2023 Seattle Seahawks Preview: Roster Moves, Depth Chart, Schedule, Storylines and More

This article is part of our Team Previews series.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks defied expectations in the first season without Russell Wilson solely because QB Geno Smith had a career year. The Seahawks have an elite crew of receivers with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and they've used back-to-back top-60 picks on running backs to form one of the league's top sets of offensive weapons. The Seahawks have crowned Smith as a legitimate starting quarterback, which means their success now hinges on the 32-year-old proving last year wasn't a fluke.

2023 Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Room

• Veteran Additions: None
• Draft Picks: None
• Departures: None

It was supposed to be a turbulent 2022 season for the Seahawks after they traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos. Geno Smith had other plans. He held off Drew Lock in the preseason before throwing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. Given the journeyman's history, skepticism regarding Smith's performance is understandable, but the output was so convincing that it's unlikely to have been a fluke. Seattle showed its belief in Smith by signing him to a three-year, $105 million contract in March.

Now, the team is making sure he has the tools to succeed by taking WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and RB Zach Charbonnet early in this year's draft. A receiving corps consisting of Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett is one of the better groups in the NFL, and adding Charbonnet ensures the Seahawks will keep a balanced attack. Even with the new weapons, Smith may endure some regression. But he'll have massive weekly upside, and his legs – he averaged 21.5 rushing yards per game last year – will support his floor.

2023 Seattle Seahawks Backfield

• Veteran Additions: None
• Draft Picks: Zach Charbonnet (Rd. 2, No. 52 – UCLA), Kenny McIntosh (Rd. 7, No. 237 – Georgia)
• Departures: Rashaad Penny (to Eagles), Travis Homer (to Bears), Tony Jones (to Broncos)

For the second straight year, the Seahawks drafted a running back in the second round, as Charbonnet will join Kenneth Walker in the backfield. Walker barely played through the first five weeks before Penny broke his leg, but the former still managed to produce at a high level. The 22-year-old rushed 228 times for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 27 receptions for 165 yards in 15 games.

Charbonnet's arrival muddies the waters, though, considering he was an elite college producer the last two seasons at UCLA, and he notably caught 37 passes as a senior. Still, coach Pete Carroll has notoriously stuck with the incumbent back until proven otherwise. As evidence, both Penny and Walker had to wait their turns when they entered the NFL.

Thus, Walker's rookie production should cement him as the starter as long as he stays healthy, but there's a chance Charbonnet looks good enough that he forces himself onto the field. That said, with both players tending to injuries early in camp, holdover DeeJay Dallas and McIntosh, a rookie seventh-rounder, currently are Seattle's top available RBs.

2023 Seattle Seahawks Receiving Corps

• Veteran Additions: None
• Draft Picks: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Rd. 1, No. 20 – Ohio State)
• Departures: WRs Marquise Goodwin (to Browns), Laquon Treadwell (to Ravens), Penny Hart (to Falcons)

The Seahawks picked a wide receiver in the first round of the draft for the first time since 2001, selecting Smith-Njigba, 20th overall, back in April. Wide receiver wasn't a dire need for the team because both DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett surpassed 1,000 yards last season, but Smith-Njigba's production at Ohio State was indisputable. He recorded 1,606 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games as a sophomore in 2021, but he couldn't stay healthy in 2022.

The rookie looks like he'll be most useful as a slot receiver in the NFL because of his elite agility and mediocre speed. That complicates matters because Lockett also does his best work in the slot, but he clearly has the speed to work downfield on the outside, much like Metcalf. Thus, there's some risk that Smith-Njigba won't get on the field immediately because the Seahawks prefer two tight-end sets to help set up the run game.

Such an outcome could be mitigated quickly if Smith-Njigba lives up to the hype in training camp and the preseason. That's not to say that Pete Carroll is switching to the Air Raid overnight, but it wouldn't be surprising if Smith-Njigba's presence tilts the scale toward the aerial attack this fall.

2023 Seattle Seahawks Sleepers

⬆️  Sleeper: Zach Charbonnet

Kenneth Walker posted 20-plus carries in six of his last 11 regular-season games and was quite productive. Therefore, Charbonnet – who posted 1,359 yards (7.0 YPC) and 14 touchdowns as a senior – isn't guaranteed anything in the Seahawks backfield. Nevertheless, he should see 6-to-10 touches almost immediately, much like Walker last year. And, if Walker goes down, Charbonnet (6-1, 220) has the frame to handle 20 or more touches, providing massive fantasy upside for those managers that hold.

😴  Super Sleeper: Seahawks D/ST

The Seahawks finished with 45 sacks (tied for seventh) and 25 takeaways (tied for eighth) last season. They keep stacking up talent, too, as they picked a second-round pass rusher for the third time in four years in Derick Hall. Most notably, they selected Devon Witherspoon, fifth overall, providing a potential lockdown cornerback to start opposite Tariq Woolen. If Witherspoon lives up to the hype and Woolen takes the next step, this defense has the talent to be a top-10 fantasy unit.

2023 Seattle Seahawks Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Pete Carroll (Year 14)

Offensive Coordinator: Shane Waldron (Year 3) – West Coast offense

Defensive Coordinator: Clint Hurtt (Year 2) – 3-4 scheme

2023 Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart

QB: Geno Smith / Drew Lock / Holton Ahlers

RB: Kenneth Walker / Zach Charbonnet / DeeJay Dallas / Kenny McIntosh

WR1: DK Metcalf

WR2: Tyler Lockett / Dareke Young / Cody Thompson

WR3: Jaxon Smith-Njigba / Dee Eskridge / Cade Johnson

TE: Noah Fant / Will Dissly / Colby Parkinson / Tyler Mabry

O-Line: LT Charles Cross / LG Damien Lewis / C Evan Brown / RG Phil Haynes / RT Abraham Lucas (RotoWire Rank: No. 14)

Kicker: Jason Myers

Full 2023 Depth Chart

Stats to Know for the Seattle Seahawks

2023 Projected Wins via FanDuel Sportsbook: 8.5 (T-15th)

2022 Record: 9-8

2022 Points Scored: 407 (9th)

2022 Points Allowed: 401 (25th)

2022 Point Differential: +6 (12th)

2022 Run-Play Rate: 40.7 percent (20th)

2022 Offensive Snaps: 1,044 (22nd)

2022 PFF O-Line Ranking: No. 27

Full 2022 Team Stats

2023 Seattle Seahawks Schedule

Seattle Seahawks Odds To Win Super Bowl LVIII

• Seahawks Super Bowl 58 Odds: 30-1

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 9:00 PM ET on Aug. 1, 2023.