Seahawks roster: Upgraded or downgraded in 2016 offseason?

Photo: Grant Hindsley, SEATTLEPI.COM The Seahawks roster was recently ranked No. 13 in the NFL after...

For the last three seasons, the Seahawks' roster has been regarded among the most talented in all of football, which is why it came as something of a shock when they were placed in the middle of the NFL pack by a leading analytics site.

In a piece that ran on ESPN.com on Monday, Pro Football Focus unveiled its 2016 roster rankings. The Seahawks topped the list in both 2014 and 2015, but fell all the way to No. 13 this year.

The biggest culprit in that fall? The team's much-maligned offensive line.

"Despite a major turnover, somehow Seattle's offensive line looks worse on paper than the unit that was its Achilles' heel all 2015," PFF's Sam Monson wrote. "(Russell) Wilson and Marshawn Lynch hid a lot of problems in the blocking, and while Wilson is back, Lynch has retired. Rookie Thomas Rawls performed an able imitation of Lynch, but the Seahawks' backfield is a committee of rookies and Rawls and will have its work cut out to find running room."

Monson also claimed that PFF analysis saw regression from Seattle's star-studded defense despite the Seahawks finishing first in scoring defense and second in yards allowed in 2015.

Is it really possible the Seahawks have fallen that far in terms of talent? We're not going to grade all 32 rosters in the league -- though it does seem odd that NFC East squads Philadelphia and Dallas, who combined to go 11-21 in 2015, were slotted ahead of Seattle at Nos. 5 and 12, respectively. Instead, we'll go through Seattle's position groups to see whether each was upgraded or downgraded this offseason compared to last year.

Quarterback:

Russell Wilson is back after setting franchise records for completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns and passer rating in 2015 -- and that was coming after an offseason dominated by contract talks. Entering 2016, he seems poised to stake his claim as one of the top two or three all-around quarterbacks in the game. Veteran backup Tarvaris Jackson is still a free agent, but he hardly played in 2015. Undrafted rookie Trevone Boykin gives Seattle its most promising development project in recent memory.



Upgrade or downgrade? Upgrade, simply based on Wilson's production last year. less Quarterback:

Russell Wilson is back after setting franchise records for completion percentage, passing yards, touchdowns and passer rating in 2015 -- and that was coming after an offseason dominated by ... more Photo: AP Photo: AP Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Seahawks roster: Upgraded or downgraded in 2016 offseason? 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

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