Seahawks Post-Offseason Stock Watch: Geno Smith, Undrafted WR Among Big Winners

With the offseason now in the rearview mirror, Geno Smith has millions of reasons to smile due to an enhanced supporting cast and a new contract, while a few returning veterans likely aren't as pleased with their standing heading into a new season.

Wrapping up a successful offseason program with the conclusion of their three-day passing camp, the Seattle Seahawks have officially entered summer break with a six-week hiatus before the new season begins in late July.

Accounting for free agency/draft moves, contract extensions, cap casualties, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp, which Seahawks stand out as the biggest offseason winners and which ones haven't been as fortunate?

Here's a look at six players whose stock has been impacted to varying degrees over the past four months leading up to the 2023 campaign:

Stock Up

Geno Smith

Out of all the returning starting quarterbacks in the NFL, no player may have received better upgrades to their supporting cast than Smith, who signed a three-year extension in March as a reward for winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2022. Already with a potent skill player group at his disposal headlined by star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks used first and second-round picks on receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back Zach Charbonnet, adding even more firepower in the passing game and out of the backfield.

Smith should also have an improved offensive line in front of him with Seattle signing versatile center/guard Evan Brown in free agency and using a pair of mid-round picks on guard Anthony Bradford and center Olu Oluwatimi. Those three players will join a young, high-upside core centered around second-year tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who should be poised to make a huge leap in their sophomore seasons after starting 17 games together as rookies.

With a good chunk of Smith's new contract comprised of performance-based escalators, the Seahawks have assembled a talented nucleus largely consisting of young players under 26 years of age to help Smith cash in on those incentives. If he's able to equal or exceed his production from a year ago, the team could have a deep playoff run in them come January with a top-five offensive attack leading the way.

Jake Bobo

After investing the 20th overall pick in Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL and with the playmaking rookie joining Metcalf, Lockett, Dee Eskridge, and Dareke Young, it will be a major challenge for an undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster this year. But despite lacking the athletic traits of his peers, Bobo couldn't have possibly made a better first impression during the team's offseason program, drawing praise from coach Pete Carroll and veteran teammates.

Mitigating his speed and quickness deficiencies, Bobo put his route running savvy and football acumen on display during the spring, consistently getting open and snagging catches during team drills. As part of a receiver group that doesn't have much size away from Metcalf, his 6-4, 207-pound frame presents a different type of target working out of the slot than Smith-Njibga, Eskridge, or Cade Johnson and he excelled at UCLA snagging contested catches past the marker, converting nearly 80 percent of his 57 receptions for first downs last season.

It's still far too early to write Bobo's name down on the roster in pen, as his stellar performance during the spring will have to translate to training camp and the preseason for him to have a chance at beating out Johnson, fellow undrafted rookie Matt Landers, and veteran Cody Thompson for a sixth spot on the depth chart. Contributing in some capacity on special teams would also aid his cause, but he's off to a strong start and put his name on the map heading towards camp.

Myles Adams

When comparing Seattle's depth chart at defensive tackle from a year ago to now, very few players remain, as veterans Al Woods, Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, and Poona Ford departed this spring. As replacements, the team invested big bucks in Dre'Mont Jones and Jarran Reed in free agency and eventually added versatile veteran Mario Edwards to the mix after selecting Cameron Young and Mike Morris on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft.

As one of the few holdovers still on the team, Adams should have a prime opportunity to earn an uptick in playing time. While he left more tackles on the field than he would have liked, the ex-Rice standout amassed 17 combined tackles, five pressures, and a pass deflection on just 208 defensive snaps last season, capitalizing on his most extensive action yet. He also exhibited better positional flexibility than advertised, holding up well when asked to slide down to nose tackle with Woods and Bryan Mone banged up in the second half despite being undersized for the position.

With Mone still recovering from a torn ACL and potentially out for a portion of the 2023 season, as evidenced by how Seattle rotated him into the lineup during OTAs and minicamp, Adams could see snaps behind Young at nose tackle while also rotating in behind Jones and Reed as a 3-tech defensive tackle. After making substantial improvements over the past two seasons, he stands to be one of the biggest benefactors of the full-scale overhaul in the trenches on defense.

