Here’s a look at the Super Bowl prospects of the Seattle Seahawks, who finished the regular season 10-5-1 before losing in the divisional round:
Super Bowl barometer: The Seattle Seahawks should contend, but there are question marks.
Assessing the foundation: Stability and continuity will be buzz words for the Seahawks this offseason.
Last summer, coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider signed contract extensions. Co-directors of player personnel Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer both interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers GM job a couple weeks ago but will stay in Seattle. And the coaching staff is expected to stay intact.
In terms of the roster, only one of the Seahawks' 22 regular starters (strong-side linebacker Mike Morgan) is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.
This is a team that has made it to at least the divisional round in each of the past five seasons. There are issues to be worked out for sure, but the Seahawks have a strong foundation in place.
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin was asked what Carroll's message was after the playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
"That this isn’t the end," Baldwin said. "That the season obviously ends today, but this window of opportunity that we have doesn’t end today. We have a lot of young guys on this team. This core is coming back. And we still have opportunities."
The jury is out on the Seahawks' past two draft classes. But the team hasn't seen enough production from the players drafted in 2013 and 2014. During those two drafts, the Seahawks selected 20 players, and only one (center Justin Britt) projects to be a starter next season.
The Seahawks are still built on great drafts from 2010 to 2012. They need to continue to develop the younger players and hit on their picks in April.
Judging the quarterback: Russell Wilson is the single biggest reason to be optimistic about the Seahawks' future. As teams around the league search for answers at quarterback, Seattle doesn't have to worry about that position.
For the first time in his career, Wilson suffered significant injuries -- a right high-ankle sprain, a sprained MCL in his left knee and a strained right pectoral muscle. He deserves plenty of credit for not missing a start, but Wilson's production was not what it was a year ago.
He set a career low with a passer rating of 92.6, and because of the limited mobility, Wilson ran for a career low 259 yards.
He figures to go into 2017 with a nice group of weapons including Baldwin, tight end Jimmy Graham and running back C.J. Prosise. If the Seahawks can protect Wilson, he should have a big year.
Realistic ways the Seahawks can improve their chances to contend for a Super Bowl
Improve the offensive line. This is the most obvious one, but the Seahawks can't go into 2017 with so many question marks up front. If they want to build continuity with the current group, that's fine. But Seattle has to give itself more options -- specifically at tackle -- whether through the draft, trades or free agency.
Add depth in the secondary. Starting cornerback DeShawn Shead (restricted free agent) suffered what Carroll called a "significant" injury in the divisional round of the playoffs. Free safety Earl Thomas is coming off a broken leg, and the pass defense fell apart without him. And nickel Jeremy Lane did not have a great season. The Seahawks have to come up with a plan at right cornerback and build depth so they're better equipped to handle injuries to starters.
Bring in competition at running back. Since Marshawn Lynch's retirement, the Seahawks have found that durability can be hard to come by at the position. The coaches still like Thomas Rawls, but he battled through injuries in his second season and averaged just 3.20 yards per carry. Prosise is a talented weapon, but probably fits best in a hybrid role. This draft is said to be loaded at running back, and it would serve the Seahawks well to bring in a player who can compete for carries.