RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks open the 2022 regular season against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 12.
There's plenty to be sorted out roster-wise before Russell Wilson makes his much-anticipated return to Lumen Field on Monday Night Football. The Seahawks don't know whether Drew Lock or Geno Smith will be their starter, and based on Pete Carroll's comments about how they're in "good shape" at quarterback, it sounds like they're content letting their current options battle it out for now.
But will that change if Lock and Smith falter and Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield becomes a free agent?
The other big question is in Seattle's backfield, with no word yet on whether Chris Carson will return from neck surgery.
QUARTERBACK (2): Geno Smith, Drew Lock
Some inside the Virginia Mason Athletic Center believe Lock's talent will win out, but Smith is still in the pole position, having taken the first-team reps during OTAs and minicamp. Carroll will weigh preseason games heavily when determining the winner, as he did 10 years ago when Wilson beat out Matt Flynn. The Seahawks have typically carried only two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, but they might keep a third now that they no longer have a starter as durable as Wilson was for most of the past decade. Jacob Eason is currently the No. 3.
RUNNING BACK (4): Rashaad Penny, Ken Walker III, Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas
Between the nature of his injury and what Carroll has said about it, Carson's status is sounding more doubtful than questionable. For now, Penny is in the driver's seat to be the primary back after finishing last season on a tear and returning on a one-year deal. But he has a long injury history and a second-round pick in Walker vying for a share of the early-down work. Homer and Dallas are virtual locks because of what they provide on special teams and in change-of-pace backfield roles.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Freddie Swain, Dee Eskridge, Penny Hart, Bo Melton
Metcalf surprisingly skipped mandatory minicamp in an apparent statement about his unsettled contract situation. The Seahawks are still optimistic about extending him, but it doesn't seem like a slam dunk given how costly the receiver market has become. If they do get a deal done, then the top four of Metcalf, Lockett, Swain and Eskridge are set. Veteran Marquise Goodwin is among the players vying for one of the final spots.
TIGHT END (3): Will Dissly, Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson
There's a belief in the organization that whichever quarterback ends up starting for Seattle will be more inclined to throw to tight ends than Wilson was. The recent investments the Seahawks have made there -- bringing back Dissly on a larger-than-expected deal and picking up Fant's fifth-year option after acquiring him in the Wilson trade -- suggest they expect tight ends to be a bigger part of their offense. Carroll said Fant "had maybe the most spectacular camp of anybody." The Seahawks think Parkinson, a fourth-round pick in 2020, has breakout potential.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Austin Blythe, Gabe Jackson, Abraham Lucas, Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe, Dakoda Shepley, Phil Haynes
The Seahawks chose Cross ninth overall -- making him their highest draft pick since 2010 -- to replace Duane Brown at left tackle. Then they doubled up in the third round with Lucas, who's competing with Curhan and Forsythe on the right side. So the Seahawks could have two rookie starters at tackle, which is exceedingly rare. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, only two teams since 1970 have started two rookie tackles in Week 1.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Al Woods, Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, Shelby Harris, Bryan Mone, L.J. Collier
The Seahawks acquired Harris in the Wilson trade and re-signed Jefferson, who returns to Seattle after two seasons away. Collier is in a contract year, with Seattle declining the fifth-year option on its 2019 first-round pick after three underwhelming seasons.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Darrell Taylor, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Tyreke Smith, Alton Robinson
The $9.5 million average of Nwosu's two-year deal makes him Seattle's highest-paid free-agent addition under Carroll and general manager John Schneider. The Seahawks added three outside linebackers in Nwosu, Mafe (second round) and Smith (fifth round) as part of their plan to incorporate more 3-4 looks into their defense. Robinson's roster spot doesn't seem secure after a down second season in 2021.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Nick Bellore, Tanner Muse
This is the first season since 2010 that neither Bobby Wagner nor K.J. Wright is manning the middle of Seattle's defense. Barton, a 2019 third-round pick, is finally getting a chance to be a full-time starter after Wagner was released. It's a step back in experience, but Barton and Brooks give the Seahawks a faster linebacker duo than they've had in recent seasons.
SAFETY (5): Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Ryan Neal, Ugo Amadi, Marquise Blair
Re-signing 29-year-old Diggs to a three-year, $39 million deal made it clear that the Seahawks aren't in full-on rebuild mode despite how it might have looked when they moved on from Wilson and Wagner. Expect Diggs and Adams to be used interchangeably and to move around more before the snap in order to disguise looks. That could help reignite Adams as a pass-rusher.
CORNERBACK (5): Sidney Jones IV, Coby Bryant, Tre Brown, Tariq Woolen, Artie Burns
It's the most wide-open position group on Seattle's defense, with no one entrenched in either of the two starting spots. Jones has the edge for one of them given his experience and the fact that he's healthy, unlike Brown, who's coming off knee surgery. Seahawks coaches have raved about Bryant's smarts and ball skills. Seattle brought back Justin Coleman to compete with Blair and Amadi at nickelback.
SPECIALIST (3): K Jason Myers, P Michael Dickson, LS Tyler Ott
The Seahawks were fifth last season in Football Outsiders DVOA ratings for special teams. That was despite an up-and-down year from Myers, who is set to make a non-guaranteed $4 million in the final year of his contract. Seattle hasn't brought in another kicker to compete for the job.