Geno Smith did a thing, and it begs the question: what does Seattle actually need in a backup quarterback?
Smith put up an impressive display once again in Seattle’s final preseason game.
His two touchdown passes in the first half were quick and clean. He’s recently returned from his small knee cyst removal, which I’m sure aids in mobility and push-off strength, but removing a cyst definitely does NOT grant the confidence to make this throw to Terry Wright. That was all Geno’s very own gusto.
GENO SMITH!@GenoSmith3 tosses a 39-yard DIME to Terry Wright! @Tlove_6 #OAKvsSEA pic.twitter.com/AudENi4lEX
— NFL (@NFL) August 30, 2019
The TD pass to Jacob Hollister was tossed through an actual, NFL-sized window, further demonstrating that Smith is not completely inept at the position. Geno threw a beautiful ball on Hollister’s back shoulder, but not so far away from him that soon-to-be-unemployed-Raider-safety could make a play from the left side.
QB Geno Smith with an 11-yard touchdown pass to TE Jacob Hollister. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/55yYtpERre
— SeahawksUnited (@SeahawksUnited_) August 30, 2019
Smith finished by completing four of only seven passes, but they averaged 25 yards per completion and left him with a 141.4 passer rating.
Last Sunday, Geno was decidedly less brilliant but still boasted a respectable completion percentage, going 11-18 against much better defenders than his five minutes of work Thursday evening.
I’ll admit to being as flabbergasted as everyone else when Paxton Lynch ran away with the lead against his former Denver Broncos. But Geno was the clear favorite since early into the quarterback competition, and many are calling an early victory for the former West Virginia standout.
It makes one wonder. Does a team in Seattle’s position really need the “winner” of the preseason QB competition to remain on the team?
Studies show that Russell Wilson misses less time than the average NFL Quarterback.
Since Monday people have been overly enthused to remind the world that John Schneider likes to make trades, in case you’re a current Seahawks fan who’s never paid attention to any past Seahawks news in the last seven years.
NEW PODCAST!
— Locked On Seahawks (@Locked_Seahawks) August 28, 2019
The #Seahawks have been known for making trades this time of year. @CorbinSmithNFL and @RobRang put their general manager hats on to explore possible deals John Schneider could make before the start of the regular season.
Listen here ->https://t.co/GcKYUqM4e8
So let’s offer one that’s not on most radars: keep the 6’7” guy who out celebrates his own receivers and will not play a minute of 2019 NFL anyway. Trade Geno for….
Backup Quarterback Value
In this regard, the biggest thing Geno Smith has going against him compared to Paxton Lynch is his draft status. Smith was taken in the second round of 2013, but to his credit EJ Manuel was the lone QB taken in the first round that year and, um, he quit. Not a great year for the quarterbacks.
First-round QBs are absurdly sought after at the moment. And nearly all the time.
21 of the 32 current QBs that are listed #1 on the depth chart are 1st round picks…that’s why guys like Lynch are currently battling here in Seattle.
Trades for hopefuls-turned-backups happen all the time. Teddy Bridgewater helped the NY Jets move from round 3 to 6
More recently, Josh Rosen was traded for a 2nd and a 5th round pick.
But it’s not only first rounders that are worth something in a trade.
Former fifth-round selection Brett Hundley warranted a 6th round pick somehow…from our very own Seattle Seahawks.
Smith lands definitively somewhere in the middle of that bunch in terms of talent. He’s better than Brett Hundley, potentially a nicer person than Josh Rosen, and who knows what Bridgewater would have turned into had he not destroyed his own knee. A mid-round pick is not out of the question for a couple of the quarterback-starved teams still out there (RIP Colts).
John Schneider has traded away 6th and 7th round picks next year, leaving Seattle still with firepower at the top of the draft but only six selections in total, well below Schneider’s preference. Or at least, it would have been six but their four compensatory picks from this year’s free agents give them ten total next year. We’ll have no idea what Seattle plans to do with any of that flexibility between now and September 8th, or in the days leading up to next year’s draft, or draft weekend itself.
Or, heaven forbid the masses are actually proven right and Jadaveon Clowney figures out how to make Houston trade him to Seattle, then the Seahawks will absolutely be short another pick or three in the future, looking to grab some more shots at the unproven 2020 pie.
For all Schneider’s world-renown for trading down, current Seahawks such as Tyler Lockett, Michael Dickson, DK Metcalf, and John Ursua are athletes that were acquired by Schneider packaging some picks to move back up. The only thing Schneider hates in the draft more than undersized defensive players is standing still. To do that, you gotta have options.