My attempt at an unbiased husky opinion. I think they are a very solid team, but I don’t think they’ll be a special team. Losing John Ross hurt the offense last season and I think losing vita vea will hurt the defense this year. Those are the kind of guys that make everybody around them better.
Defensively the Secondary is very very good, undoubtedly the strength of the team. The front 7 should be solid, but I don’t see any big difference makers and playmakers there, and I’d worry about the dline depth. I’m also not sold on their pass rushing ability, but luckily they have a lock down secondary behind them.
Offensively, the run game should be great with Gaskin and Ahmed. I’d imagine they’ll face a lot of loaded boxes until the receivers can prove they can win one on one matchups. Hunter Bryant could be a major weapon this season if he can stay healthy. He is the husky tight end I’d like to see on the Seahawks .
Also losing Pettis will be a huge special team loss. He really had a knack for making momentum swinging plays.
All in all I expect them to be about what they’ve been the last few years. A really good team that can beat just about everyone on their schedule, but not good enough to beat the really good teams. I think their offense is going to really struggle to move the ball against a team like auburn. Browning just isn’t good enough.
I personally think #4 is way too high of a ranking, though I can understand why they’re there. I think the 10-15 range would be more accurate.