Do Seattle Seahawks Have Brightest Immediate Future Among Teams With New Head Coach?

Sometimes franchises are in bad spots when they hire a new head coach. That's not the case with the Seattle Seahawks, however.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) is congratulated by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) after a sack in the third quarter during an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

The Seahawks will open with a new head coach in Mike Macdonald for the first time since the 2010 season, and typically, a new coach inherits a bad situation replacing someone who has been fired.

However, unlike most new head coaches, Macdonald and Seattle aren't starting from scratch after parting ways with Pete Carroll in the aftermath of a 9-8 season in 2023.

ESPN released power rankings of the next three years for each NFL team. They polled three experts from ESPN.com regarding the situation in four categories for each NFL franchise: quarterback, roster (aside from QB), front office, and coaching staff. They ranked them according to where they stand in the combination of those four areas.

The Seahawks graded out well for the most part, with a top 10 ranking for front office, 14th in the roster (aside from QB), 17th in quarterback situation, and 23rd in coaching. The low coach ranking mostly was due to inexperience. Overall, this led to a ranking of 16th for Seattle's three-year outlook.

It's worth noting, of the eight NFL teams who got new head coaches this past offseason, the Seahawks ranked the highest in this three-year outlook. The Chargers, Panthers, Raiders, Titans, Patriots, and Commanders also have new head men that weren't their full-time head coaches in 2023.

The Chargers were the closest to the Seahawks, at No. 17. Jim Harbaugh certainly brought more headlines than Mike Macdonald in Seattle as the new man with the headset in Los Angeles. He's fresh off building the Michigan Wolverines into a national champion. However, the experts responsible for this ranking felt that the Chargers were well behind the Seahawks in overall roster depth (25th). They lost high-impact players like Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Eric Kendricks. The Chargers had a worse record than the Seahawks last season as well at 5-12.

The Seahawks scored more points than the Chargers last year, ranking 17th in points per game, with the Chargers at 21st. Defensively they were nearly the same, as the Seahawks ranked 25th in scoring with L.A. at 24th.

Nov 12, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

It's easy to make an argument that Seattle's current situation edges out the Falcons, who checked in at 24th in these power rankings. The Titans (25th), Patriots (26th), Panthers (30th), and Raiders (32nd) all have plenty of work to do to rebuild floundering franchises.

Basically, it comes down to, which franchise would you take over the next three years, the Chargers or the Seahawks? Justin Herbert still has a bright future, at just 26 years old. Most experts would probably take him over Geno Smith to start a team. Even so, Smith is now a two-time Pro Bowler with command of the locker room in Seattle. Plus, Smith's supporting cast in Seattle is head-and-shoulders above what the Chargers have heading into the season. With DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both younger than 27 and under contract for at least the next two seasons, the present and future is bright. Don't forget about Sam Howell, who has an unmatched combination of experience, youth, and upside among backup quarterbacks.

Seattle's defensive back room is far superior to that of the Chargers. Los Angeles doesn't have an under-27, blue-chip, Swiss Army knife defender like Devon Witherspoon. Seattle also boasts perhaps the best defensive lineman of the past draft in Byron Murphy II.

Plus, let's not overlook the front offices. John Schneider is as savvy as they come, helping the Seahawks have several critical drafts over his decade and a half in Seattle. He is responsible for drafting several future Ring of Honor and even Pro Football Hall of Famers. Pit him against Joe Hortiz, who comes to the Chargers as a rookie GM. For now, that's a no-contest.

Overall, while the Chargers might grab more headlines with their new head coach and young quarterback, the Seahawks have the edge in overall roster construction and the front office that put it together. Over the last two seasons, the Seahawks have 18 wins to the Chargers' 15.

This isn't to say the Chargers won't build into something elite in the future around Harbaugh and Herbert, or that the Seahawks will immediately make the playoffs under Macdonald. By simply observing the situations both Macdonald and Harbaugh came into, the edge might go to Seattle for now.

Mike Macdonald enters the best situation possible among the teams with a new head coach. Now, the most important part is to translate that into tangible results on the football field.