ESPN power ranking reaction: Should Seahawks be higher?

As the Seattle Seahawks get set to embark on their first season under new head coach Mike Macdonald, there’s a lot of optimism brewing in the Pacific Northwest.

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For one, there are the new schemes. On defense, Macdonald brought in the cutting-edge system that propelled the Baltimore Ravens’ league-best defense last fall. On the other side, Ryan Grubb takes over as offensive coordinator after directing the UW Huskies’ high-flying attack.

Then there’s the personnel. There’s exciting young talent in Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III and rookie first-round pick Byron Murphy II. There are established veterans such as Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu. And there’s hope that a potential third-year leap by left tackle Charles Cross and the addition of standout center Connor Williams can improve the team’s much-maligned offensive line.

However, one national media outlet isn’t quite as high on the Seahawks.

Seattle checked in at No. 22 out of 32 teams in ESPN’s preseason NFL power rankings that were released earlier this week. The Seahawks were 10th out of 16 teams in the NFC, sitting behind the 49ers, Lions, Eagles, Packers, Cowboys, Rams, Bears, Falcons and Buccaneers.

During Tuesday’s edition of Wyman and Bob on Seattle Sports, former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton reacted to the Seahawks’ ranking.

“I’m not making the case that they’re gonna go to the Super Bowl this year, but are there really 21 teams that are better than the Seahawks going into the season?” Stelton asked.

Wyman thought Seattle should be ranked higher, but understood why the national perception of the Seahawks would be more tepid.

For one, the 37-year-old Macdonald is not only a first-time NFL head coach, but also the youngest head coach in the league. In addition, Grubb is coaching at the NFL level for the first time. And at quarterback, Smith’s production dropped off a bit last season after his breakout 2022 campaign.

“I think that combination will get you knocked down like five slots – the new coach and the quarterback (coming) off an off year,” Wyman said.

But from watching training camp and the team’s first two preseason games, Wyman feels good about where the Seahawks are at.

“Maybe it will take a while to get going, but I sure have liked everything so far,” Wyman said. “And especially I’ve loved what I’ve seen on defense. We complained ad nauseam about the defense really over the last three years. … I just thought that the defense was broken. (And now) you got a guy who is pretty much an expert at it – albeit very young – in Mike Macdonald.

“So I don’t know. To me, I think they should at least be in the top half of the league.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Analyst: How Seahawks are using JSN differently in Grubb’s scheme
• Bump: Underrated aspect that could help two Seahawks WRs make team
• Will rookie defender play an important role for Seahawks?
• How Seahawks are giving reasons to be confident in defense
• Brock & Salk’s biggest Seattle Seahawks takeaways from second preseason game

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