020.

Adams has proven to be very gifted, yet he’s also proved to be injury-prone and less impressive in pass coverage at the same time. Hence, it’s mysterious to conclude if Adams will finish on top of the food chain and garner a gold jacket, or if his best days are behind him.

I honestly believe that there is hope for Adams to be a HOF player. He recently turned 27 (three years younger than Tyrann Mathieu) on October 17th, so he has plenty of days between the white lines ahead of him. Excluding his 2022 season (1 game), he’s only missed a spot on the PB team in 2021 and in 2017 (aka his rookie season). It should be noted that his holdout with Seattle likely made a big impact in his drop-off in 2022.

I expect Adams, who unleashed 9.5 sacks (NFL record at safety) in 2020, to return healthy, in-shape, and carrying a mighty chip on his shoulder. It may also be best for him to switch teams, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not talented or that he’s “washed up”. In Seattle, he really hasn’t been seated behind a lethal pass rush. He could benefit more from playing in Philly or Dallas.

There have been many legendary safeties that have played at an extremely high level into their early 30s — such as Ed Reed and Charles Woodson. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Adams gets back on the correct treadmill and wreaks havoc for five more seasons.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Seattle Seahawks demon-like safety Jamal Adams will sadly be out for the remainder of the 2022 season after he tore his quad on MNF against the (widely expected winner of the contest) Denver Broncos. Adams impressively made the Pro Bowl in 2018, 2019, and 2020. However, Adams blatantly fell off a cliff a season ago and was ousted an absolute dreadful 60.1 grade by PFF. It was anticipated that Adams would bounce back in 2022, but he sadly will have to wait another season to show his true colors.

With that said, it may be wise for the leading NFC West squad (yes, you read that correctly) to ink a new safety to replace his services. Hence, I’m going to untwine a few logical safety targets for the Hawks.

• Ha Ha Clinton Dix

It’s hard to forget the name “Ha Ha”, but it doesn’t hurt that Ha Ha Clinton Dix has had excellent flashes in this league. The former first-round pick had a modest 74.2 grade by PFF in 2019. He didn’t compete in 2020 and he only played in a couple of games last season. It may be a nice low-risk, somewhat-high reward to see if the 29-year-old can be an impact player as the third safety moving forward.

• Trade for Xavier McKinney

The New York Giants have a young & talented safety named Xavier McKinney. The 23-year-old safety for the GMEN recorded a potent 75.4 grade by PFF a season ago. He may be the best-kept secret on the Giants defense, but it may be hard for the Giants to make him pleased long-term. The cap-strapped New Orleans Saints decided to move on from the young buck safety, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson this off-season. Perhaps the Giants will feel its best to move on from McKinney after his robust 2022 season for a Hawks draft pick.

• Trade for Jabril Peppers

Bill Belichick really isn’t opposed to making any type of trade. BB may feel it’s a sharp idea to ship out the former Michigan Wolverine (with zero tackles last Sunday) who will be a FA in 2023. It should be noted that Peppers (2.5 sacks, 91 tackles, 1 interception, and 3 QB hits) also holds a similar skillset as Adams.

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By: Jake Rajala

The wide receiver DK Metcalf has been a rockstar and reincarnation of Steve Largent in Seattle. Metcalf impressively has 3,170 career receiving yards and 29 career receiving touchdowns in three seasons. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2020 and he also recorded a career-high 12 touchdowns in 2021.

Metcalf, who has a similar physical skill-set as Megatron, has been rumored as a trade candidate in Seattle. The Hawks have shipped out Russell Wilson and cut ties with Bobby Wagner, so it may seem easy to peg the Seahawks hulk-like WR as the next profile to depart from the Rainy City. Nonetheless, I really don’t believe the Hawks and Metcalf will part ways. With that said, I will simply untwine three reasons why the Seahawks won’t trade Metcalf.

Emotional connection

Metcalf may not love the Seahawks quarterback situation, but he still deeply respects the locker room as a whole, Seattle, and the energy that Pete Carroll has installed in the team. He was recently at Seattle’s celebrity softball game and he expressed his admiration for the team. Per Heavy., he stated, “I know I’ve only been here three years, but y’all are my family now”. It was nearly impossible for Drew Brees to leave the Big Easy and it seems that it could be quite difficult for Metcalf to move on from Carroll — who tore ripped his shirt off in Metcalf’s honor.

