Why Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll Is Impressed With Washington Commanders

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll likes the skill position talent on the Washington Commanders.

The Washington Commanders may have traded edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young in advance of the trade deadline, but their offensive skill position talent still impresses opposing coaches. 

Prior to Washington's Week 10 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, coach Pete Carroll was very complimentary of the skill position talent that the Commanders possess. 

"Terry McLaurin is terrific," Carroll said. "Logan [Thomas] is a premier-looking tight end. He’s gone to those guys, and they have a lot of speed with the other guys that they go to. Both running backs that they feature, [Brian] Robinson [Jr.] and [Antonio] Gibson, are both really well equipped. They run hard, they run thick, so they’ve got a good complement to what they’re doing there. 

"They are really going for it in the throwing game. They’ve thrown the ball a hundred times more than we have already. They’re really trying.”

Receiver Terry McLaurin and tight end Logan Thomas are part of the skill position talent of the Washington Commanders.  :: Geoff Burke/USA Today

While Carroll is correct in pointing out how impressive McLaurin and the running back tandem are, he's perhaps being over complimentary in assessing the talent that Washington has. Thomas is a solid player -- he has 33 catches for 311 yards -- but calling him "premier" would be a stretch. Second-year receiver Jahan Dotson has shown signs of life recently, but 34 catches for 360 yards is disappointing production for a former first-round pick. 

Additionally, even if you factor in the skill position talent that the Commanders possess, their ability to be productive has been limited by perhaps the worst offensive line in the sport. Second-year quarterback Sam Howell has shown flashes of his upside, but has been sacked a league-leading 44 times. Even if Washington had the skill position talent of the Philadelphia Eagles or Miami Dolphins, there would be a ceiling on their potential with such a porous offensive line. 

To that end, despite the skill position talent that Carroll spoke about, the Commanders are six-point road underdogs against the Seahawks in Week 10.