Key offseason questions for Seahawks after Shane Waldron hired as offensive coordinator

As of Tuesday night, reports revealed that the Seattle Seahawks are due to hire Los Angeles Rams game coordinator Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator to replace Brian Schottenheimer. It had been a long two-week period for many fans who were aware of all the names related to the team and were riding the roller coaster of emotions from top to bottom. Assuming the Hawks actually hire Waldron, that opens up a whole host of questions about the future of the Seattle attack for 2021, so here are a few.

What will happen with the offensive line?

That’s a huge question, and while the answer is important, perhaps more importantly, how the team is meeting their staffing needs along the offensive line in the coming weeks could shed significant light. on how the team plan to throw the ball in 2020. Under Brian Schottenheimer, offensive line coach Mike Solari had assembled a group of massive and crippling offensive linemen, especially on the inside.

However, while huge, many of the offensive linemen who have occupied the inside of Seattle’s offensive line in recent seasons weren’t the most agile individuals. Whether you want to watch DJ Fluker, Mike Iupati, Jordan Simmons, Kyle Fuller or Damien Lewis, all of the linemen Solari brought in were tall and powerful. That said, they weren’t exactly explosive or floating, which might initially prevent Waldron if his goal is to use a wide area-based racing system like Sean McVay does.

That’s not all fatal on the subject, as the Hawks certainly have the base of a line that can play in a wide zone system to Duane Brown, Brandon Shell, Phil Haynes and Lewis. However, how they plan to deal with the depth of the offensive line for 2021 during the offseason may shed light on how the offensive works going forward.

The Rams are a running team, so Seattle is going to keep running, right?

One of the great things observers quickly brought up about the Rams was that their offense is built around the running game, and in particular Los Angeles was near the bottom of the league in terms of passing frequency during the tenure. by Waldron.

The dropback rate, however, can be misleading. Much like the stats that show playoff teams are often near the top of the league in a rush, it’s often the result of playoff teams running a lot because they are winning. The same goes for the Rams during Waldron’s four seasons with the team, as in neutral situations (first and second with game outcome uncertain), the Rams were the fifth happiest team in the league.

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Where exactly the Seahawks fall into this category next year will be interesting. It’s no secret that Pete Carroll seems to prefer being closer to the bottom of the list, while chef Russell Wilson seems to prefer being closer to the top. Fans and watchers can speculate whatever they want, and they sure will over the next seven and a half months, but no one outside of VMAC is likely to have a big idea until September 12.

What does this mean for wide receivers?

Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are probably not going anywhere and are expected to occupy the top two spots in 2021. Behind them, however, is where things will get interesting. There have been flashes of David Moore and Phillip Dorsett both flashed at times in their careers, but neither have extensive experience practicing or playing as a wide in the West Coast offense. . This is important because of a fact that sets West Coast Offense apart from the Air Coryell or Erhardt-Perkins offense that Dorsett and Moore have played in during their careers.

Digging into the full meaning of this is an article entirely in itself, and it will happen at some point. However, in the meantime suffice to say that when discussing the options for third in wide receivers during the offseason, the team could focus on free agents who have spent time playing in West Coast Offense. It’s certainly no guarantee that Moore or Dorsett will be on the outside, but it won’t be a surprise if Waldron looks to bring in a player more familiar with McVay’s system.

It remains to be seen whether that means a return for former Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson, bringing in Josh Reynolds from the Rams, or diving into restricted free agency to prosecute the Kansas City Chiefs’ Byron Pringle.

There will be, of course, many more questions for fans and watchers in the weeks and months to come. The way the team responds to some of the staff questions could go a long way in answering what the attack on the pitch might look like next season.