Tag: Uchenna Nwosu

Best and worst PFF grades for the Seahawks from Week 1

Here are the top and bottom five grades on both sides of the ball for Seattle this week according to the Pro Football Focus grades.

The Seahawks may be 1-0 in our hearts, but they’ve started off the 2023 season with an 0-1 record after getting creamed by the Rams yesterday. The worst of it came on the back end of their defense, where a secondary that was supposed to be this unit’s strength was whooped by Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua in the absence of Cooper Kupp. However, they did get some strong performances from their linebacker corps, both inside and out.

Here are the top and bottom five grades on both sides of the ball for Seattle this week according to the Pro Football Focus grades.

Pete Carroll says Seahawks ‘lost our minds a little bit’ on Sunday

Ultimately, it’s on Carroll to keep control of his troops in the heat of the moment so this particular failure is on him.

The turning point for the Seahawks in their Week 1 loss to the Rams seemed to be a missed field goal in the second quarter. Jason Myers connected on his first two field goal attempts of the game, but on that occasion he missed a gimme from 39 yards out that doinked off the right goal post.

Whatever wind they had in their sails seemed to evaporate after that and Seattle came out completely flat in the second half. By contrast, the Rams came out of the locker room highly motivated and ran up the score 23-0 until the final whistle.

Along the way, Tyler Lockett took a shot to the head, both Charles Cross and Abe Lucas went down and Seattle’s offense totally imploded. Meanwhile, Bobby Wagner and Uchenna Nwosu tried to stop the bleeding on the other end, but it was no use as the Seahawks defense got torched over the middle again and again on crossing routes by Matt Stafford and two no-name receivers. Things finally boiled over in the fourth quarter when wide receiver DK Metcalf had a meltdown jawing with Rams defensive backs.

After it was all over, head coach Pete Carroll admitted his team lost their composure, per Mike Dugar at the Athletic.

“We lost our minds a little bit… That shows you the frustration based on the expectations that we were gonna be better and not be in that situation. I don’t like seeing us like that — that looks terrible.”

Ultimately, it’s on Carroll to keep control of his troops in the heat of the moment so this particular failure is on him.

We expect this team to bounce back and at least make it very interesting in Detroit next weekend. However, in the bigger picture, it’s becoming increasingly clear each season that when Sean McVay has anything close to a full deck Carroll and his Seahawks are simply no match for him.

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6 key players the Seahawks should rest during the 2023 preseason

There are some guys who they should be keeping in bubble wrap until the regular season begins.

The Seahawks will be kicking off their first preseason game of the year on Thursday night against the Vikings. While these exhibition contests are a great way to evaluate rookies and players on the roster bubble, teams are rightfully getting more careful about protecting the most-critical pieces on their rosters during this time. Some teams even refrain from playing their starters entirely during the month of August.

Seattle doesn’t need to go that far, but there are some guys who they should be keeping in bubble wrap until the regular season begins. Here are six players who are too important to risk injuring during something as stupid as a preseason game.

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Pete Carroll says Boye Mafe ‘probably’ most improved player from last year

Looking ahead, Mafe should be seeing the field a lot more in 2023.

The Seahawks defense was atrocious last year in a lot of ways. While their secondary did a solid job locking down the back end, Seattle’s defensive front-seven struggled against the run, could not get pressure and only had one consistent high performer throughout the season.

Good news: Bobby Wagner is back in the center of the defense, and the entire interior defensive line has been turned over with an eye on improving against the run. If they can get a couple of their younger edge rushers to step up, it’ll go a long way towards boosting the pass rush, as well.

Perhaps the biggest x-factor on that score is second-year outside linebacker Boye Mafe. One of the most athletic players on the team, Mafe showed a ton of promise in his preseason debut last year but didn’t see many snaps during the regular season. Looking ahead, Mafe should be seeing the field a lot more in 2023.

For one thing, Alton Robinson is now out of the picture, having been waived just before training camp began. The Seahawks have added another second-round pick in Derick Hall, However, Mafe has a full year’s worth of experience on him and should be higher on the depth chart – at least at the start of the regular season.

Mafe has a fan in head coach Pete Carroll, who says he’s probably the most-improved player on the team from last year.

Mafe will likely not be part of the starting defense Week 1. Uchenna Nwosu is locked in as a starter on the other side, and for now Darrell Taylor is still ahead of Mafe in the pecking order.

