Prediction Seattle Seahawks Award Winners: Who Will Star in 2024?

Led by several returning stars and adding fun newcomers to the mix, which Seahawks have the best chance to splash in 2024?

Featuring plenty of star power on offense and defense, the Seattle Seahawks will be led by veteran quarterback Geno Smith and a pair of budding stars in cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. /

With training camps wrapped up and the preseason now in the rear view mirror, the Seattle Seahawks will finally open a new era under first-year coach Mike Macdonald when they host the Denver Broncos in the regular season opener on September 8.

Set to face a gauntlet schedule including six games against the NFC West as well as out of division contests against all four teams from the NFC North and AFC East, it won't be easy sledding for the Seahawks to get back to the postseason. At the same time, Macdonald inherited a roster that finished with nine wins a year ago and added talent to that group during the offseason, creating plenty of optimism about the direction of the franchise.

Which Seahawks are poised to pop in 2024? Without further ado, here are my preseason picks for Most Valuable Player, Top Rookie, and other notable awards leading up to Sunday's opener:

Typically an award reserved for quarterbacks, this easily could go to Smith if he explodes in Ryan Grubb's offense. However, Witherspoon has a chance to be a generational player in Mike Macdonald's scheme thanks to his elite all-around skill set, possessing the traits and football IQ to become a rare defensive player worthy of such an award. Whether blitzing quarterbacks from the slot, blowing up ball carriers on run plays, or playing aggressive press coverage on the boundary, he's going to be a featured weapon in the Seahawks defense with the coaching staff aiming to put him in position to maximize his disruptiveness and playmaking talents. After putting up a historic stat line as a rookie, he's barely scratched the surface of his potential, which could be bad news for the rest of the NFL now that he's been paired with a defensive mastermind.

Honorable Mention: Geno Smith, DK Metcalf

Offensive Player of the Year: Geno Smith

Slinging the pigskin with confidence since day one in Grubb's offense, Smith enjoyed a strong training camp and excelled in a brief preseason audition, leading a five-play touchdown drive capped off with a 21-yard scoring toss to Metcalf. If the past several months serve as any indicator, the veteran pocket passer looks to be the ideal fit for the new scheme with his elite accuracy, top-tier arm talent as a deep ball passer, and vastly improved pocket presence. Considering his wealth of riches at the skill positions from Metcalf to Tyler Lockett to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to Noah Fant, as long as the offensive line plays marginally better than a year ago and keeps him upright, he has a great opportunity to exceed his breakout 2022 numbers, which would put him in the discussion among the top 10 quarterbacks in the league.

Honorable Mention: DK Metcalf, Ken Walker III

Rookie of the Year: Byron Murphy II

The Seahawks have other intriguing rookies who could contribute more than expected, but with third-round pick Christian Haynes likely to open the season in a reserve role behind Anthony Bradford, Murphy should easily be the most impactful first-year standout. Though he isn't listed as a starter on Seattle's unofficial depth chart, he should see substantial snaps both as a defensive end and nose tackle out of the gate, playing starter-worthy snaps in a reserve role. Boasting rare burst for a 300-pound defender to penetrate gaps and raw power to bully opponents as a bull rusher, he has all of the tools coupled with the right mindset to splash right away, instantly giving his new team extra juice both as an interior pass rusher and stout presence setting the line of scrimmage against the run.

Honorable Mention: Tyrice Knight, Dee Williams

Most Improved Player: Derick Hall

Several returning second-year players could vie for this award, including Smith-Njigba, who has taken his game to a whole other level this offseason and could potentially lead the Seahawks in receptions this year. With that said, the former Ohio State standout had a strong finish to his rookie year and the same couldn't be said for Hall, who failed to register a single sack despite playing in all 17 games. The ex-Auburn star has looked like a completely different player this summer, dominating throughout training camp and producing nine pressures and a sack during the preseason. With Uchenna Nwosu possibly missing a few games to open the season, he's going to receive extensive snaps and if his play on the practice field translates to the regular season, he could make a jump similar to the one teammate Boye Mafe had last year hunting down quarterbacks.

Honorable Mention: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Anthony Bradford

Comeback Player: Riq Woolen

In terms of qualifications, Comeback Player of the Year can be a bit murky, usually going to players coming back from significant injuries such as Nwosu or tackle Abraham Lucas. Woolen played in all but one regular season game, but he did so while nursing a significant shoulder injury that hampered his performance as he only produced two interceptions and struggled mightily with missed tackles. Fully recovered, the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist has rounded back into form and then some this summer, winning his fair share of battles against Metcalf on the practice field and dominating Calvin Ridley during joint practices against the Titans. Another player who should benefit immensely from Macdonald's arrival, rebounding to his rookie numbers or playing even better would certainly qualify as an impressive comeback story.

Honorable Mention: Uchenna Nwosu, Drake Thomas

Lineman of the Year: Connor Williams

Being a former top-10 pick carrying lofty expectations heading into his third season, Cross would be a natural pick for this award, especially after demonstrating marked improvement on the practice field this spring. However, no player may carry more weight in dictating Seattle's ceiling than Williams, who has performed like a top-five caliber center when healthy the past two seasons and immediately arrives as the best pivot man the franchise has had since Max Unger. A top-tier athlete who excels in zone blocking schemes and climbing to the second level, his run blocking ability coupled with stellar pass protection ability and excellent communication skills should have a positive effect on the rest of the offensive line, bringing out the best in everyone around him. This addition has a shot to add a win or two to the Seahawks win total if he recaptures his pre-ACL tear play.

Honorable Mention: Charles Cross, Leonard Williams

Specialist of the Year: Jason Myers

As has been well documented to this point, Myers has insane career splits between even and odd numbered seasons. In five odd-numbered years, he has only converted on 81 percent of his field goal attempts, including connecting on just 73 percent in 2021 for the Seahawks. However, he has been far more reliable in even-numbered years, splitting the uprights on nearly 91 percent of his 131 attempts in four such seasons. Thankfully for Seattle, it's the year 2024, so fans should expect the very best from the veteran place kicker, who ended the preseason with a booming 58-yard field goal as yet another sign he's ready for a big season.

Honorable Mention: Michael Dickson, Dee Williams

Check out the latest Locked On Seahawks episode for a deeper dive into preseason award predictions here.