A major focus for the Seahawks this offseason has been upgrading their offense, with the latest piece coming this week, as the Seahawks traded for former Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr. Winslow is a solid force at tight end, catching over 65 balls for over 700 yards in each of the last three years. He will provide a solid outlet to whoever ends up under center when the ‘Hawks start the season.
Winslow’s dad, Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, Sr, was happy with the outcome for his son.
“This came out of the blue (Monday) that the trade was going to be going down,” Winslow Sr. said. “I was hoping he would be traded someplace that had the possibility of making the playoffs. He was happy. He knew Coach (Pete) Carroll from his days of being recruited to USC. So there is knowledge there.”
“I think it will be a good fit,” Winslow Sr added. He also commented that he thinks the change in scenery will work well for his son, pointing out that, “You’re only as good as the people around you.”
Pete Carroll needed to make some wholesale changes after finishing 7-9 in each of his first two seasons. The coach who was known for the great offenses he put together at USC watched the Seahawks struggle with the 28th ranked offense in yardage this past season.
They started the offseason picking up the Great Enigma – quarterback Matt Flynn, who was one of the most sought after free agents (at least, until Peyton Manning hit the market). Flynn has just two career starts in Green Bay but played brilliantly against the Patriots and the Lions, and showed enough flashes of genius to draw attention around the league.
Then, they drafted Russell Wilson out of Wisconsin in the third round, as insurance at the quarterback position. Wilson put up stats that would have made him a guaranteed first round draft pick but for one small number. He threw for over 11,000 yards at Wisconsin, with 109 touchdowns. His senior year, he completed 72.8 percent of his passes for 3,175 yards with 33 touchdowns and just 4 INTs, drawing comparisons to Drew Brees. The only number holding him back was 70… as in inches, which is his height. NFL scouts still love a 6-foot-4 quarterback and at 5-foot-10, Wilson fell to the third round, no matter what Brees does to show that it’s not strictly about height.
The Seahawks also added running back Robert Turbin in the fourth round, whose 1500 yards and 19 TD senior season showed him having the capability to take some of the load off Beast Mode, aka Marshawn Lynch. Lynch rushed for over 1,200 yards last season, but there was a significant drop off after that. No other Seahawk broke 250 yards.
Now with the addition Winslow, they have added key pieces to take that offense to the next level, and hopefully put together a playoff run for Seattle. With a potential three-way quarterback battle looming in camp, and a revitalized offense around the position, they will be one of the more interesting teams to watch as we move through training camp.
