Veterans Making Seahawks' Blockbuster Russell Wilson Trade More Lopsided

Based on the play of rookies Charles Cross and Boye Mafe, the Seattle Seahawks already look like big winners in the Russell Wilson trade. But as an added bonus, Shelby Harris and Noah Fant have been difference-making starters, making the deal an even greater heist.

With only nine weeks of the 2022 season in the books and a lot of football left to play, it's far too early to name a winner from the Russell Wilson blockbuster trade conducted between the Seahawks and Broncos. But halfway through the 2022 season, the deal couldn't possibly look more one-sided in favor of the franchise that jettisoned their nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

As many projected, Seattle and Denver find themselves trending in opposite directions with eight weeks left to play. But the fate of the two organizations has taken an unexpected, surprising turn nobody saw coming when the deal went down in March with the Seahawks winning four straight games behind stellar play from Geno Smith to vault to the top of the NFC West, while the Broncos have been one of the NFL's worst offensive teams with Wilson under center amid a shocking 3-5 start.

At the center of Seattle's stunning out-of-nowhere start, Smith already has notched a career-high with 15 passing touchdowns and leads the league completing north of 73 percent of his pass attempts. But the veteran signal caller has received ample support from several players acquired as part of the Wilson trade, including No. 9 overall pick Charles Cross protecting his blind side and tight end Noah Fant emerging as a viable third target behind star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Starting all nine games so far at left tackle, Cross has gone through anticipated rookie growing pains, allowing 25 pressures and four sacks thus far. But the athletic blocker has already brought much-needed stability to Seattle's front line and has handled several quality pass rushers along the way, including allowing only one pressure in Week 2 when squaring off against superstar Nick Bosa. He also has been better than advertised as a run blocker, receiving at least a 65.0 grade from Pro Football Focus in three different games.

Thriving along with third-round pick Abraham Lucas, who has started every game at right tackle for the Seahawks, the franchise appears to be set at two crucial positions along the offensive line for the next decade.

Meanwhile, after a sluggish start with no games recording more than 27 receiving yards in the first four weeks, Fant has recently come to life and started showcasing his game-breaking abilities as a field-stretching tight end. Headlined by a breakout performance with 96 yards and 71 yards after the catch on five receptions against the Cardinals in Sunday's 31-21 win, he's caught 17 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown in Seattle's past five games, moving to third on the team in receptions and receiving yards.

On top of his pass-catching accolades and improving chemistry with Smith, Fant has been far more impressive as a blocker than coach Pete Carroll and his staff ever could have envisioned. Viewed as a big-bodied receiver coming out of Iowa in 2019, he's evolved into a much more well-rounded tight end after putting in extensive work to improve as an inline blocker, forming arguably the best tight end trifecta in the NFL with Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson.

Based on the contributions of Cross and Fant alone, the Seahawks already would have had great returns from the Wilson trade. But they have also continued to reap the rewards on the defensive side of the football thanks to veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris and second-round pick Boye Mafe, who each were acquired as part of the deal eight months ago.

One of the most underrated interior defenders in the league for a half decade, Harris never received the fanfare he deserved playing for poor Broncos squads that failed to make the postseason each of the past five years. Despite producing 21.5 sacks and 25 pass deflections from 2017 to 2021, he never made a single Pro Bowl and wasn't a known commodity outside of the Mile High City.

But in his first season in the Pacific Northwest, Harris has quickly become a popular veteran locker room presence for a young Seahawks squad while making a splash on the field. After a strong performance in Arizona in which he registered four pressures and a sack, Harris currently ranks third on the team with 19 pressures and a 13.2 percent pass rush win rate per Pro Football Focus. He's also been stout against the run, recording 19 tackles and four tackles for loss.

As for Mafe, the former Minnesota star replaced a struggling Darrell Taylor in the starting lineup in Week 5 and immediately bolstered their run defense. While he has yet to find consistency as a pass rusher, he still has produced a pair of sacks while racking up 22 tackles with only one missed tackle on the season, earning a steady 65.7 run defense grade from PFF.

Reflecting on the Wilson trade from a big picture perspective, the Seahawks have received excellent play from four starters in Cross, Fant, Harris, and Mafe, with two of them being high draft choices acquired courtesy of the Broncos. Sweeting the pot, general manager John Schneider will have another first and second round pick at his disposal to finalize the trade next April, giving the franchise a prime chance to add more premium talent to the roster.

Meanwhile, Wilson has battled injuries and gotten off to the worst start of his 11-year NFL career completing only 58.8 percent of his passes with just six touchdown passes in seven games. So far, the Broncos haven't received anything close to the play they thought they would after investing four high draft picks and three veterans to acquire him in the offseason.

Of course, Wilson could right the ship in the second half of the season and Denver still has time to crawl back into the wild card race in the AFC. Seattle could hit a wall with so many rookies playing meaningful snaps and Smith's play could regress after seven seasons serving as a backup. There's two-plus months left on the calendar for narratives to shift.

At this stage, however, Schneider and Carroll can keep sipping back on their champagne. So far, the Seahawks haven't just won the Wilson trade. Parting ways with their long-time quarterback now belongs amongst the greatest heists in NFL history and if they hit on their first and/or second-round pick next spring, the deal may stand on a pedestal of its own.

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