Mike Vorel: Seahawks were quiet at NFL trade deadline, but offense has all it needs

SEATTLE — The Seahawks offense has all it needs.

That’s despite a quiet NFL trade deadline day, as Seattle stood pat, apparently convinced its roster can contend for a second consecutive Super Bowl title. General manager John Schneider already made perhaps the cycle’s (literally) biggest cannonball, acquiring future Hall of Fame left guard Quenton Nelson two weeks ago for a pair of draft picks.

But considering Nelson’s knee issue, Seattle’s precarious quarterback health and a lukewarm 5-4 first half, could the Seahawks have benefited from further additions?

The short answer: sure. They could have used another proven, complementary wide receiver, given Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s titanic target share. Technically, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year is receiving an almost identical percentage of his team’s total targets (35.7%) as when the Seahawks won a Super Bowl in 2025 (35.8%). And yet, the uncoverable 24-year-old constant has reeled in 71 passes for 1,036 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, on pace for career highs in each category.

Though Smith-Njigba keeps climbing, his fellow targets can’t say the same.

We’re looking at tight end AJ Barner and wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed and Tory Horton, each of whom was less productive in the season’s first half. Shaheed, who Schneider dealt for at the deadline a season ago, remains out because of a knee issue and has yet to become a consistent cog in Seattle’s offense.

Given the unconvincing first impression for first-year offensive coordinator and play-caller Brian Fleury, the injury issues at quarterback and running back, the unreliable running game and the absence of supporting targets, the results shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The Seahawks sit 17th out of 32 NFL teams in total offense (327.8 yards per game) and 18th in scoring (22.4 points per game). They are agonizingly average, a rickety rocket ship tied to a shooting star.

The question is whether it’s a talent issue, a Fleury issue or a combination of both.

Another wide receiver would have helped, and it’s not as if there weren’t any available. Fellow contenders San Francisco (Keenan Allen) and Kansas City (Josh Downs) turned to Indianapolis Colts interim GM Ed Dodds (a former longtime Seahawks staffer) to replenish their wide-receiver rooms.

The Seahawks didn’t.

So, I can understand why a 12 would feel unsatisfied after Tuesday’s trade deadline came and went.

But to reiterate: the Seahawks offense has all it needs.

Because it doesn’t need a prodigious passing attack to repeat. With a dependably dominant defense, it needs to avoid active implosions. That means building a more reliably clock-killing, grinding running game, and the improving tandem of Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price can carry that load. We saw as much in the Seahawks’ 17-3 victory over Arizona on Sunday, when Charbonnet towed tacklers for 77 rushing yards and 4.8 yards per carry, and Price added four catches for 54 yards.

That’s a small sample size. It’s also a sensible expectation. I expect Fleury’s feel to improve as he settles into a new position. I expect Charbonnet and Price to benefit from keeping each other fresh while gaining momentum after injuries. I expect the eventual return of Nelson, an eight-time Pro Bowler, to provide an impact that outweighs short-term growing pains. I expect an improved running game to relieve pressure from quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, whoever settles in as Seattle’s starter.

I expect Smith-Njigba to command a titanic target share … as he absolutely should.

To quote Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald after a 20-3 win over Kansas City last month: “You’d be crazy not to try to make him the primary (option) on as many concepts as you can.”

Fleury is not crazy. But a more seasoned coordinator and a more available Darnold, Nelson, Shaheed, etc., don't necessarily equate to a transformed Seahawks offense. That’s OK. In their five victories, the Seahawks committed three total turnovers. In their four losses, they committed 11.

Don’t forget what Macdonald’s defense has done. Despite the losses and head-scratching red-zone struggles, the Seahawks lead the NFL in total defense (244.2 yards allowed per game) and opponent yards per play (4.1). They’re surrendering fewer yards, by far, than they did a year ago.

It isn’t pretty, but the Seahawks will win plenty of races — provided their offense doesn’t pepper the track with land mines.

When asked how far that formula can take them, Smith-Njigba said a few weeks ago: “We can win a lot of games. We can be the best in the league, of course. That’s something we preach, playing complementary football in all three phases. That’s who we are.”

Is it still who they are? With Seattle sitting outside the playoff picture, that remains to be seen. Fleury must prove he can effectively maximize his personnel. Darnold/Lock must prove they can deliver (again) and avoid disaster. Charbonnet and Price must prove they’re the two-headed monster Schneider envisioned when he let Kenneth Walker III walk. The Seahawks’ reconstructed offensive line and complementary targets must prove they can be better than they’ve been.

There’s plenty to prove, and I would have preferred Schneider part with one of his 11 2027 draft picks to add a playmaker. But enough pieces are in place.

Given this defense’s dominance, and this roster’s pedigree, there are no excuses. With or without another No. 3 receiver, the Seahawks’ championship expectations haven’t changed.

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