While Taylor posted 9.5 sacks last season he’s been a liability against the run and his pressure has been inconsistent. If Mafe can show he’s a better run stopper and match Taylor’s potential as a pass rusher he could surpass him sooner rather than later.

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NFL contract extensions graded from best to worst

While no one should ever qualm at a player getting his money, there were deals that made sense for both the player and team, while others that felt a bit overzealous. 

There must be money burning holes in the pockets of NFL owners in July, because we have seen several players get big-time contract extensions over the last two weeks.

While no one should ever qualm at a player getting his money, there were deals that made sense for both the player and team, while others that felt a bit overzealous.

Seahawks cap space update after Uchenna Nwosu, Quandre Diggs moves

John Schneider’s cap wizardry continued this year

The Seattle Seahawks have routinely proven themselves to be one of the better managed franchises in the NFL, especially with John Schneider at the helm. One aspect they’ve been especially good at is keeping financial flexibility and avoiding “salary cap Hell” with far too many bloated contracts.

Schneider’s cap wizardry continued this year. Not only did they extend linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to a new three-year deal, but they also restructured safety Quandre Diggs’ contract.

Keeping two of your better players happy is always a win, but these new and re-worked deals come with other benefits. The real victory here is the added cap space Seattle how has. Over the Cap has the Seahawks with $16,054,017 in cap space, the 11th most in the league right now.

Having this kind of increased financial flexibility will allow Seattle some “dry powder” in case they want to make another move, either before the season or during.

I firmly believe the Seahawks have re-opened the Super Bowl window for them, especially when considering how winnable the NFC appears to be. Perhaps one more splashy move – particularly on the defensive line – could get this team truly over the hump.

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Former Trojan Uchenna Nwosu signs 3-year extension with Seattle Seahawks

Uchenna Nwosu and Pete Carroll are going to be together in Seattle for the next few years. #USC

Uchenna Nwosu and Pete Carroll just feels right, doesn’t it? Nwosu, the 26-year-old former USC edge rusher, has signed a deal to remain with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal is worth three years up to $59 million, including $32 million guaranteed for the former Trojan according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Per Schefter, the deal was confirmed to him by agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha of Rosenhaus Sports Representation.

Nwosu, an outside linebacker, was a bright spot on Seattle’s defense last year. The 2022 NFL season marked the Seahawks’ first season utilizing a 3-4 defensive front under defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt. Though the defense had its problems last year, Nwosu was a consistently stellar performer after joining the Seahawks following four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

In 17 games in 2022, Nwosu made 9.5 sacks, 66 combined tackles, 26 quarterback hits, 12 tackles, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries – all career-high marks. He also had four passes defensed, which tied a career-high.

Nwosu played at USC from 2014 to 2017, capping his Trojan career by earning first-team All-Pac-12 recognition. The Los Angeles Chargers originally selected Nwosu with the No. 48 pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft.

Nwosu and Pete Carroll have a chance to form a winning combination in the Pacific Northwest.

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Seahawks make flurry of moves heading into 2023 training camp

Here’s a quick review of all the moves the team has made so far this week.

The Seattle Seahawks have made a flurry of moves over the last couple of days, freeing up some salary cap space for the 2023 NFL season and filling out the rest of their 90-man roster.

Here’s a quick review of all the moves the team has made so far this week.

4 Seahawks players who could be next in line for contract extensions

Now that Nwosu has been taken care of, let’s see who else might be in line for an extension in the coming months.

The Seattle Seahawks rewarded one of their top contributors from the 2022 season last night, signing outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to a lucrative three-year contract extension. Now that Nwosu has been taken care of, let’s see who else might be in line for an extension in the coming months.

Here are four players who could get paid in 2023 or 2024, depending on how things go.

Uchenna Nwosu, Seahawks agree to 3-year contract extension

Nwosu was set to have a cap number of $13,010,000 this year.

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a three-year contract extension with their underrated top outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. His new deal includes $32 million in guaranteed money and he can reach up to $59 million in total earnings if he reaches all his incentives.

It’s a well earned deal for Nwosu, as the 26 year old edge was Seattle’s most-consistent defender last season from start to finish. He was also arguably their only reliable starter for the team’s defensive front seven.

We don’t have year-by-year numbers as of yet. However, we do know Nwosu was set to have a cap number of $13,010,000 this year.

That will obviously be much lower on his new deal. According to Over the Cap, the Seahawks can save $5,336,000 in cap space by extending Nwosu’s contract.

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