Super Sam in Seattle

(Image via Edwin Hooper/Seattle Seahawks)

By: Lucas Kochevar

One of the better storylines from last season was the resurgence of Sam Darnold in Minnesota. The former 2nd overall pick found his way to Minnesota and when rookie J.J. McCarthy went down with an injury, Darnold was cemented as the starter. With that, he joined the likes of Baker Mayfield and Alex Smith as guys that left where they were originally drafted and thrived. Darnold fit in Kevin O’Connoll’s offense like a glove and earned a big payday in Seattle.

Darnold now finds himself with an interesting career ahead of him in a place that has been fairly consistent for the better part of a decade. The best part of this fit in Seattle is that Darnold should run a similar offense with play caller Klint Kubiak. It’s also not the first time that Seattle has been the spot for a failed Jets quarterback as they parted ways with Geno Smith this past offseason. 

The infrastructure that Darnold is walking into should be a dream scenario for any quarterback. The Seahawks weapons on the outside include Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. JSN finally saw his breakout last season in his role. With his play, the Seahawks finally felt comfortable moving on from DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Along with the receiving weapons, he has Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet behind him as a lightning and thunder duo.

The biggest concern for Sam and co. has to be the offensive line as they allowed 54 sacks, which tied for 30th in the league. If there’s anything Darnold needs, it’s protection. Unfortunately for him, he was exposed too many times at the end of last year after teams just blitzed him to death. He would look like a shell of himself too many times when he had to play from behind or saw pressure last season. If they can figure out the protection for him in Seattle, the Seahawks could be a sneaky team in the NFC. ​