ANALYSIS: Seahawks learn their final grades for 2024

As fun as some moments were in the 2024 season for the Seattle Seahawks, once the dust cleared, no one was pretending that it ultimately wasn’t a disappointment.

“Obviously, we want to be fighting it out in the playoffs and felt like we had a good enough team to do some damage, but we didn’t earn the right to do that,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Tuesday. “So we’re moving on.”

That’s pretty much says it all.

The Seahawks’ 10-7 record shows they were close. But they weren’t good enough.

And with that context, here are our final position grades of the season.

Quarterback

Geno Smith’s 2024 season gave fuel to his supporters and detractors. He set team records for completions, attempts, yards and completion percentage (and yes, playing 17 games makes it easier to set records in counting stats). He also threw 15 interceptions, third most in the NFL, five from the 20-yard line or closer, which led the league. Pro Football Focus rated Smith 10th among all QBs at season’s end with a grade of 82.5, second-best of his career. That reflects PFF assessing blame to others for some of the picks, and noting that his accuracy is still among the best in the NFL. Smith tied for the second-most fourth-quarter comebacks with four, behind only Patrick Mahomes. But one fewer red-zone interception might have gotten the Seahawks into the playoffs.

Grade: B-plus.

Running back

This was supposed to be the year the two-headed backfield of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet — recent second-round picks — truly took off. Walker dealt with injuries from the start and averaged just 3.7 per carry. Charbonnet showed potential and led the team with eight touchdowns. Kenny McIntosh showed promise down the stretch, finishing with a team-high 5.5 yards per carry. Walker finished with the seventh-highest grade from PFF, but the Seahawks just didn’t see enough of him, nor could they create enough space for all of them to run when it mattered.

Grade: B-minus.

Receiver

It’s a mixed bag with this group. The unquestioned highlight is Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s breakout and tying Tyler Lockett’s team record with 100 receptions. DK Metcalf never seemed the same after he missed two games at midseason with a knee injury. He still had solid numbers (66 catches, 992 yards, 15.0 per reception), but the hope is a new offensive coordinator can get more out of him. This was potentially it for Lockett as a Seahawk after his numbers dropped precipitously (49-600, 12.2). No other receiver had more than Jake Bobo’s 13 receptions, and the Seahawks are likely to be aggressive in filling out their receiver corps this offseason.

Grade: B-minus.

Tight end

Noah Fant’s final numbers (48-500, 10.4) were in line with his career averages despite missing three games. AJ Barner came on late to finish with 30-245 and four TDs. Pharaoh Brown battled a foot injury in camp and the first month of the season and had just eight catches. The blocking on the edges wasn’t as consistent as it needed to be.

Grade: C.

Offensive line

Maybe the new OC can finally solve the Seahawks’ issues up front. Or maybe it’s going to take a massive personnel shake-up. Whatever the case, the OL story in 2024 was the same as it has been for several years. PFF rated the Seahawks 31st of 32 teams in its season-ending grades. Left tackle Charles Cross ranked 10th of 81 tackles by PFF, but no other lineman was higher than 46th. The bizarre midseason retirement of center Connor Williams — whom it was hoped would prove a solidifying force — encapsulated the problem.

Grade: D.

Defensive line

This is a grade for the three interior spots, which means Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II and Johnathan Hankins, the four main players. Williams was a second-team All-Pro pick by PFF, the only Seahawk position player so honored. He finished with 11 sacks. Reed finished with 15 QB hits, third on the team. Murphy didn’t put up huge conventional stats (0.5 sacks, two tackles-for-a-loss, one QB hit), but Macdonald insisted he saw all the signs to indicate he is on the right track.

Grade: B-plus.

Outside linebacker

Derick Hall (eight sacks, 20 QB hits, each second on team) took a big step in Year 2, and Boye Mafe (six sacks, 12 QB hits) proved his 2023 season wasn’t a fluke. Uchenna Nwosu again saw his season waylaid because of injuries and finished with one sack in six games. The hope that a new system and changes in his role would help Dre’Mont Jones be more productive didn’t pay off. The upshot is the Seahawks didn’t finish with anyone in ESPN’s list of the top 20 edge players in terms of pass-rush win rate, or higher than 26 (Mafe) in PFF’s ratings of edge players.

Grade: C-plus.

Inside linebacker

This group deserves two grades, one for before the bye and after. Before, the Seahawks went with the duo of Jerome Baker (weakside) and Tyrel Dodson (middle). Both were gone by the time the bye had passed, replaced by Tyrice Knight (WLB) and Ernest Jones IV (MLB). The first half of the season would get a D grade. The second, a B-plus, as Jones proved the leader in the middle the team needed, and Knight progressed quickly, grading out particularly well in pass coverage.

Grade: B.

Safety

Other than Williams, Julian Love was the Seahawks’ steadiest defensive player from start to finish while emerging as a strong locker-room leader. Coby Bryant was a revelation when thrust into the starting lineup at midseason, relegating veteran Rayshawn Jenkins to a rotational role. Love finished sixth among all safeties via PFF and Bryant 22nd.

Grade: B-plus.

Cornerback

Devon Witherspoon made his second straight Pro Bowl despite finishing with no interceptions and one sack, illustrating his impact on run defense (third best grade of any corner from PFF) and coverage. Riq Woolen had some good games and some confounding moments, and that may just be who he is. Josh Jobe showed some promise replacing Tre Brown as the third corner at midseason. The Seahawks may need to consider an upgrade there.

Grade: B-minus.

Special teams

Jason Myers made 17-of-18 field goals inside 50, and his nine makes of 50 yards or longer was a team record and sixth in the NFL. Punter Michael Dickson was PFF’s first-team All-Pro, and his 48.2 career average remains third in NFL history. The return games were shaky enough that the Seahawks overhauled them in December, and they allowed almost two more yards per punt return (9.2) than they gained (7.4).

Grade: B-minus.

Coaching

There were some expected bumps along the road in Macdonald’s first year. But he did nothing to indicate he won’t be a good fit for the long haul. He showed a steady hand during the midseason losing skid and a willingness and ability to adapt schematically and internally that led to vast defensive improvement over the second half of the season. He showed he’s not afraid to shake things up for the best for the team with the quick firing of Ryan Grubb as the offensive coordinator. He and John Schneider need to get the next OC hire right.

Grade: B.