Stock Down

DeeJay Dallas

Entering the final year of his contract, Dallas should remain a core special teams player and will be in the mix to win the third down back job once again when training camp opens in July. His roster spot isn't in jeopardy. However, he will be doing so against stiffened competition with the arrival of Charbonnet and seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh, who each bring excellent receiving chops and pass blocking skills to the equation coming out of the college ranks along with their own unique running styles.

When he has had opportunities to play on offense, Dallas has demonstrated good contact balance and power as a ball carrier, as he has averaged a solid 2.83 yards per carry after contact in three NFL seasons and produced 10 forced missed tackles on just 41 carries last season. His previous background as a receiver has also shown up in flashes, including a 41-yard catch and run on a shovel pass from Smith during a win over the Jets late last season, and his presence on special teams has been invaluable for the Seahawks.

But compared to Charbonnet, Dallas isn't as explosive of an athlete with the ball in his hands, as only 8.3 percent of his NFL carries have resulted in 10 yards or more on the ground and 16.8 percent of his rushing yards came on breakaway runs of 15 or more yards. During his final two seasons at UCLA alone, per Pro Football Focus, 18.8 percent of Charbonnet's carries went for at least 10 yards and more than 40 percent of his total rushing yards came on breakaway runs of 15 or more yards, illustrating his big play capabilities.

As for third down duties, McIntosh will also be a worthy foe for Dallas after finishing second in the nation last season in receiving yards (509) and seventh in receptions (42) by a running back. His ability to slide outside and run routes from the slot will further bolster his chances and the winner of the position battle will likely boil down to which player performs better in pass protection, putting pressure on the returning veteran to step up his game.

Alton Robinson

Only three seasons ago, Robinson enjoyed a strong rookie season despite receiving limited playing time, finishing with four sacks and 18 pressures in a rotational role. But since then, injuries have held the former fifth-round pick back, as he only registered one sack in 2021 while dealing with a nagging knee injury and then missed all of last season with another knee injury.

Fast forwarding to the present, while few details have been revealed about the extent of Robinson's injury, coach Pete Carroll indicated during minicamp that it would be a while before he was able to return to action and he didn't participate at all in Seattle's offseason program.

That's a major problem for Robinson, as the Seahawks have invested second-round picks on Boye Mafe and Derick Hall over the past two drafts to go with Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor. With that quartet of players vying for snaps and Tyreke Smith, a 2022 fifth-round pick who missed last season due to injury, healthy and ready to compete, suddenly the position has become a crowded one.

If he can get back onto the field at some point in training camp, Robinson has displayed enough pass rushing ability and reliability setting the edge against the run to still play his way back onto the right side of the roster bubble. But his standing in Seattle sits on shaky ground at the moment and he may become expendable with the addition of Hall and return of Smith leaving him as an odd-man out.

Isaiah Dunn

Claimed off waivers from the Jets last September, the Seahawks were pleased to land Dunn with veterans Sidney Jones, Artie Burns, and Tre Brown working back from injuries as extra insurance at outside cornerback. While he only saw one snap on defense, he did pitch in with three tackles on special teams in five games before a hamstring injury ultimately ended his season.

Under better circumstances, the 24-year old Dunn may have been in the hunt for a backup role behind Tariq Woolen and Mike Jackson. But after showing promise in 12 games with one start as a rookie with New York two years ago, the selection of Devon Witherspoon in the first round in April coupled with Brown's return to health leaves him without a viable path to a roster spot in Seattle.

Of course, the Seahawks could keep six cornerbacks if Dunn emerges as one of the team's best special teams talents. Injuries could also shake things up as they did a year ago, opening the door for him to sneak onto the roster. But as the depth chart stands with Witherspoon, Woolen, Jackson, Brown, and Coby Bryant all squarely in front of him and other worthy challengers competing for snaps, he may be hard-pressed to maintain his spot in one of the league's most talented secondaries.

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