Cap Space

Seattle could be a special place in Metcalf’s heart, but he will still want Carroll and John Schneider to show him the money. The Hawks certainly won’t have to worry about breaking the bank for a Wilson or Wagner extension, so they should absolutely have room for a Metcalf extension. SEA has the tenth most cap space in the league. Per Bleacher Report, Carroll has stated that Metcalf’s contract extension is the priority.

Long term outlook

The Hawks may have growing pains in 2022, but they could certainly be a foe to reckon with after 1-2 seasons. Carroll isn’t abandoning ship and he will likely seek a gifted QB in the 2023 draft class. On defense, the Hawks still have the extremely talented Jamal Adams. There may have been a couple of band members that left SEA this off-season, but they still have a few superb pieces that will chase gold moving forward.

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By: Jake Rajala

The NFC West is more competitive than a fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi (outside of their last-ever fight). The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers may have new faces at the quarterback position, but they should still be unpleasant teams to face. With that said, I’m going to simply rank the NFC West teams and untwine how successful the NFC West teams should be in 2022.

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams improved in the back-end of last season and I expect them to continue to wreak dominance next season. I believe Allen Robinson is an upgrade over the more popular Odell Beckham Jr. The Rams will also have a healthy Cam Akers in their offense. The Rams team with the salary cap turned off also inked the future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner — as the Rams could realistically have a Top-5 defense and the best run defense next season. It would be an understatement to say LA is well-equipped to click play on a 2022 season that yields the most difficult schedule in the NFL.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals were underrated entering the 2021 season — excluding a projection from Cynthia Frelund and my personal take on AZ entering 2021.

With that said I believe they are underestimated without DeAndre Hopkins in 2022. They may struggle to beat quality teams without D-Hop (as he has a six-game suspension), but they should still have vengeance and return to the post-season with their talented HC-QB combo, Hollywood Brown, and a healthy J.J. Watt. The Cardinals have the second-most difficult schedule next season, but I like their chances of making the playoffs as a wild-card team.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers were the biggest underdog in 2021, as they clawed their way to an NFC Championship appearance. Their Albert Einstein-like head coach still has Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, George Kittle, and a hulk in LT Trent Williams. Although, I don’t like their outlook with a young quarterback and a brutal schedule. I believe they won’t return to the NFC playoffs — as I believe teams like the Saints, Vikings, and Eagles are more logical wild-card destined squads.

Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner fled the Rainy City this off-season. I honestly believe that the likely Geno Smith-led Seahawks could have a Top-5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It should also be noted that Jamal Adams is coming off his worst season and D.K. Metcalf is a potential trade candidate at the moment. Hence, It wouldn’t be a complete surprise if their WR was out of the building by the trade block and Adams was out of the west coast in potentially the 2023 season.

If the Seahawks get Baker Mayfield, they could be more likely to retain Metcalf. If Baker is in a Seahawks uniform and he is able to return to Pro Bowl-like form, they could move above the 49ers and be a darkhorse NFC team.

The post Ranking the NFC West teams right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Seattle Seahawks are rebuilding, but Pete Carroll will keep the energy high as much as possible. The Hawks desperately need a few household players to bounce back and help their Russell Wilson-less roster. With that said, I’m going to outline a few overrated profiles that need to bolt onto the scene in 2022.

Jamal Adams

The Seahawks talented safety Jamal Adams looked worse than Jairus Byrd in a Saints uniform last season. He had a 47.4 grade by PFF in coverage, which placed him as the fourth-worst safety. Furthermore, he was pedestrian as a blitzer, as he registered 0 sacks and only ousted 7 QB pressures (after recording 34 QB pressures in 2020). Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner were axed from the squad, while the 2019 All-Pro safety from the Jets was retained. It’s time for him to return to being a star on a team that has lost its way in recent memory.

Jason Myers

The Seahawks may have growing pains with their offense and defense next season. They definitely can’t deserve to have their kicker Jason Myers repeating his mediocre 2021 performance. He was 17/23 on field-goal attempts. Per Field Gulls, he also ranked 31st out of 34th in FG percentage. Myers, who actually had an unusually successful 2020 season (24/24 FGs), is lucky that he is given the keys once again, as he needs to significantly bounce back.

