A few weeks into the season, one former Seahawk looks like a breakout edge rusher, another took a hit under the bright lights, and a couple of familiar names are settling into new roles that look nothing like what they had in Seattle.
Boye Mafe has been the biggest mover of the bunch. The Bengals, who erased a 13-0 halftime deficit to beat Baltimore 35-13 in Week 7, are 4-2 and sitting a half game out of first in the AFC North.
Cincinnati’s offense gets the headlines with Joe Burrow, JaMarr Chase, and Tee Higgins, but its defense has been a major reason for the strong start. Mafe is right in the middle of that.
Against the Ravens, he finished with five tackles and 1.5 sacks. That pushed him to 4.5 sacks on the season, already past his total from all of last year in Seattle.
He’s on pace for 13 sacks, which would be the best number of his career. Just as important, he’s been steady against the run too, giving the Bengals help in the exact area that hurt them most a season ago.
Mafe always looked useful in Seattle, even when the sack totals didn’t fully tell the story. Now the production is matching the play.
Riq Woolen had the opposite kind of week. Philadelphia’s offense has fallen apart, and the Eagles were hoping the defense could keep them afloat.
Instead, Monday night brought a 38-21 loss to Dallas, and it was 11 more points than they had allowed in any other game this season. Woolen did not disappear, but the rough edges showed up clearly for the first time this year.
He was too physical at times, drawing a key penalty, and he also had trouble staying with Dallas receivers in one-on-one situations. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are difficult matchups for any corner, but Woolen also struggled against Ryan Flournoy.
It still looks like one bad night in an otherwise solid season for Woolen. The real question is what it means for his trade market.
The Eagles are expected to make moves, cornerback is a need, and there has even been chatter about a return to the Northwest. Monday’s game may have shifted that conversation, but in which direction is still unclear.
DK Metcalf is also in a new setting, and his usage in Pittsburgh has taken on a different shape. The Steelers have been pushed into AFC North relevance by a strong defense and a revived Aaron Rodgers, and they’re tied with Cleveland for first place.
Metcalf was expected to be a central piece of that push, and in some ways he has been. He leads Pittsburgh’s receivers in catches and yards and draws the most targets on the team.
But the deeper numbers tell a different story. His role has become that of a possession receiver, not the big-play threat many expected.
Even with a 51-yard catch in the Week 7 win over New Orleans, he’s on pace for the fewest touchdowns of his career, has the lowest yards-per-catch mark of his career, and owns the lowest yards-per-target among Steelers receivers. Rookie Germie Bernard appears to be becoming one of Rodgers’ preferred options.
Then there’s Geno Smith, who is living the same script in a different city. The veteran quarterback is playing well, but the team around him is not.
That has been the pattern for much of his career outside of his Seattle years in 2021 and ’22, and it’s showing up again with the Jets. Since leaving Seattle, Geno is 16-37 as a starter in the NFL, and New York is off to a 2-5 start after losing to the previously winless Dolphins.
The numbers are strong enough to make the disconnect even more frustrating. Geno is completing 70% of his passes, which is the best rate of his career.
His touchdown-to-interception ratio is five-to-one, and his passer rating sits at 105. Those are Pro Bowl-caliber figures, and all of them are better than what he posted during his actual Pro Bowl seasons in Seattle.
But the Jets can’t get on the same page with Garrett Wilson, and Frank Reich has not been able to steady the offense.
Colby Parkinson is finding a very different kind of comfort in Los Angeles. He started just four games over four seasons in Seattle, but the final two years there were enough for him to land a three-year deal with Sean McVay and the Rams.
His production hasn’t changed much, but his playing time has. McVay’s heavy use of 13 personnel, with three tight ends on the field, has given Parkinson a real lane.
The Rams use that setup more than anyone else in the league, and with Terrance Ferguson out for the foreseeable future, Parkinson has settled in alongside Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen.
In the Rams’ Week 7 win over Las Vegas, Parkinson caught five of six targets for 48 yards, and it was nearly the same line he put up in Week 6. He may not be the flashiest name on the roster, but he’s become a dependable piece in one of the league’s better offenses.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Loom In One Of The NFLs Biggest Trade Decisions
A roster-altering move in Indianapolis has put Seattle in the middle of one of the NFLs most eye-catching trade conversations, with the Colts sending guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers for future draft picks. For Seattle, the Nelson addition immediately stands out because it addresses the interior of the offensive line with one of the leagues most established blockers, a move that could change how the team thinks about protection and balance up front.
The bigger ripple effect comes from what else the deal suggests about the market, because it could influence how teams approach other star names being floated in trade chatter. Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Jeffery Simmons, Brian Thomas and Budda Baker are all part of that broader speculation, but for the Seahawks the immediate focus is on what adding Nelson means now and whether a move this bold signals more aggressive activity could still be coming. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Are Suddenly Linked To A Blockbuster Move They Can't Ignore
The Seahawks have already made one notable move to strengthen the offense by bringing in guard Quenton Nelson, and now another name is popping up around their plans: Saquon Barkley. With Philadelphias direction suddenly under a brighter spotlight after a pair of losses, the possibility of the Eagles considering bigger roster decisions has opened the door to speculation, and Barkleys recent production and accolades only make the idea more intriguing for teams looking for an immediate difference-maker.
For Seattle, the appeal is obvious. A back like Barkley would change the shape of the offense and give the Seahawks another elite option to lean on if they were to get serious about making a push. Nothing is official, and there has been no confirmation of any trade or even direct word from either side, but this is the kind of potential blockbuster that would force Seattle to at least explore what it would take to get involved. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks O-Line Debate Comes Down To One Thing This Unit Lacks
Seattles offensive line is still being viewed through the same lens it has all season: a group built more for movement than brute force. The Seahawks have leaned into agility and space up front, but the conversation around the unit keeps circling back to whether it has enough edge when games call for body blows in the middle of the field.
Anthony Bradford stands out as the one starter who brings a more physical, aggressive element, the sort of presence that can help turn inside runs into something sturdier. Against the Chiefs, Seattle kept coming back to the run game between the tackles, and Emanuel Wilsons 4.2 yards per carry offered at least some proof that the approach can work, even if the bigger question about what this line still lacks remains very much in play. [Read more 🡒]