Seahawks, Pete Carroll Building Contender With Familiar Playbook

While adjustments have inevitably been made compared to earlier in his tenure, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has hit the hammer on the nail so far building an emerging contender on the backbone of one of the NFL's youngest rosters.

RENTON, Wash. - In professional sports, including the NFL, stockpiling young players often coincides with a franchise rebuilding and going through lumps rather than finding immediate success in the win/loss column.

But for the Seattle Seahawks, under the direction of coach Pete Carroll and his "Always Compete" philosophy, receiving early contributions from young players has been a crucial ingredient to sustained excellence vying for playoff spots and championships for more than a decade. It's a formula that has consistently worked for the organization, including in 2013 when a youthful roster with an average age of 26.4 years old led the franchise to their first and only Super Bowl title.

Built on a foundation established in their previous three drafts, the Seahawks rapidly evolved from an NFC West afterthought to a title favorite behind rising young stars such as Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. They would wind up making back-to-back Super Bowls with that core and five consecutive playoff appearances.

In the midst of executing a familiar blueprint from Seattle's team building playbook, after recently claiming rookies Kyu Blu Kelly and Drake Thomas off waivers, Carroll's current squad includes 22 rookies and second-year players heading into the 2023 season, accounting for a remarkable 41.5 percent of the roster. A teacher first and foremost with an extensive history of success at the college level in his past, the spry 71-year old coach seems to prefer it that way, relishing the chance to instruct and develop players.

“It is maybe part of the reason I’ve been so jacked about this because I’m constantly teaching. I’m bringing the mentality and the approach and how we do things," Carroll told reporters last week. "To get it and settle in, I’ve been working hard at it which is fun for me to do that. It’s fun for me the way we look at things and how we approach stuff. I’ve felt the eagerness of the guys that they’re learning and they’re growing and so, with all of that I’ve liked it."

Two offseasons ago, looking to replicate that quick turnaround from early in Carroll's reign when the team seemed to make a transaction every minute, Seattle set the stage for a full-blown youth movement by trading star quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver for a boatload of draft picks. Turning those picks into gold, the team invested a pair of 2022 NFL Draft selections acquired as part of the blockbuster trade in tackle Charles Cross and edge rusher Boye Mafe, who emerged as two key pieces of an outstanding draft class.

Helping fuel an unexpected playoff run last season, the Seahawks received incredible production from their latest draft haul. Cross and Abraham Lucas, a third-round pick, started 16 regular season games together at the tackle spots, running back Ken Walker III became the second rookie back in franchise history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards, and fifth-round cornerback Riq Woolen tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions while receiving a Pro Bowl nod and finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting.

In addition, Mafe recorded a trio of sacks, fourth-round pick Coby Bryant started 16 games at slot cornerback and tied for the team lead forcing four fumbles, and seventh-round pick Dareke Young made a notable impact on special teams after making the successful jump from Division II competition to the NFL.

In his element as a teacher, Pete Carroll seems to be having the time of his life with the youthful Seahawks, who have high expectations despite being one of the NFL's youngest teams

With that heralded group now set to begin their sophomore seasons as the backbone of an emerging contender and nine of the 10 players from that draft class remaining on the roster, the Seahawks didn't rest on their laurels, continuing to reap the rewards of the Wilson trade in April's draft.

While a hamstring injury has sidelined fifth overall pick Devon Witherspoon since August 7, the franchise has lofty expectations for the former All-American cornerback opposite of Woolen. Fellow first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba did nothing to slow down the hype train in his first training camp until fracturing his left wrist, but he has a shot to be ready for the season opener and Seattle can't wait to unleash him alongside established stars DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

As for the rest of the 2023 draft crop, running back Zach Charbonnet should receive extensive snaps behind Walker in the backfield, edge rusher Derick Hall will factor into a deep, talented rotation right out of the gate, and assuming a clean bill of health, day three selections Cameron Young and Mike Morris will log significant snaps on a new-look defensive line.

Additionally, safety Jerrick Reed II should be a core special teams player on day one and the pair of Olu Oluwatimi and Anthony Bradford could be long-term starters at center and right guard in waiting. Snagging two players in Kelly and Thomas who the organization monitored closely in the pre-draft process off waivers and it's easy to see why Carroll is so ecstatic about the state of the roster in the present and the future of the franchise.

“There is a newness about us. You can feel it and it’s been maybe part of the excitement all along," Carroll said. "The guys are really jacked about being apart of the program and being here. It makes me think of leadership that the other guys have been around and how they’ve given those guys a chance by having really good direction and security that we can play with younger guys. We had pretty good success when we we’re a young team, so I’m okay with all that.”

As Carroll astutely pointed out, veteran leadership has been critical to Seattle's ability to thrive with a bevy of young players thrown into the fire early. When Wilson, Wagner, and company first came into the league, players such as receiver Sidney Rice, defensive end Red Bryant, and edge rusher Chris Clemons helped lead the way, serving as invaluable mentors to illustrate how the team operated.

A decade later, that tradition has been passed on to another strong core of veterans ready to take youngsters under their wings while also keeping them accountable. Wagner, who returned to the Seahawks as a free agent in March after one season with the Rams, immediately stepped back into the proverbial leadership driver seat, while safety Quandre Diggs and defensive tackle Jarran Reed also carry a lot of responsibility in their respective positional groups.

Having coached Wagner for most of his career, while the linebacker still isn't the most vocal leader and that isn't his style, Carroll has seen a slight change in the future Hall of Famer in his second stint with the team, seeing him become more comfortable embracing the opportunity to mentor as Bryant, Clemons, and others did for him when he first entered the NFL.

"He is still a big part of everything," Carroll said of Wagner's presence. "He doesn’t have to say a whole lot. What he does and how he acts and how he responds, these guys are watching, and rightfully so. I do think he's enjoying it I would guess a little bit differently than he has in the past. Bobby is not the guy that wants everybody to listen to what he says. He's not trying to be the pitch guy, he’s not like that. Naturally, he assumed the leadership because that's the guy he is and in the program. Now he seems a little bit more comfortable for how he approaches things. I think he’s really happy and he's having a blast. There's been no issue at all with it.”

In the scheme of things, it may not seem fair to compare Seattle's current group to its predecessors that took the league by storm 10 years ago. While both teams had an average age of 26 years old and ranked among the youngest squads in the NFL, the construction of the rosters has as many stark differences as parallels, starting with the obvious fact the team has an established veteran quarterback in Geno Smith rather than an unproven third-round pick under center in Wilson.

But there's no denying that in many ways, the Seahawks are in a similar spot to the 2013 team. They're coming off an unexpected playoff appearance with a young nucleus in place and veteran star power on both sides of the football. They also have a handful of intriguing free agents coming into the fold, starting with athletic interior pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones and versatile secondary Swiss army knife Julian Love, who could be game changers like Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril were a decade ago.

Having been through this rodeo before a time or two, Carroll believes the onus will fall on Wagner, Reed, and others in leadership positions to help get their young teammates up to speed quickly. From what he has seen over the past few months, they have handled that responsibility with fervor and diligence, everything looks to be right on schedule for a special season on tap in the Pacific Northwest.

"It definitely calls on the guys who are in leadership positions," Carroll said. "They can tell they need to speak up. ... All of that has just been a good rich process getting here and can’t wait to see how we crank it up once we get playing.”