Uchenna Nwosu

The Seahawks may not reunite with Carlos Dunlap, so it’s pivotal that Uchenna Nwosu has a strong 2022 campaign. He hasn’t recorded more than 5 sacks in a season and he’s getting paid two years for $19.5 million. I believe he is being overpaid, so I hope he has a career season in 2022. With that said, I would still love to see the free agent Dunlap return to Seattle (8.5 sacks last season).

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The Seattle Seahawks have been very underlooked this offseason. The Seahawks boast arguably a Top 3 quarterback in the league, an elite wideout in D.K. Metcalf, and two players near the top of their position on the defensive side of the ball (Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams). 

Pete Carroll’s Seahawks are clearly coming off a successful 2020 season with 12 victories, they are holding together an elite QB and high-end roster, and vengeance is on the horizon. Yet, many reputable analysts and outlets are placing the Seahawks Super Bowl chances and team ranking behind other elite teams in the AFC and NFC. 

Odds Shark just placed the 12th man at number 12 in odds of winning the Super Bowl. In front of the Hawks were the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and multiple NFC West squads (LA Rams, SF 49ers). 

CBS Sports just put out an NFL Super Bowl odds that also places the Hawks at number 12. There were many questionable choices ahead of the Seahawks, including the Brees-less Saints in the NFC. 

I believe the outlook on Seattle’s Super Bowl chances is whacky and blatantly false. The Seahawks didn’t only win the division by two games in 2020, but only six other teams had 12+ wins last year. 

In the second half of the Seahawks season, the defense also turned the tide and evolved into an above average unit. Over the past ten weeks of the regular season, the Seahawks defense led the NFL in sacks. Carlos Dunlap, who was the pass rusher that helped turn things around, reached a two year contract to return to the Seahawks. Jamal Adams, who was an absolute star in his first year in Seattle last season, will be aiming to take the next step in year two of the system.

I also believe it’s fair to say that the reigning, still elite NFC West champions won’t drop easily to the likes of the LA Rams and SF 49ers. The 49ers will either run out the shaky Jimmy G or they will be holding a rookie QB against the fiery Seahawks pass rush in their early Week 4 matchup. It will be a huge task for the regressed Garopollo or the rookie Lance, who has been viewed as a product QB, to come out and light up the scoreboard against SEA and fellow NFC West defenses.

The 49ers are largely getting so much praise because a couple stars at TE and DE are returning healthy, combined with a hyped up rookie QB (despite being a surprise pick). The 49ers should take a step up from last season, but they still don’t have the same defense as the team that reached the SB in 2020. 

The Rams appear to be a very serious threat to the Seahawks in the NFC West and playoff seed race, but Matthew Stafford has had his own durability issues and poor turnover habits. He could pose a problem to the Seahawks secondary, but the Hawks have the pass rush to force Stafford into erratic mistakes. Outside of Stafford, there isn’t a huge makeover on the Rams roster. The Seahawks and Rams should be tight down the wire for NFC West gold in my opinion, but I don’t see a sizable difference between the Rams and Hawks. 

Seahawks should at least be a step ahead of the 49ers in their divisional pre-season rankings until Lance shows a spark or Jimmy G shows something not seen in training camp/or pre-season. If Lance proves to be a difference maker and capable of running the offense early, the 49ers should deserve the praise that a talented roster with a talented QB carry. 

I don’t foresee the likes of the Colts, Patriots, Saints, or Broncos ahead of the Seahawks in the overall pursuit of Lombardi. The Saints team has sputtered in the past few years, but now they will have to be elite in the long season without the HOF QB and their best defensive player Trey Hendrickson (left in FA) from a season ago.

It will be hard to envision an “above average” QB performance from Cam Newton or the rookie Mac Jones amid a Patriots team that lost its historic defensive unit from years ago. The Colts QB situation is the biggest gamble in the league, while the Broncos still don’t have a quality signal caller running out of the tunnel next season. 

The Seahawks deserve to be recognized as a Top 6 team. They hold an MVP QB in Russell Wilson on a hungry, proven roster. Not to mention that the Hawks possess the most lethal home field advantage: The 12th man.

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