5 Bold Predictions for Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks Offensive Heading into the 2024 Season

Just two years ago, Smith took the NFL by storm, throwing a career-high 30 touchdown passes, but that number may seem trivial in the future as the veteran pocket passer lands in a perfect offense with his strengths, which Grubb has honed. Already possessing a quick release and one of the game’s best deep balls, those traits should lend themselves very well to Grubb’s aggressive passing attack, which does a good job of dealing with passers in the pocket, while the quarterback’s ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly should help to nullify the pass rush more than in previous seasons and create easy opportunities to increase his completion percentage. But where this partnership should pay off the most will be in the red zone, where Grubb has consistently orchestrated powerful drives in the opposing 20 with a knack for finishing with six scores, giving Smith his best chance yet to score multiple touchdowns.

As OTAs have shown up until the preseason finale, when he threw a 21-yard touchdown, Metcalf isn’t going anywhere as Smith’s target, and it’s possible he’ll break his own franchise record for single-season receiving yards in 2024. Still, Metcalf has never been a target receiver, doing most of his damage with explosive play as one of the league’s most dynamic deep threats. Given the tremendous success Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan have had in Grubb’s Washington offense, Smith-Njigba should take the torch as Seattle’s target-eating machine, creating problems for opponents at all three levels and standing out as a weapon on the intermediate/deep crossers. With his chemistry with Smith taking it to another level this offseason, he has a chance to explode in Year 2 and make the already potent passing arsenal even harder to slow down.

Acquired in the Russell Wilson trade two years ago, Fant hasn’t made the impact Seattle expected, at least statistically. The athletic, field-stretching tight end endured a difficult second season with the team, failing to catch a single touchdown despite playing in all 17 games, but that didn’t stop the team from re-signing him in March. While in the shadows the past two years, Washington has received quality contributions from tight ends as complementary weapons in Grubb’s offense, and Fant offers significantly more potential and overall talent than any of the tight ends who found success in Montlake. Assuming Grubb prioritizes using the former first-round pick in the red zone more than his predecessor Shane Waldron did, there should be plenty of opportunities to find the end zone since Metcalf, Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett are drawing so much attention.

Since being selected in the top 10 of the 2022 NFL Draft, Cross has been a solid mid-major starter in the league, protecting Smith’s blindside, but hasn’t taken the leap forward the franchise had hoped for, in part because of a toe injury that sidelined him last season. But working with new linebacker coach Scott Huff and benefiting from the experienced presence of new left guard Laken Tomlinson, the 23-year-old has looked like a completely different player this time around in training camp, dominating 1-on-1 drills and team sessions with a more polished all-around game, looking ready to take a junior leap toward becoming one of the NFC’s top quarterbacks. As long as he avoids the injury he suffered last year, under Huff’s tutelage and Tomlinson’s guidance, the sky should continue to be the limit for the immensely talented quarterback who was on the cusp of a breakthrough.

Despite all the weapons Seattle had under Smith, partly due to injuries and inconsistent play on offense, the Seahawks finished 17th in scoring offense after being a top-10 seed in 2022, taking an unexpected dip. At the center of those disappointing results that fell far short of expectations, there were few teams worse at sustaining and finishing plays, as the team finished 23rd in third-down conversion rate, dead last in time of possession and 26th in red-zone touchdown rate. Fortunately, with most of the same talented lineup back, Grubb brings a rich history of building offenses that thrive in a variety of situations, including leading Washington to the No. 1 overall third-down conversion rate in the FBS in 2022. Those accomplishments, combined with Smith’s ideal skill set for his offense, a pair of dynamic running backs, and an offensive line that’s expected to be at least slightly better, should yield much more fruit on third down and in the red zone, which could elevate Seattle back into the top 10 in scoring in the blink of an eye.