The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos, sending Russell Wilson away in exchange for several draft picks and three players in return.
To learn more about the newest members of the team, we spoke with Jon Heath, managing editor of Broncos Wire. Here are a few questions he answered about the deal.
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That they can win the division, 10 without a doubt. I’m not necessarily predicting they will win the division, but they’ve certainly got a chance. Ever since Peyton Manning retired, the Broncos have had a good enough defense to compete in the division but have been let down by underwhelming QB play. Now that they’ve got not just a good QB but a great QB, Denver can contend not just in the division but in the AFC as a whole.
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I think they’re very unlikely to re-sign him, in part because Bridgewater would probably like to go somewhere where he would at least have a shot to compete for a starting job, perhaps with a rookie. Bridgewater was OK, but he wasn’t the long-term answer. The Broncos will thank him and wish him well.
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I’m sorry, I’m not the one to ask about this. Strangely, there’s a very loud part of Broncos Country that absolutely adored Lock and believed nothing was ever his fault and he never got a real shot. So those fans will tell you that he has tons of upside and just needs a chance.
I will tell you that he does have a strong arm, and he is gutsy. But unlike the Lock stans, I have concerns about his ability to be a starter in the league. Lock is way too turnover-prone (both with interceptions and fumbles) and outside of one or two games, he never put up many points. He was too reckless.
I will say this, though: Lock started the final three games of the 2021 season when Bridgewater was injured and Denver had a run-heavy attack, perhaps similar to what Seattle plans to do in 2022. The Broncos were competitive in those games and Lock can manage a run-oriented offense. Just don’t count on him to win a game by himself.
He’s one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the NFL. Broncos fans joked that he has the “best hands in the league” because he’s so good at batting down passes at the line of scrimmage and he has also blocked multiple kicks. He’ll also generate some pressure as a pass rusher and he’s solid against the run, too. I’m sure Denver wasn’t itching to trade him away, but the fact that he’s turning 31 might have softened the blow a little for the Broncos. Harris still has plenty of gas left in the tank and he should be an excellent defender for Seattle.
He’s probably a top-10 tight end in the NFL right now. He’s a young, promising player with very impressive speed. Seattle should look to take advantage of that. When Lock started the majority of Denver’s games in 2020, Fant caught 63 passes for 673 yards and three TDs, pretty respectable numbers for a TE. Broncos fans always felt that he was on the verge of a breakout and underutilized by ex-offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Perhaps that breakout will happen with the Seahawks.
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Based on the tape, Seattle got a plus backup at best.
What might the market look like for Wagner?
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