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In 2017, the Seattle Seahawks failed to win ten games and failed to make the playoffs. It was the first time the team has come up short on those goals since 2011. Following the season, the Seattle head brass decided to have somewhat of a purge, parting ways with longtime Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive end Michael Bennett. They also let go of tight ends Jimmy Graham and Luke Wilson, as well as wide receiver Paul Richardson and running back Thomas Rawls. So where does that leave Seattle Seahawks betting for 2018? Our NFL sportsbook has them finishing behind the Rams and the 49ers in the NFC West, and currently there are only 4 teams with worse odds to win the NFC championship. With the Seahawks betting odds being so low, all signs point to this being a reset year for Seattle, something this once-proud team hasn't had in the last decade.
Even with the purge of players and the reduced odds, one look at the Seahawks Schedule indicates that things may not be that bad. They have a number of games early on against teams in worse situations than they are in, which should allow the Seattle squad an opportunity to get acquainted before taking on the last half of the 2018 schedule. Matchups such as Chicago, Oakland and Arizona in the first 6 weeks give Seattle a chance to go into their week 7 bye at .500. The other games they have in that span come against Dallas, the LA Rams, and Denver. Those games will help Seattle gauge where they are and what needs to be improved. If head coach Pete Carroll and his crew can do a good job of assessing the team and addressing what needs to be fixed going forward after the bye, the Seahawks could conceivably surprise in the second half of the season.
Needing to replace what was lost, the Seahawks went to the draft and their current talent pool more so than free agency. At defensive end, Frank Clark is the only established contributor now that Benning is gone, but Dion Jordan and Marcus Smith showed promise as rotational pieces last season. At defensive end, 2018 draft pick Rasheem Green will be groomed to replace Michael Bennett one day as a threat to rush the passer from anywhere on the line. For this year, however, he should take Frank Clark's former spot as the third defensive end in the rotation. At Cornerback, the Seahawks are putting all their chips on their younger players being capable of replacing Sherman. They brought in Dontae Johnson from the 49ers, who is coming off the best season of his career in 2017, as the main replacement. Beyond Johnson, they will count on 2017 draft pick Shaquill Griffin, 2018 pick Tre Flowers and 25-year-old undrafted prospect DeAndre Elliot out of Colorado State. As for running back and wide receiver, the Seahawks used their #1 draft pick to select RB Rashaad Penny out of San Diego State. Penny is only the second running back chosen behind #2 pick Saquon Barkley, and promises to make an instant impact. At wide receiver, Amara Darboh, David Moore and Keenan Reynolds will fill the hole left by Richardson's departure. Again, they are all young players from inside the Seahawks system. All three are late-round draft picks who were knocking around the Seahawks practice squad prior to this season. So with the focus on saving money through youth, the Seattle Seahawks head into this season hoping not conquer the NFL, but to build something that they can bank on in the future. Seahawk fans will likely need to be patient.