3 Seattle Seahawks players had outstanding seasons in 2022
The Seattle Seahawks' season was so up and down that a team that some predicted would win no more than 5 games finished with 9 (but at points appeared as though they could have won 12 or lost 12). This team's success this season was a result of their making the playoffs in a season when no one expected it and having a youthful group that should improve moving forward.
But which guys had outstanding seasons in the end that the typical NFL fan would not have followed?
#3. Jason Myers, Kicker
The deal Jason Myers has will keep him in Seattle for several more seasons. Myers was slated to become a free agent this summer, but the Seahawks moved quickly to re-sign him before he could enter the market, and Myers is fully deserving of the money. Myers has a contract with the Seahawks through 2026, with a cap hit of $5,275,000 on average annually.
34 of the 37 field goal tries and 41 of the 42 extra point attempts that Myers attempted this year were successful. With a long of 56 yards, he was 6 for 6 beyond 50 yards. In Seattle's Wild Card loss against the 49ers, Myers also converted his lone field goal attempt, which he made from a distance of 56 yards.Additionally, Myers will still be in the prime of his kicking career at 32 years old when the 2023 season gets underway.
Myers' 2022 Pro Bowl appearance was his first since 2018. He earned the right to succeed in 2020 after making all 24 of his field goal attempts. The Seahawks' kicking game is unaffected as long as Myers is on the club.
#2. Uchenna Nwosu, Linebacker
Nwosu was a reliable player before he was signed as a free agent last offseason from the LA Chargers. Nwosu has a career-high of five sacks, seventeen quarterback hits, and eight tackles for loss prior to 2022. Nwosu easily surpassed all of those numbers with the Seahawks this season. With 9.5 sacks, Nwosu was tied for the team lead. He also had the most tackles for loss (12) and quarterback hits (26) on the team.
While Nwosu had a few more sacks in the first half of the season (7 of them came in Week 9 or earlier), he had less quarterback hits, as 11 of them occurred from Week 10 on, including a combined 6 in Weeks 17 and 18. In contrast to fellow Seahawks edge rusher Darrell Taylor, Nwosu maintained a steady level of performance throughout the entire season.
Nwosu, who is only 26 years old, should still be able to play at a high level for some time. But, his current contract only keeps him in Seattle for the upcoming season. Seattle must make preparations now for how to raise the funds necessary to re-sign Nwosu in the upcoming offseason.
#1. Damien Lewis, Guard
This year, the offensive line for the Seahawks was far from ideal. Both of the offensive tackle positions were started by rookies for Seattle, and both performed reasonably well. In fact, both left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abe Lucas have a good chance of making the Pro Bowl in the future.
Damien Lewis' performance is rather underrated, despite the fact that Seattle's centre and right guard positions weren't great in 2022. Lewis had a rocky start through the first three games, but as the season went on, he improved. The four games two included some of his best performances. Lewis received Elite overall ratings from Pro Football Focus twice this season (Week 9 and Week 10).
Only 3 quarterback hits were allowed by Lewis in 634 pass protection snaps. He gave up 19 total pressures and 3 sacks, none of which are poor stats. Lewis was ranked as the NFL's 11th-best guard by Pro Football Focus at the conclusion of the regular season. This put him ahead of players like Quenton Nelson of the Colts and Elgton Jenkins of the Packers.
Lewis is a young man of only 25. When the 2023 season ends, he becomes a free agent. The core of the Seahawks offensive line, which includes Lewis, Cross, and Lucas, has to be renewed. The Seahawks only have to correct their centre and right guard spots at this point.
