The Seahawks are putting faith in players already on the roster to carry this team to back-to-back titles.
The Seattle Seahawks' offseason has been one that you could argue has been a little odd, especially for a team fresh off winning the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks could have really hammered home their advantage by running it back with the roster they had, plus adding a couple of key free agents.
Instead, Seattle said goodbye to Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant, Boye Mafe, and Riq Woolen, and the surprising part is the franchise seemed content to let the quartet walk out the doors.
The big thing is the Seahawks appear to be banking on the internal development of their roster, coupled with their rookie class stepping up to play meaningful snaps on both sides of the ball.
Given what Mike Macdonald has built over the past couple of seasons, who are we to question the franchise's methods? There has clearly been a plan for this offseason: to strengthen the roster through internal development.
Yes, outside free agents were signed, most notably Emanuel Wilson, who is a career backup running back, and veteran edge Dante Fowler Jr., but other than the incomings, they haven't been what you would expect.
For CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles, in describing Seattle's offseason in one word, he's gone with "Trust."
"The Seahawks are trusting in what got them to the top of the mountain," Pereles wrote. "Their big-money free agents were holdovers (Rashid Shaheed, Josh Jobe), and their draft picks were guys who should slot in well. Jadarian Price was never a full-time guy in college, but he could contribute as part of a timeshare in the backfield.
"Bud Clark had a ton of ball production, and Julian Neal has the size/speed combo Mike Macdonald covets. The Seahawks might fly under the radar a bit -- everyone seemed to move on from their Super Bowl win in an instant -- but they're fine with that."
Trust does seem to fit here.
The Seahawks are trusting that those who are given an opportunity to step up, with Mafe, Woolen, Walker, and Bryant gone, can do a job on either side of the ball.
Plus, the draft class, highlighted by Jadarian Price, Bud Clark, Julian Neal, Beau Stephens, and Emmanuel Henderson Jr., can also play meaningful snaps and produce in Year 1.
Again, that's a lot of trust that the franchise is putting in players who haven't really shown they are up to the task.
But there's only one way to find out.
Put on your swimmers and jump into the deep end. We'll find out soon enough who will sink and who will swim.
