The Seahawks were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. Multiple outlets had them placed at No. 32 in their power rankings during the offseason, citing the major dropoff at quarterback after trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos.
It’s still way too early to judge the whole thing fairly, but right now that deal is looking like the steal of the year. Seattle got three players in the bargain plus a ton of draft capital, while Denver supposedly got their new franchise guy to lead them to the promised land of the brutal AFC playoffs.
After four weeks, not only is Wilson struggling with the Broncos – he’s being vastly outplayed by the guy who took his job: one Geno Smith. Following Sunday’s 48-45 shootout win in Detroit, tight end Will Dissly was asked about Smith exceeding expectations compared to Wilson. He didn’t even want to entertain the question – saying we should stop talking about No. 3.
Asked TE Will Dissly in Detroit if what Geno Smith is doing replacing Russell Wilson exceeds Seahawks expectations.
"Listen man it’s week 4. Let’s stop talking about that guy.
"Geno Smith has done a great job…poised & got us in the right play calls" https://t.co/xYlqXGnadU
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) October 2, 2022
Dissly has also been a pleasant surprise, posting 116 yards and three touchdowns so far in a much-more friendly offense for tight ends.
That said, Geno Smith’s exceptional performance may turn out to be the surprise story in the NFL this season. At the moment he’s graded out as the best quarterback in the league according to Pro Football Focus and is among the league leaders in several stats, including completion percentage over expected and EPA/play.
Meanwhile, Wilson is ranked No. 28 in the PFF grades and has yet to post a truly impressive line. Through four games he has four touchdown passes, one pick and an only-average 91.1 passer rating, ranking No. 15. He’s also been sacked 12 times compared to just six for Smith.
We’ll continue watching how these two perform as the season progresses. For now though there’s a very clear winner.
