Stay Healthy
Over the weekend, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reported the Seahawks attempted to trade a second-round draft pick for Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, although Colts general manager Chris Ballard later denied that negotiations took place. While the legitimacy of the initial report remains in question, it’s no mystery that Seattle is actively looking for an upgrade at the position, given their recent workout of veteran QB Josh Johnson.
Along with Wilson, the Seahawks currently have veteran quarterback Austin Davis and rookie QB Alex McGough on their roster. Davis — a veteran with 10 career starts — was Wilson’s backup last season, while McGough was selected by the Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Neither quarterback has particularly stood out over the first two games of the preseason.
Russell Wilson is the one player on the roster the Seahawks cannot afford to lose to injury. Although the biggest knock on Wilson in the run-up to the 2012 NFL Draft was his lack of size, the quarterback has remained surprisingly durable and has never missed a regular season start. Wilson takes an inordinate amount of big hits, due to his porous offensive line and his proclivity to leave the pocket and scramble for additional yardage. Over his six-year career, the Seahawks’ quarterback has been sacked 248 times, and has 578 rushing attempts:
| Year | G | GS | Rush | Yds | TD | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | YScm | RRTD | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012* | 16 | 16 | 94 | 489 | 4 | 5.2 | 30.6 | 5.9 | 489 | 4 | 6 |
| 2013* | 16 | 16 | 96 | 539 | 1 | 5.6 | 33.7 | 6.0 | 539 | 1 | 12 |
| 2014 | 16 | 16 | 118 | 849 | 6 | 7.2 | 53.1 | 7.4 | 866 | 6 | 13 |
| 2015* | 16 | 16 | 103 | 553 | 1 | 5.4 | 34.6 | 6.4 | 553 | 1 | 7 |
| 2016 | 16 | 16 | 72 | 259 | 1 | 3.6 | 16.2 | 4.5 | 273 | 2 | 8 |
| 2017* | 16 | 16 | 95 | 586 | 3 | 6.2 | 36.6 | 5.9 | 586 | 3 | 14 |
| Care | 96 | 96 | 578 | 3275 | 16 | 5.7 | 34.1 | 6.0 | 3306 | 17 | 60 |
As Wilson has grown as a passer, he’s learned to use his arm more and his legs less, with both his rushing attempts and rushing yardage declining each season from 2014 to 2016, before spiking again in 2017. Last season’s 95 rushing attempts paired with 43 sacks meant a lot of big hits for the 5-foot-11 QB. While quarterback Russell Wilson continues to demonstrate his durability, the Seattle Seahawks still need to limit his contact — and keep their star QB on the field — if they want to make a playoff run in 2018.
