Bruce Irvin-This is a make or break season for Bruce Irvin. He needs to produce like a 1st round draft pick should if he wants to stay with the Seahawks. I will say the Hawks haven’t used him in the right position and that has definitely hurt his development. His rookie season he was used exclusively as a 4-3 edge speed rusher on passing only down but during his 2nd season he was converted to a 3-4 pass rushing linebacker. This change is the position he should have been since his rookie year but the Seahawks don’t run the right system for him to flourish in that role. He did show decent skills in coverage due to his natural athletic ability but I wouldn’t say he could do it all the time. If the Seahawks could figure out a package in their defense that plays to his strength as a pass rushing OLB they would add another dimension to an already stacked defense.

Kevin Williams-In recent seasons Seattle has become a place for older free agents to sign for a year and play for a Super Bowl. It almost worked in recruiting Peyton Manning to the Pacific Northwest but that is water under the bridge. Kevin Williams has had a long and illustrious career but he has only been in 6 career postseason games and no Super Bowls. What’s amazing is he has only missed 5 games in 11 seasons playing one of the most physically demanding positions on the field. This season he will be used in rotation along with Brandon Mebane, Tony McDaniel, and Jordan Hill which should cut down on the wear and tear he will take. During his prime he was an expert pass rusher from the DT position so I expect him to help the Hawks replace the leadership and sack numbers of Chris Clemons and Red Bryant.

Justin Britt-The Seattle Seahawks surprised many so-called draft experts by taking Missouri Left Tackle Justin Britt but GM John Schneider and Coach Pete Carroll knew what they were doing. They knew O-Line coach Tom Cable had the knowledge and ability to build this young man up and teach him how to become a quality tackle in the NFL. It’s amazing to think so many scouts only gave him a 6-7th round grade yet now he is going to be replacing last years starting Right Tackle Breno Giocomini. During the early part of the Seahawks schedule opposing teams (Packers, Chargers, Broncos) with be targeting him with their best pass rusher. Pete Carroll knows this and will need to figure out the best course of action to help Justin out. A couple things he could do are put TE Zach Miller next to Britt and give him some help or have the RB give him some support or even roll Russell Wilson to the left out of the pocket. Regardless of what option Coach Carroll chooses he knows he is getting some of the best coaching and guidance so in the future he won’t have to give him any help on the right side.