The Reigning Champion is...Underrated?

Ej Snyder is interested in a possible A.J. Barner ascension as the Seahawks' new tight ends coach. Barner, a former tight ends coach who worked with Kittle, is expected to focus on the tight end as a focal point of the offense in a way the Seahawks haven't previously. Snyder believes if this happens, people will get introduced to Barner very quickly, suggesting potential breakout opportunity for the tight end position.

Brady Russell is the starting fullback for the Seahawks and was retained by the team. Ej Snyder notes that many of Seattle's retained players at lower salary tiers are still important starters on the team, highlighting Russell's role despite his position's reduced fantasy relevance.

Emmanuel Wilson was brought in from the Packers to add depth to the Seahawks running back room alongside existing backs Terry and Arnold; his role and impact remain uncertain.

Jakardia Wright departed the Hawks in free agency but returned to the team on the practice squad.

Jake Bobo is currently on injured reserve after being a valuable contributor for the Seahawks for several years.

Jalen Coker was mentioned as one of Seattle's ancillary weapons that the offense leaned on more heavily in the second half of the season when JSN was no longer getting backbreaking explosive opportunities. The team made adjustments to involve other receivers more as defenses stopped giving JSN one-on-one coverage.

After the Rams' week 11 defensive blueprint, defenses stopped giving JSN one-on-one coverage and instead forced Seattle to beat them with other receivers. In weeks 11+, Darnold's passer rating against man coverage dropped to 89.3 (30-point decline), explosive pass rate fell to 8.8% (cut by two-thirds), yards per attempt declined to 6.8, and EPA per play turned negative at -0.04. JSN only received double-digit single-coverage snaps in one game after week 11 (vs. Falcons, 10 catches, 92 yards, 2 TDs), marking a dramatic shift in how defenses attacked Seattle's offense down the stretch.

JSN was the centerpiece of Seattle's offensive identity in the first half of 2024, engineered to get one-on-one matchups through a run-heavy scheme that forced defenses into cover three. In weeks 1-10, Darnold had a 117.5 passer rating against man coverage with JSN, a 23.8% explosive pass rate, 9.5 yards per attempt, and 0.36 EPA per play. JSN had five games with 10+ receiving snaps in single coverage during this stretch. However, after the Rams set a defensive blueprint in week 11 limiting his explosives while allowing catches underneath, JSN's role changed dramatically; he got double-digit single-coverage snaps in only one game (vs. Falcons) for the rest of the season.

Teams have figured out the Sam Darnold-to-JSN connection and stopped giving man-to-man coverage; Mike McDonald acknowledged the adjustment and made counter-adjustments, but JSN's role and target distribution remain subject to defensive scheme evolution.

JSN's yards per reception dropped from 16.5 in weeks 1-11 to 13 flat after week 11, a nearly 25% reduction; teams adjusted their coverage strategy after identifying the Sam Darnold-to-JSN connection as a primary target, moving away from man-to-man coverage that had initially favored JSN's production.

Kenneth Walker was the primary explosive-play generator for Seattle's run game despite the team ranking 29th in rushing EPA per play. The Seahawks' run game was characterized as inconsistent—'pulling teeth sometimes because it felt like nothing, nothing, nothing, everything'—with Walker typically responsible for the explosive plays. The run game was adequate enough to support the passing offense's elite performance, and Walker's presence was instrumental in forcing defenses into cover three looks that Seattle exploited to get JSN one-on-one.

Kenneth Walker's role in the run game evolved late in the 49ers' season; when power and counter schemes weren't working, the team shifted to gap scheme and trusted Walker to bounce runs outside for explosive plays rather than attacking downhill, suggesting his usage may depend on Brian Fleury's run game philosophy in Seattle.

Kenneth Walker signed with the Chiefs for approximately $14.3 million annually, roughly two-thirds of the top of the running back market (set by Bijan Robinson and Gibbs). Ej Snyder notes that Walker's injury history likely factored into the lower price point, but still views it as a good deal for Kansas City.

Rashid Shaheed is listed as a complementary receiver behind JSN; if JSN goes down, Shaheed would be among the primary options alongside Torrey Horton, though the speaker expresses some uncertainty about whether either can function as a true number-one receiver.

Rashid Shaheed was retained and extended by the Seahawks as part of a lengthy list of in-house signings. Ej Snyder notes that Seattle's John Schneider is very loyal to players who have supported the organization, ensuring these players got paid across both the top and bottom of the pay scale.

Rashid Shaheed is listed among the Seahawks' lower-paid contributors on the roster, indicating he is a depth or reserve player rather than a core offensive weapon.

Ricky Pearsall signed a one-year, $12 million mercenary deal with the Eagles that Ej Snyder characterizes as 'criminal'—a steal for Philadelphia. Snyder believes Pearsall will 'light it up' and be 'awesome' in the Eagles secondary, and expects him to command a significantly larger contract in 2027 free agency. The one-year structure allows Pearsall to prove himself and reset his market value while the Eagles get a discount.

Darnold's performance against man coverage deteriorated sharply in weeks 11+, dropping to an 89.3 passer rating (30-point decline), 8.8% explosive pass rate (two-thirds reduction), 6.8 yards per attempt, and -0.04 EPA per play. This collapse occurred after the Rams set a defensive blueprint that forced Seattle to beat them with receivers other than JSN, a strategy other defenses copied for the remainder of the season.

Darnold's early-season performance against man coverage was elite: 117.5 passer rating, 23.8% explosive pass rate, 9.5 yards per attempt, and 0.36 EPA per play in weeks 1-10. This was driven by Seattle's offensive scheme designed to get JSN one-on-one through run-heavy looks that forced defenses into cover three, then attacking with under-center non-play-action drop backs to punish those coverages and create man-coverage opportunities where Darnold excelled.

Ej Snyder's identifies Sam Darnold as a key ingredient in the Seahawks' back-to-back Super Bowl ceiling; notes the team has all necessary ingredients—talent, coaching, and quarterback—to repeat, which is rare in NFL history. Snyder emphasizes Darnold's role in the team's capability to win 14 games as the ceiling, though acknowledges the NFC West's competitive depth may limit playoff seeding even with a 14-win season.