Seattle Seahawks Earn Solid Grade for Offseason From ESPN Analytics Analyst

In an offseason highlighted by change, Seth Walder of ESPN liked what the Seattle Seahawks did, especially their head coach.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has ushered in a new era making several notable moves, including drafting Byron Murphy II and trading for Sam Howell. /

The 2024 offseason was a pivotal one for the Seattle Seahawks. They made the difficult decision to move on from long-time head coach Pete Carroll and replace him with former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

The move to bring in Macdonald was widely praised across the league. He made a bet on himself by initially leaving the Ravens to be Jim Harbaugh's defensive coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines. He got rehired quickly by John Harbaugh and ran a very successful defense for the Ravens over the last two years, turning a historic defense he coached last year into his first head coaching gig.

With the front office staying the same but the coaching staff seeing a major shift in Seattle, the offseason for the Seahawks was a fascinating one to watch. ESPN's Seth Walder broke down each team's offseason into three parts: biggest move, move he liked and move he disliked. Overall, he gave the Seahawks a B, which is a very fair grade.

Biggest move: Hiring Macdonald as head coach

The most significant change for Seattle was at head coach, as the team moved on from Pete Carroll and hired Macdonald in his stead. Predicting coaching performance is tricky business I usually avoid, but if I'm picking a new head coach, one attribute I absolutely want is someone who has shown they can generate schematic success. Macdonald fits that bill.

- Seth Walder

The element of scheme is an important one, as Macdonald runs a very diverse scheme with a 3-4 base. It is different from how Carroll ran his defenses, as the scheme is more about attacking offenses with blitzes and unique pressure packages. With the personnel the Seahawks have on the back end, it should make things easier in a year of transition for the Seahawks.

Move Walder liked: Sticking with Geno Smith at QB

The Seahawks are sticking with Smith at quarterback, which was the correct choice. Even though he's not a long-term solution, Smith is better than any realistic veteran alternative for the Seahawks, and there were no worthy QBs available by the time Seattle picked in first round of the draft. Smith also has a bargain contract, costing just $22.5 million in cash in 2024. He was 14th in QBR last season.

- Seth Walder

This is a huge one, especially since Smith is currently on a contract making just $25 million on average. Trevor Lawrence just got an extension at the top of the market worth $55 million per year in new money and Smith's numbers are eerily similar to Lawrence's. Keeping Smith while he still has two years left on his contract is a great bargain for the Seahawks.

Move Walder disliked: Re-signing Leonard Williams to large contract

Seattle is right up against the salary cap in 2024 and is projected to be $13 million over the cap in 2025, which was good reason to not sign Williams to the deal it did. Williams is a good player (his win rates were near positional averages last season) being paid like a great one. This move is even less necessary in retrospect after the team used its first-round pick on defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.

- Seth Walder

This is one that can be debated. The top of the market is Chris Jones at more than $31 million per year. We have seen numerous extensions this offseason at $24 million or higher on four or five year contracts, whereas Williams is only on a three-year deal.

The one area that can be pushed back on with Walder's analysis is with the win rates. They don't tell you everything about defensive line play, as they are often asked to either occupy a gap or blockers to allow other defenders to make a play by shooting gaps.

When looking at PFF grades, Williams thrived with the Seahawks, posting an overall grade of 78.4 from Week 9 on, including 32 pressures and a pass rush grade of 70.3. The idea that the selection of Murphy made bringing back Williams less important doesn't make a lot of sense. Defensive line play in itself is so important and having versatility on the front is huge in Macdonald's scheme. By retaining Williams and adding Murphy, they will be able to do a lot of different things to attack opposing offenses up front.

Overall, the Seahawks might have gotten a solid B from Walder, but depending on how Macdonald handles his first coaching job and new additions such as Murphy play out of the gate, the offseason has a chance to be a smashing success for the organization.