Seahawks Season Preview: A close look at the quarterbacks

Welcome to our 2024 Seattle Seahawks position group preview series.

Who made Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster, and who didn’t

Every day between now and the Sept. 8 season opener, we at Seattle Sports will preview one of the Seahawks’ 11 position groups. We begin by taking a look at quarterback.

Links to our other position group previews will be included here as they are posted: Running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback, safety and special teams.

QB roster breakdown

• Projected starter: Geno Smith

• Projected backup: Sam Howell

Offseason summary

• Who’s out: Drew Lock, the Seahawks’ backup quarterback for the past two seasons, signed with the New York Giants in free agency.

• Who’s in: Seattle acquired 23-year-old Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders in March in a trade that featured an exchange of draft picks.

2024 outlook

After drawing rave reviews for how sharp he looked in training camp, Geno Smith could be poised for a big season in his third year as Seattle’s starting quarterback. Smith has a new offensive coordinator in former UW Huskies OC Ryan Grubb, whose creative scheme has garnered considerable praise from the 33-year-old veteran QB and his teammates. Smith also has what could be one of the league’s best receiving trios in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba — the latter of whom appears on track to make a second-year leap. And for a quarterback like Smith who spent so much of his career as a backup, don’t discount the value of having two consecutive seasons of starting experience under his belt.

For Smith and the offense as a whole, success may ultimately hinge on what happens up front. After his breakout 2022 campaign, Smith’s production declined a bit last season while playing behind a porous offensive line that was ravaged by injuries. Seattle ranked 20th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-block grading in 2022 but dropped to 28th last season, leaving Smith under frequent duress. Though still a major question mark, the O-line appears to be in better shape this year. If that unit performs somewhere closer to league average, Smith could match or even exceed his 2022 level of play.

Geno Smith | 6-3, 221 | Age: 33 | 12th year

2023 stats: 64.7% completion rate, 3,624 yards, 20 TDs, 9 interceptions; 37 carries, 155 yards, 1 TD (15 games)

20 minutes of Geno? 20 minutes of Geno. pic.twitter.com/ncJVs7bOcZ

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 30, 2024

Smith has resurrected his career since taking over as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback two years ago. After starting just five games between 2015 and 2021, he earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors with a breakout 2022 campaign that saw him lead the NFL in completion percentage and finish seventh in ESPN’s QBR metric. Even with his production dipping a bit last year behind a poor O-line that was among the worst in the league, he still finished 14th in QBR.

Smith had extended stretches of elite play in each of the past two seasons. Over his first eight games of 2022, he threw 13 TD passes and just three interceptions while posting an 88.4 PFF grade, which ranked second among all quarterbacks during that span. And over his final seven games of last year, he threw 11 TD passes and just two interceptions, while recording an 85.0 PFF grade.

Smith particularly excels as a deep-ball passer. According to PFF’s big-time throw metric – which measures passes thrown with excellent ball location and timing, typically farther downfield – Smith has made 66 big-time throws over the past two seasons. That ranks second in the NFL over that span, trailing only Buffalo Bills star QB Josh Allen. Smith’s downfield passing ability could be a perfect match for Grubb’s scheme, considering the explosive aerial attack he directed across town at UW. Grubb might also help unlock more easier throws underneath, which at times appeared to be lacking under previous Seahawks OC Shane Waldron.

Sam Howell | 6-1, 220 | Age: 23 | 3rd year

2023 stats: 63.4% completion rate, 3,946 yards, 21 TDs, 21 interceptions; 48 carries, 263 yards, 5 TDs (17 games)

Howell on the money to Winston Jr. for the @Seahawks score!

📱: Stream #SEAvsTEN on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VZlWw0Ca09

— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024

Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick by Washington, started one game for the Commanders as a rookie and then all 17 games for them last year. He threw 21 interceptions and was sacked 65 times last season, both league-high marks, but he showed flashes of potential with both his arms and legs, which ultimately compelled Seattle to trade for him in March.

Howell had a solid preseason, completing 33 of 50 passes for 328 yards, two TDs and no interceptions, while adding 47 rushing yards on nine carries. Most importantly, he displayed improved decision-making by playing turnover-free football. There’s a definite gap between Smith and Howell, but the latter remains an intriguing long-term prospect and is a good backup option if Smith gets hurt.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• The Seahawks players who stand out after roster cuts
• Chris Petersen: 3 things going for new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald
• Seattle Seahawks make another trade for a pass rusher
• Rost: Three things that stand out after Seahawks’ preseason finale
• Seattle Seahawks Notebook: RB McIntosh caps strong preseason in style

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