Seattle Seahawks Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll plans on deploying a committee backfield this season. "We like playing multiple guys, and we don’t have any problem with that at all," Carroll said. "I’ve said it to you a million times. I’m fine going with who is hot. But also, we have to find a way to keep our guys healthy. That’s why the rotation is so important, so we don’t overwork them, particularly early in the year, so we can keep the good momentum building." Seattle spent the 41st overall pick of this year's draft on RB Kenneth Walker. But, prior to that, they gave RB Rashaad Penny a 1-year, $5.75 million contract with a little more than $5 million guaranteed. Penny, of course, closed 2021 with 671 rushing yards over the final 5 games. Seattle also still has RBs Chris Carson, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer on the roster. We'll see how the backfield shakes out this summer.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll evaluated rookie RB Kenneth Walker following day 1 of rookie minicamp. “Ken, he took off now,” Carroll said. “He’s a rocket. He caught the ball really well today, too, which we’re really excited about.” Carroll went on to note that Walker already knows some of Seattle’s terminology, having come from a pro-style system at Michigan State. Carroll did confirm that Walker’s passing down usage is very much up in the air. “Let’s wait and see on that one, as far as making him a third-down guy,” Carroll said. “He’s got a ways to go, pass protection-wise. That’s a real challenge for him. So we’ll see. I know his attitude will be in it. He’s a terrific, competitive kid. That (pass protection) needs to be a priority, and we’ve already talked to him about that.” Walker’s reception upside will remain a storyline throughout the offseason.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said recently that he doesn’t have an update on the status of RB Chris Carson. Recall that Carson underwent neck surgery around the start of December. “We won’t know for some time here," Carroll said regarding Carson’s status. "We can't predict that.” After re-signing Rashaad Penny and using a Round 2 pick on Kenneth Walker, it’s clear that Seattle isn’t counting on Carson going forward.

The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar projects Geno Smith as Seattle's starting QB in his post-draft depth chart, with Drew Lock as the #2. "But this will be an open competition that may not see a winner until the third and final preseason game," Dugar concedes. The Seahawks will have arguably the worst QB play in the NFL regardless of who's under center this season, barring a trade for someone like Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo. Neither Smith nor Lock is worth a pick in early best-ball drafts.

The Raiders have declined the 5th-year option on the rookie contracts of both S Johnathan Abram and DE Clelin Ferrell. The decision on Ferrell is certainly no surprise, given that the former #4 overall pick played his way out of the starting lineup. Abram has fared better, and perhaps he's a candidate to re-sign with a good 2022. But the fact that Vegas declined the options on all 3 first-rounders from that 1st draft of the Mike Mayock era underscores that the team has new leadership. If Abram does hit the open market after the coming season, we'd bet on him landing at least an opportunity to fight for a starting job elsewhere -- barring a poor final performance with the Raiders, of course.

According to Seahawks HC Pete Carroll, WR DK Metcalf is out of his walking boot. He’s resumed running, too, per Carroll. In February, Metcalf underwent surgery to have a screw removed from a prior procedure. Per Ian Rapoport, the issue bothered Metcalf throughout last season. Now we’ll see if Seattle’s able to lock up the 24-year-old with a long-term contract. Extension talks are underway.

The Seahawks selected RB Kenneth Walker in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Compactly built at 5’9, 211 pounds, Walker displayed exceptional power and burst across a 3-year college career. He transferred from Wake Forest to Michigan State after the 2020 season, citing a poor offensive fit. The move set the stage for a massive breakout last fall (263-1,636-18). He caught only 19 balls across 3 seasons, though. Receiving upside is the only potential negative attached to Walker’s skill set. The 21-year-old landed with an offense that’s run-focused, especially with Drew Lock in line to start. In the backfield, Chris Carson isn’t guaranteed to stick around following neck surgery. Rashaad Penny was re-signed to just a 1-year deal in March and brings durability questions of his own. Walker could quickly turn into an early-down workhorse, but it’s tough to get excited about his short-term TD outlook in Seattle.

Seattle grabbed EDGE Boye Mafe with the 40th overall pick, in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Mafe finished his 4-year Minnesota career with 7 sacks among 10 tackles for loss as a senior. He tested as a higher-upside athlete at the Combine, delivering a 97th-percentile speed score at 6'4 and 261 pounds. Landing in Seattle gives him a good shot at immediate playing time.

Per Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks have re-signed QB Geno Smith to a 1-year deal worth $7 million. It’s a nice sum for Smith, who Rapoport says has “a chance to push for starter reps and more" this summer. Of course, Seattle added Drew Lock last month, and there’s no question that they could spend an early pick on a rookie passer. The Seahawks hold 8 picks, with 3 in the top-41.

