Yahoo Labels Four Seahawks As “Underrated” Ahead Of 2022 NFL Season

The Seattle Seahawks are preparing to head into the 2022 NFL season with several new faces as well as key starters returning from injury. Tim Weaver of Yahoo Sports ranks his top-four underrated players on the Seattle Seahawks roster heading into training camp and the upcoming season. Making the cut are safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, defensive tackle Shelby Harris and outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.

Weaver starts out by highlighting Adams, the team’s dynamic safety entering his third season in Seattle. In 12 games in 2021, Adams notched 87 combined tackles, 5 pass deflections and 2 interceptions.

“It may help fans not to think of Adams as a traditional safety – and Clint Hurtt and Sean Desai can help by not putting Adams into situations where he is less suited to thrive. Specifically, dropping Adams into coverage against athletic tight ends and shifty slot receivers is setting him up to fail. Letting Adams roam free around the box to wreak havoc on the opponent’s backfield is setting him up for success.”

The Seahawks acquired outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu in March via free agency. The 2018 Chargers second-round selection notched 40 combined tackles, 5 sacks and an interception in 2021 for Los Angeles. In July, Nwosu was selected to represent the Seahawks and his Nigerian roots as part of NFL Africa.

Nwosu doesn’t put up eye-popping traditional pass rush numbers, either. He totaled five sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 30 pressures in 2021 and most stars at this position put up bigger numbers than that. Nwosu deserves more attention though because he’s one of the best all-around outside linebackers in the NFL – a classic jack of all trades. He plays tight coverage for his position, can rush the passer and excels at getting his hands into passing lanes.

Nwosu is the kind of contributor who flies under the radar but helps your team win those one-score games that ultimately decide who makes the playoffs and who goes home early.

Seahawks defensive tackle Shelby Harris first visited team facilities in 2016, testing the waters in free agency. The 2014 seventh-round selection by then-Oakland Raiders out of Illinois State met with the team, but failed to ink a deal, signing with the New York Jets. On March 16, the Seahawks and Denver Broncos came to agreements on a deal to send quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos in exchange for tight end Noah Fant, quarterback Drew Lock, Harris and multiple draft picks. Weaver goes into detail on why Harris can add surprising depth to a solid Seahawks interior defensive line.

“Bringing Harris in might seem like overkill for an interior rotation that already has two very-solid starters in Al Woods and Poona Ford. However, doubling down on that strength is actually a good idea – especially considering Harris’ ability to impact the passing game. Not only can Harris get to the QB, he has a talent for getting his hands up into passing lanes for pass breakups. Like Nwosu, Harris is an exceptional all-around defender who will make his team better even if you won’t get a meme out of it.”

Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs put together his best statistical season of his career in 2021 before suffering injury in the season finale. Diggs notched 94 combined tackles, while going for his second-consecutive 5 interception season. For this, Diggs ranked No.77 on the NFL’s Top-100 players of 2021 list, and No.9 on Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar’s Top-Safety list.

Weaver keeps it brief on why Diggs deserves more stuff.

“Since coming over in a trade with the Lions, Diggs has arguably performed as the single best ball-hawking safety in football. The interception numbers speak for themselves, but Diggs also isn’t gambling for turnovers the way some other DBs who will remain nameless do. Perhaps the biggest reason why Diggs remains underrated is because much of his best work doesn’t make it into the box score – or even the broadcast angle on TV. The truth is he plays the deep-third of the field as well as anyone in the league right now. End of story.”

Read more on Weaver’s underrated list here.