Sam Darnold's Seahawks Aren't Even Close to Being the Worst Team in the NFL Right Now

Look, we've got plenty to worry about in Seattle this offseason. But before you spiral into another "rebuild year" panic, let's zoom out and see where the Seahawks actually sit in the broader NFL landscape. Spoiler: we're not the Jets.

A new power ranking just dropped for the pre-draft NFL, and it's a brutal reality check for 31 other franchises. The New York Jets landed dead last at 32, and honestly, it's hard to argue. They've got a bad coach, a roster that isn't any better than it was last year, and they're banking on aging vets like Geno Smith, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Demario Davis to be the foundation of a winning team. That's not a foundation. That's a house built on sand. And they're in a division with two powerhouses while playing two of the toughest divisions in football this year, AFCW and NFCN. Yeah, they've got draft capital (picks 2, 16, 33, 44, 103, 140, 179, 228, 242), but it might not matter.

The AFC's Basement is Crowded and Deep

Right behind the Jets at 31, you've got the Arizona Cardinals in a near coin flip situation. They at least made smarter free agency moves than New York with Seumalo and Allgeier, but not having a QB is basically a death sentence. Then the Miami Dolphins at 30, which is basically a full reset year for them. They're drowning in dead money, stuck in a hard division, and have a new head coach in Jeff Hafley who probably gets one year to just not completely implode.

The Cleveland Browns sit at 29. Sure, the defense is still solid and they did some work on the offensive line in free agency, but they're stuck with roughly 10 QBs who aren't worth a damn, no true number one receiver, and no left tackle. That's a trio of problems that's hard to solve in one offseason. The Las Vegas Raiders are at 28 after that Crosby trade blew up in their face, though they at least went all in during free agency with moves like the Linderbaum contract and adding Nakobe Dean and Kwity Paye.

Tennessee's Got Promise but Needs Something Special

The Tennessee Titans sit at 27 with Ward as the most promising QB prospect to appear on this list so far. The problem is that outside of a few standout players, the roster is basically full of 82/100 guys. You need a 90 overall somewhere, and right now they're not built that way. They've got the draft picks to fix the offense, but it's going to take work.

The point? The Seahawks, with Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp aren't anywhere near this level of dysfunction. Mike Macdonald's got a real shot to turn things around, and the roster isn't nearly as broken as some of these other squads. That should feel pretty good right about now.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.