The Rams have agreed to a 5-year, $50 million deal with LB Bobby Wagner, according to multiple reports. The pact has a reported max value of $65 million. We'd be surprised if the veteran LB sticks with L.A. for 5 years and the contract gets anywhere close to either of those numbers. But the Rams clearly want Wagner to be their top off-ball LB for at least the next year or 2. This move should keep Wagner well within LB1 range for IDP drafts in 2022.

WR Laquon Treadwell re-signed with the Jaguars. The former 1st-rounder had 1 of his better stretches as a pro over the 2nd half of last season, averaging 4.4 catches and 57.9 yards across the final 7 games. It doesn't look like he drew much interest on the open market, though, and returns to a Jaguars team that previously added WRs Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault and Jamal Agnew. We'll see how the WR room shakes out this summer, but Treadwell isn't a recommended target in early best-ball drafts.

TE Will Dissly is re-signing with the Seahawks for $24 million on a 3-year deal, according to multiple reports. It's particularly surprising money because Seattle just acquired Noah Fant in the Russell Wilson trade. The Seahawks have clearly liked Dissly's run-blocking, but the $8 million per year on his new contract suggests we shouldn't dismiss him as a passing-game piece. That said, Dissly averaged just 1.8 targets per game over the past 2 seasons. So perhaps Seattle is just wildly overpaying for a blocking TE.

CB Sidney Jones has signed a 1-year, $3.6 million deal to remain with the Seahawks, according to multiple reports. Jones settled in as a full-timer for Seattle over the 2nd half last season, playing at least 80% of the defensive snaps in each of his final 7 appearances. For the season, Jones tied for 29th in overall Pro Football Focus grade among 129 CBs who played at least 250 snaps. This contract doesn't lock him in as a starter for 2022, but we'd bet on him opening the season among the Seahawks' top 3 corners.

The Seahawks have agreed to a 3-year, $40 million deal with S Quandre Diggs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's not a surprising move, after Diggs started every game the past 2 years -- following a mid-2019 trade from Detroit -- and snagged 5 INTs in each season. But it means Seattle is spending a whole lot of money on its starting safeties. Jamal Adams is heading into season 2 of a 4-year, $70 million pact. Seattle, of course, trimmed salary on defense by releasing veteran LB Bobby Wagner earlier this month.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Seahawks have told LB Bobby Wagner that they're releasing him. It's not a shocking move for a couple of reasons. First, it saves Seattle $16.6 million in cap space in 2022. Second, the Seahawks' trade of QB Russell Wilson to Denver signals at least somewhat of a rebuild. This was to be the final year on Wagner's contract. The 32-year-old (in June) remains a productive player and is sure to land another gig -- assuming he wants to continue playing. Cody Barton might be a candidate to replace Wagner, but we'd bet on the team also bringing in more at LB via free agency or the NFL Draft.

The Broncos have traded TE Noah Fant to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson deal. That lands Fant in an offense with a TE void. Gerald Everett and Will Dissly are each set to hit free agency this month. His departure also leaves Albert Okwuegbunam as Denver's top incumbent at the position. Fant's new team will need to answer a big question at QB, where Drew Lock looks like the best current option. He faces potential opportunity but also joins an offensive system that didn't even go pass-heavy with Wilson at the helm. That fails to excite us for Fant's fantasy outlook. Okwuegbunam, meanwhile, brings physical upside -- albeit in a still-crowded offense. If he remains in the late rounds of current best-ball drafting, though, the 3rd-year player could be a terrific sleeper.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Seahawks WR DK Metcalf had foot surgery recently to remove a screw from a previous procedure. Metcalf played through foot trouble all season. It's not clear how much this screw removal helps, but it clearly can't hurt. We'll keep an eye on Metcalf's health reports throughout the offseason for any signs of lingering issues. Metcalf, of course, finished 15th among PPR wideouts despite the foot issue and Russell Wilson's missed time. So we're not too worried about the 24-year-old's outlook.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Monday that he expects RB Chris Carson to be ready for the start of training camp. Carson underwent cervical-fusion neck surgery in November to attempt to alleviate his long-term discomfort. We'll keep an eye on his rehab. Carson will turn 28 a few days after the 2022 season kicks off and is set to count $6.4 million against the cap this year.

Seahawks MLB Bobby Wagner sprained the MCL and PCL in his right knee in Sunday's win over the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Wagner will miss the regular-season finale, but the injury is not expected to affect him beyond that.

Seahawks MLB Bobby Wagner suffered a knee injury early in Sunday's win over the Lions and did not return. We'll see about his outlook for Week 18, but Seattle has nothing to play for in the finale -- other than potentially damaging Arizona's playoff seed.