Five Seattle Seahawks Who Could Be First-Time Pro Bowlers in 2024

With ample young talent and experienced veterans on Seattle's roster, there are a handful of players who could make their first-ever Pro Bowl this season.

Dec 18, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Even with the diminishing value of a Pro Bowl nod in the NFL, it still represents and acknowledges — in most cases — a player who had a standout season and was among the league's best at their position.

The Seattle Seahawks have a few players who, with a stellar season, could make their first appearance at the season’s penultimate weekend of competition. Seattle’s roster is teeming with young talent and established veterans, a few of whom are yet to make the Pro Bowl in their careers. Rookies are not included on this list.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, second season

2023 stats: 17 games played; 63 receptions, 628 yards, 4 touchdowns

Today’s NFL is loaded with wide receiver talent, which certainly makes it one of the more difficult positions to make the Pro Bowl in. Additionally, it probably wouldn’t be enough to have just over 1,000 receiving yards and less than 10 touchdowns. But if Smith-Njigba becomes a truly elite pass-catcher in his second season, which is within the realm of possibility, he could find himself on the NFC roster.

Seattle’s new offensive scheme led by offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb should highlight what Smith-Njigba does well in the slot, and his target share should increase. Lack of volume is the only variable that could hold the second-year pro back, but there’s reason for optimism in that department.

EDGE Uchenna Nwosu, seventh season

2023 stats: 6 games played; 16 combined tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

With the impact Nwosu has had when healthy for Seattle, it’s almost a bit surprising he has yet to make a Pro Bowl in his seven-year career. Durability and playing time have been Nwosu’s greatest hindrance, as he has started every game in a season just once in his career (2022). Not-so-coincidentally, that was also his best campaign, when he finished with 66 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Nwosu missed Seattle’s latter 11 games in 2023 due to a torn pectoral muscle.

If he can stay healthy this season, Nwosu could be primed to excel in Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme opposite of Boye Mafe and Seattle’s other rotational pass rushers. The improved interior of the defensive line should also help free him up — a luxury that has not been present for Nwosu in his two seasons with the Seahawks.

EDGE Boye Mafe, third season

2023 stats: 16 games played; 52 combined tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 9 sacks

Like Nwosu, Mafe has been on the rise and is entering a system that frees up pass rushers via stunts and defensive line interchangeability. Although he didn’t see much fall-off in production after Nwosu went down with an injury last season, Mafe would benefit from his pass-rushing partner being healthy all season, and vice versa. The increased depth at the position — Derick Hall is in his second year and Dre’Mont Jones will potentially slide outside more often — could also help Seattle’s rushers stay fresh, thus increasing their down-to-down effectiveness.

Mafe’s athleticism is his biggest strength, and he is still becoming more sound fundamentally and in stopping the run. If he can burst to double-digit sacks this season while becoming a reliable edge-setter, he will be in the Pro Bowl conversation.

LT Charles Cross, third season

2023 stats: 14 games played; 6 sacks allowed, 42 pressures allowed (Pro Football Focus)

September 18, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Charles Cross (67) during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Cross looked like a future Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2022, at least, and possibly an imminent All-Pro at left tackle for the Seahawks. He took a step back last season, missing three games due to a toe injury and allowing almost as many sacks and pressures as he did in 2022 in just 14 games. That said, his potential is still there, and it’s possible the injury was still nagging him throughout the season while not being enough to keep him on the sideline.

A full, healthy season for Cross should see him return to form and potentially take a significant step forward in protecting Geno Smith’s blind side. As a former No. 9 overall pick, a Pro Bowl nod would be a fitting trajectory for Cross in year three. Seattle also drafted three offensive linemen and added free agents George Fant and Laken Tomlinson, which should help the unit as a whole depth-wise. If the unit as a whole is improved, Cross should also look better in all phases.

RB Kenneth Walker III, third season

2023 stats: 15 games played; 219 carries, 905 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns; 29 receptions, 259 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

See the trend here? Seattle has multiple third-year players who should be ascending the NFL ranks at their position, and Walker might be the one fans want to see the most out of. He surpassed 1,000 yards rushing as a rookie, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, before that number fell to 4.1 last season. While that may not seem like much, his 2022 average coupled with his workload would have had Walker at 1,007 rushing yards last season.

The offensive line’s struggles were a big reason for the regression, but Walker’s tendency to bounce runs outside in search of a home run scamper often led to him getting tangled up in the backfield or barely getting back to the line of scrimmage.

If Grubb can get Walker to improve his vision and effectiveness between the tackles, he will become a much more consistent three-down back. Training camp will be telling about how Grubb decides to deploy Walker — who has more upside in the passing game — and backfield mate Zach Charbonnet, who could better fit the scheme on the ground. It’s possible that a more even split between the two backs prevents either from entering Pro Bowl discussions, despite producing a quality run game for the Seahawks.

Also considered: RB Zach Charbonnet, EDGE/DL Dre’Mont Jones, DL Jarran Reed, TE Noah Fant, RT Abraham Lucas, LB Jerome Baker