The Seahawks didn’t exactly sail through Week 4, but they did what good teams have to do: they found a way. Now the real measuring stick arrives in Week 5, with Seattle facing a 4-0 49ers team and a much clearer picture of which Seahawks can be trusted when the margin gets tight.
One name sits at the top of that list without much debate: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He didn’t post a monster alpha outing against the Chargers, but that’s part of the point.
Through three weeks, JSN had 38 percent of Seattle’s targets. In Week 4, that dipped to six of 22 targets, or 27 percent.
His share of the receiving production also came down a touch, from 49 percent of Seattle’s receiving yards through Week 3 to 45 percent after the Chargers game. Even so, he remains the Seahawks’ most reliable pass-catching weapon.
It also mattered that, for the second time this season, someone besides Smith-Njigba found the end zone through the air. Seattle can’t function as a one-man show, and JSN seems to understand that better than anyone.
Ernest Jones IV belongs in the same trust tier, and the box score from last week explains why. He finished with 12 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one sack, one pass defense, and a 20-yard interception return that slammed the door on any Chargers comeback.
That kind of all-over-the-field production would be impressive any week. The surprising part is that it has become the expectation.
Rashid Shaheed is climbing fast, even if he hasn’t quite reached the top tier yet. He finally made his presence felt in Week 4, and there’s clearly more room for Seattle to use him. The upside is obvious, especially if the Seahawks keep looking for ways to move him around and get him opportunities in space.
On the steady side of things, Nehemiah Pritchett has gone from afterthought to real contributor. He entered the season looking like a candidate to become the poster child for wasted draft picks, but the early returns have been much better than that.
Through four weeks, opposing quarterbacks have managed only a 48.3 rating when targeting him, and Pro Football Focus ranks him seventh among all cornerbacks in the league. Not bad company for a player who was easy to overlook in August.
Emanuel Wilson also earns a spot among the dependable pieces. Seattle didn’t get much going on the ground in Week 3, but Wilson responded with a performance that helped restore some balance. He’s not Kenneth Walker, and nobody is pretending otherwise, but he has given the offense a useful answer at a position where depth matters.
The offensive guard situation is still unsettled, with Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens essentially locked in a shared audition. Last week, Haynes handled the first and third quarters while Stephens took the second and fourth. The coaching staff still appears to be sorting out who can take hold of the right guard job left open by Anthony Bradford, and neither player has separated from the pack yet.
That leaves George Holani in a rough spot. With Zach Charbonnet out to start the season and Jadarian Price now on injured reserve, Holani has had chances to claim a bigger role.
Instead, his grip is slipping. He already has as many carries this year as he had all of last season, but the production has barely moved, from 3.3 yards per carry last year to 3.2 this season.
Bradford’s status is even murkier. Injury or not, the competition at right guard is real, and his standing is fragile.
He was ranked 70th out of 81 guards by PFF last season, and while his run blocking has been strong this year, his pass-blocking grade is just 3.1. Seattle still needs more from him, and this would be the right time to show it.
In Other News...
Seahawks May Have Found The Fastest Fix For Rashid Shaheed
Rashid Shaheeds early return in the passing game has been modest through four games, but the Seahawks may already be searching for a faster way to get him involved. Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury gave him a couple of rushing attempts in a recent game, and one of them turned into a 28-yard touchdown run, a reminder that Shaheeds speed can change the feel of a possession in a hurry.
That kind of usage points to a possible shift in how Seattle wants to deploy him, with a gadget-style role that leans on his quickness more than his route volume. The comparison to Deebo Samuel is obvious enough in concept, but the bigger question is whether Shaheed can keep turning those touches into real production if the Seahawks keep dialing up plays for him this way. [Read more 🡒]
Marvin Harrison Jr. Drama Leaves Cardinals Offense In A Tough Spot
The NFC West keeps offering little bits of drama, and this week it starts with the Cardinals. Marvin Harrison Jr. has hired agents and is expected to be traded soon, a development that only adds more uncertainty to an Arizona offense already trying to find its footing in a division where every week seems to bring a new twist.
For the Seahawks, it is another reminder that the path through the West rarely stays clean for long. Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV recently commented on a players-only meeting held to address team matters, while San Francisco is still waiting on Nick Bosa to return from a calf injury and could get Mykel Williams back for his season debut against Seattle. The division keeps shifting around them, and the ripple effects are impossible to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Backfield Injuries Just Put One Newcomer In The Spotlight
The Seahawks have had to reinforce their backfield depth at just the right moment, adding Robert Henry Jr. and Dontae McMillan as injuries continue to thin out the running back room. Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price are both dealing with injury issues, and the timing matters with Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers coming up fast.
Henry arrived from the Washington Commanders' practice squad and could be in line to help sooner rather than later, giving Seattle another fresh option as it sorts through the backfield. McMillan is on the ready squad for now, but with local ties and a previous stint with the Seahawks, his return adds a familiar name to a position group that suddenly needs a little more stability. [Read more 🡒]