By Jordan Long
Yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks made a stunning trade, sending their franchise quarterback, Russell Wilson, to Denver. We all know what Seattle received back from Denver including two first-round picks, two second-round selections, a 5th round draft pick, quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive end Shelby Harris. The question for Seattle is who could be their starting quarterback this upcoming season?
On the current roster, Seattle has two quarterbacks, Drew Lock and Jacob Eason. Lock has the advantage over Eason because he has been a starting quarterback in this league. His record is 8-13 as the starter playing for the Denver Broncos from 2019 to 2021.
The problem with Lock is he needs to read NFL defenses better. Lock will look at one wide receiver and all the defensive backs have to do is read his eyes and those can be picked. He has totaled 25 touchdowns compared to 20 interceptions, not the touchdown to interception ratio a franchise wants to see. He at least has the experience of being an NFL starting quarterback.
Eason is a project. He is entering his 3rd NFL season. Eason hasn’t played a whole lot in the NFL with only 5 passes thrown totaling 25 yards and one interception. That knowledge isn’t enough to have confidence that he can be the starting quarterback for Seattle.
Seattle should look at free agent quarterbacks who could compete with Lock to become the starting quarterback. The free agents include Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, and Marcus Mariota to name a few. Newton, Winston, and Mariota have been starters in the NFL. They also are quarterbacks who aren’t afraid to run with the football when the pocket breaks down. Newton’s record as a starting quarterback is 75-68-1. Newton passed for 32,382 yards, 194 touchdowns, and 123 interceptions.
Winston’s record isn’t as good as Newton. He is 33-44. Winston passed for 20,982 yards, 135 touchdowns, and 91 interceptions. He might be worth a shot for Seattle.
Mariota has also been a starter in this league before with the Tennessee Titans from 2015 to 2019. The past two years he has been the backup to Derek Carr in Las Vegas. Mariota is 29-32 as a starting quarterback. He has tossed for 13,437 yards, 77 touchdowns, and 45 interceptions.
Seattle may not like those options. They could always use the #9 pick they received from Denver to select a quarterback. The top prospects in the NFL Draft at quarterback are Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, or Malik Willis. The problem with selecting any of these guys is the fact they have never played the NFL game. Seattle would be taking a gamble hoping they would develop into an NFL quarterback. It is possible they could be the next Patrick Mahomes or they could be a bust like Ryan Leaf.
Seattle will look at all their options. They know they need to find another quarterback. For right now, they might have Lock and Eason battle it out during training camp and the NFL preseason. Of course, having only 2 quarterbacks on the roster is risky because if one goes down with an injury, then there isn’t a backup. Seattle knows this and will look to upgrade. Quarterback should be their priority in free agency and the NFL Draft.
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