Weapons Galore? DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks Skill Players Earn Top-10 Ranking

With a multitude of picks in the top 64 skill players in the NFL on the roster, the Seattle Seahawks have built an excellent group of offensive weapons.

Dec 24, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) and running back Kenneth Walker III (9) before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

When you talk about the NFL's best offensive weaponry, the Seattle Seahawks are one of the first teams you think of. They don't have one legit superstar in the building, but rather a multitude of very talented players at veteran quarterback Geno Smith's disposal.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell puts together a list of the best offensive weapons each year and the Seahawks continue to rank highly on his list. Ahead of 2023, they ranked fourth, and in his latest installment, they stayed in the top 10 by ranking eighth this year.

Headlining their talented skill group, the Seahawks best weapon is wide receiver DK Metcalf, who the Seahawks capitalized on taking him at 64th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft when the rest of the NFL was too concerned with his three-cone time. He's been excellent during his five seasons in Seattle, but some slightly diminishing returns make Barnwell slightly concerned.

DK Metcalf continues to stay on the field and pump out solid seasons, but he hasn't come close to matching the 1,303-yard, 10-touchdown campaign he put together in 2020. He had a 58% success rate on his targets that season and has been closer to 50% in each of the three ensuing campaigns. There's nothing wrong with what he has been doing -- he has averaged 2.2 yards per route run -- but each good season recalibrates our expectations of how likely he is to be great in the upcoming one.

- ESPN's Bill Barnwell

The intriguing thing about this group is the potential elevation of fellow receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He wasn't used to his full potential as a rookie by former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and his efficiency numbers suffered. With Ryan Grubb coming in as offensive coordinator, three wide receiver sets could become the norm and Smith-Njigba could take off.

Nominally, the Seahawks drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba last year to be the replacement for Lockett in two-wideout sets, but Smith-Njigba had a disappointing start to his career. He failed to top 70 receiving yards in a game even once, dropped six passes and ranked 14th among 2023 draftees in yards per route run. It's too early to be concerned, but he wasn't able to immediately command a large share of the Seattle passing game. If we're still at this level a year from now, it'll be a problem. With Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly both leaving this offseason and Ryan Grubb taking over as offensive coordinator, I wonder if Seattle will live in three-wideout sets in 2024. It was already there more than 63% of the time a year ago.

- ESPN's Bill Barnwell

Will Grubb's offense maximize the excellent Sehawks' skill players? That is going to be the biggest question going into training camp and the offseason. With Smith being the best value not on a rookie contract at quarterback in the league, it's likely going to be a successful unit.

Is the ranking a fair one? That depends on what you think about some of the groups ahead of them. The Detroit Lions (seventh) and Chicago Bears (sixth) don't have better overall units than the Seahawks, especially when you consider the running back position. Seattle has two excellent running backs and the Bears specifically don't have one better than either Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. On the Lions' side, we don't have enough information on their weapons, especially since offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is making things so incredibly easy for everyone. It leads to questions about how good the players are versus the scheme.

Somehow, the Seahawks may be underrated. With Grubb now at the controls, they'll be hoping to show they deserve a top-10 ranking bouncing back after a somewhat disappointing season a year ago with most of the same standout skill players still on the roster.