Field Gulls
Because clearly the 49ers improved so much this offseason.
How would you respond if someone said the Seattle Seahawks would finish dead last in the NFC West this season?
While we haven’t seen a whole lot of that this summer, an ESPN brain trust came together to conclude that Seattle has the least talented roster of the division.
I entreat you:
Everybody gets a blurb and a ranking, replete with biggest strength, weakness, and an x-factor type player. Here’s how the division sorted out.
Biggest strength: Wide receiver. Cooper Kupp is out and Davante Adams is in as Puka Nacua’s running mate. Of course, Nacua is the headliner...
This is...fine. Their defense, while not quite as trustworthy as it has been in recent years, did an absolute number on a couple of offensive lines in the playoffs.
Biggest strength: Tight end. I could’ve gone a few directions, but George Kittle gets the nod following yet another outstanding season. Despite the 49ers’ struggles and nearly three full missed games due to injury, Kittle finished top five among tight ends in yards and touchdowns for the third consecutive season.
This is terrible. I do not, nor will I ever, understand why the media does this. They were a bad team last year. Their best players are old players, who are often hurt players, who are now older players. Their draft was uneventful. Tenth is objectively a weird outcome.
Biggest strength: Interior defensive line. Their biggest weakness last season has become their biggest strength. After finishing 2024 ranked 28th and 20th in pass rush win rate (33.3%) and run stop win rate (29.8%), respectively, Arizona now has potential.
This is unsurprising. They do this every year with Arizona. Like the quieter, NFC West version of the Chicago Bears, undefeated champions of every offseason. Nobody knows where to put the Cardinals, not you, nor the venerable Mike Clay, so whatever.
Biggest strength: Interior defensive line. The Seahawks remain stacked up front, with Leonard Williams leading the way. Williams is still playing at a superstar level at age 31. He led all interior linemen with 11 sacks and ranked fourth with 35 pass rush wins last season. Jarran Reed (4.5 sacks in 2024) and Johnathan Hankins are back. Byron Murphy II, a 2024 first-round pick, is a candidate for a second-year leap after a solid rookie showing. — Clay
This is annoying. Mike Clay is the same guy who thought Julian Love and the safeties were the 26th-best unit last year. The same guy who said only five teams had a worse cornerback duo than Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. Same guy who said Drew Lock would beat Geno Smith and still be the worst quarterback in the NFL.
So, we do this every year, with an outright glaring area of ignorance on Seattle’s roster. The article feels more like questions regarding the...
