Daniel Jeremiah: Seahawks need to ‘retool’ roster, and it’s not a ‘1-year fix’

After going 12-4 and winning the NFC West in 2020, the Seahawks fell to 7-10 and last place in 2021. In fact, they were the only team in the division to not make the playoffs this past season, and two of their rivals are playing in the NFC Championship Game this weekend.

Seahawks Notebook: Adams and Diggs updates, when Seattle could hire its DC

Injuries, especially to quarterback Russell Wilson, played a big part in Seattle’s story in 2021. But as far as the entire roster is concerned, where do the Seahawks currently stand? And what’s their best path moving forward?

NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy and shared his thoughts on the state of the Seahawks.

“I think they’re a good roster. I don’t think they’re a championship-level roster,” he said. “And the thing about that division is you don’t have to wonder about it. You get to stack up against the best teams in the conference. They’re right there inside your division.”

The big concerns with the Seahawks are nothing new, Jeremiah said.

“I still don’t think that up front on either side that they’re kind of where they need to be,” he said. “I feel like that’s been kind of stated for a while now. Just in terms of just getting real difference makers on that defensive line to go along with being solid across the board on the offensive line. I think those are areas you can see improvement.”

Jeremiah also feels that Seattle lacks a true No. 1 cornerback who can help take away the game’s elite receivers.

“Obviously the quarterback is fantastic and is going to give you a chance to win each and every time you go out there, but complete roster-wise, I think they’re behind those other teams,” he said.

Speaking of the quarterback, host Jake Heaps wanted Jeremiah’s opinion on where Wilson is at after a rough season that saw him injure his finger and struggle at times upon his return.

“In terms of Russ himself, the one negative thing I could tell you on Russell Wilson (is) I don’t know that he should have played after he hurt his finger,” Jeremiah said. “He’s so dang competitive and wants to be out there and do it. But that’s the only that’s bad football I’ve seen from Russell Wilson in the last however many years or when he’s been in the league, and it wasn’t even bad by league standards. It just wasn’t up to Russell’s standard.”

Jeremiah noted that before Week 5 when Wilson suffered his injury, he was playing very well. Wilson through Seattle’s first four games completed 72.5% of his passes with nine touchdowns and no turnovers.

The Seahawks having Wilson puts them in a position that most of the league envies, Jeremiah said.

“What I’ll just say about Russell is he gives you a seat at the table. There’s no guarantee that you’re gonna win the poker tournament, but there’s only like eight seats at the table and he has one of those seats,” Jeremiah said. “He’s that good.”

That being said, what’s the best path forward for the Seahawks?

Jeremiah first noted that the Seahawks for the second year in a row are lacking a first-round pick because of the 2020 trade for safety Jamal Adams is notable, adding that the trade was likely a mistake on Seattle’s part.

“I think they miscalculated a little bit thinking they were right on the cusp and right on the doorstep and Jamal Adams was going to be the finishing piece, which I think we can all recognize that wasn’t the case,” Jeremiah said. “I think there’s definitely some retooling that needs to take place if you are going to stay with Russ. Then I think you’ve got to move some other guys and just kind of retool and use every avenue possible in terms of free agency as well as some trades to try and kind of reshape the roster a little bit.”

Can the Seahawks do such a retool in just one offseason, though?

“I don’t think that’s a one-year fix. I think it’s a couple years for that to come together,” Jeremiah said. “But we’ve seen a look at the Rams and they’ve been very creative. I think you’re going to have a similar task in front of Schneider this in this offseason trying to figure out creative ways that they get a little more talent and kind of change the the makeup of this roster a little bit.”

Listen to the full interview at this link or in the player below.

Wyman & Bob: Why Seahawks’ pass rush can improve without major additions

Follow @TheBGustafson