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Of all the frustrations coming from Russell Wilson and those around him about the Seahawks in this off-season, there was an aspect of his frustration that he himself made very clear.
He’s tired of being hit.
“I am frustrated that I take too many hits,” Wilson said in February. “I am frustrated with this. Ultimately, man, you want to win, you know. “
Wilson is a person who usually goes out of his way to talk about how big the 10th wide receiver and the center of the third string are during his press conferences throughout the season. Ask a question about DK Metcalf and he will be able to check the names of all the recipients on the list, train the team and say how well everyone is doing. So, when Wilson makes a direct complaint about being hit, that’s remarkable.
Wilson’s clear implication is that he wanted more of his offensive line moving forward.
“You never want to be hit,” he continued. “This is the reality of playing in this position. Ask any defender who wants to play this game and I think that, at the same time, it is part of the job and everything else. I think the reality is that I was definitely hit, I was fired, I don’t know, almost 400 times. And then we have to improve. I also need to find ways to improve. “
So, what did the Seahawks do in this off-season? They brought everyone back on their offensive line, except Mike Iupati, who is retiring after 11 years in the league. Seattle made a switch to acquire Gabe Jackson from the Las Vegas Raiders last week to essentially replace Iupati in the starting lineup. They rehired pivot Ethan Pocic, point guard Jordan Simmons and striker Cedric Ogbuehi. Duane Brown returns on the tackle on the left, Damien Lewis on guard and Brandon Shell on the tackle on the right.
Seattle’s offensive line was far from a disaster last year. The addition of Shell along with the then newcomer Lewis’s role in the right guard gave the Seahawks one of their most competent units in years. It was not perfect. Injuries to Shell, Pocic, Ogbuehi and Jamarco Jones left the group with few players at the end of the season. Wilson also had some self-inflicted problems with holding the ball for a long time at times.
The Seahawks apparently did not think there was a need for major changes from the start, given their decisions this off-season. They are returning 4/5 of their holders from last season with Jackson joining the group at one of the guard posts.
Will Jackson’s addition to the guard be enough to contain Wilson’s frustrations? Can Shane Waldron’s scheme as a new offensive coordinator maximize the output of the group as a whole with the moves they decide to make? Will the Seahawks add more to the group in the draft with one of their three remaining selections for this year?
These are some of the questions that still have no answers.