In recent years, the Seattle Seahawks have become one of the NFL’s greatest since Pete Carroll took over as the head coach. Behind Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the Legion of Boom, there are only so many ways to improve a team coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

So what moves would the Seattle Seahawks need?

With some departing players on defense like linebacker Malcolm Smith, cornerback Byron Maxwell and guard James Carpenter, there would need to be some new players to fill those spots. At the same time, the Seahawks upgraded on other positions to maintain their incumbency as a favorite for Super Bowl 50.

Newest additions

In a surprising trade with the New Orleans Saints, Seattle was able to acquire Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham who had nearly 900 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014. Overall, the Seahawks now have a red zone threat with the six-foot-seven Graham who has 59 career touchdowns in what was possibly the best move of the offseason.

On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle was able to acquire Cary Williams who played for the Philadelphia Eagles the last two seasons with a total of 126 tackles and five interceptions. Williams was part of the 2012 Baltimore Ravens who won Super Bowl XLVII.

Cornerback Will Blackmon may have added some extra depth in the secondary from the Jacksonville Jaguars, but hasn’t played an entire season since 2008 where he was in limited capacity with the Green Bay Packers.

Incoming rookies

Once again, the Seahawks didn’t have a draft pick in the first round. But they’ve also been known for building from the later rounds.

Their first pick in the second round was defensive end Frank Clark from Michigan. Despite his off-field legal issues, Clark could be an instant starter with good size at six-foot-three and 272 pounds who can play either side of the defensive line. He is also renowned for his ability to power past offensive linemen.

And while all of the offensive attention has shifted to Graham, there’s been a lot of talk around third-round wide receiver Tyler Lockett out of Kansas State. Being compared to the Colts’ T.Y. Hilton, he might have some value as a slot receiver and a potential return man on special teams. He had 1,515 yards receiving with 11 touchdowns in his senior season with the Wildcats.

The other draft picks include guard Terry Poole (San Diego State), guard Mark Glowinski (West Virginia), cornerback Tye Smith (Townson), defensive end Obum Gwacham (Oregon State), defensive tackle Kristjan Sokoli (Buffalo) and defensive back Ryan Murphy (Oregon State).

Coaching changes

With Dan Quinn leaving Seattle to become the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, there was a need for a defensive coordinator. Instead of hiring someone new from outside the organization, the Seahawks promoted defensive backs coach, Kris Richard, to the position in February. Richard joined the team in 2010 and helped build on top of the strong defensive unit he inherited.

His work with the defensive backs helped the Seahawks have the best players in the best scoring defense in the league for three straight seasons – the first since the 1969-71 Minnesota Vikings.

Other additions to the Seattle coaching staff was linebackers coach Micheal Barrow, assistant offensive line coach Brennan Carroll and assistant linebackers coach Lofa Tatupu – who had more than 500 tackles and 10 interceptions in seven years with the Seahawks. The collective experiences should help maintain, if not improve, the overall defensive status the team has built in the past five seasons.

Preseason

There will be quite a bit of nostalgia for the Seahawks this preseason when they face the teams they used to play regularly from 1977 to 2001 in the AFC West. A list of early challenges will test the new Seahawks and help get the returning players back into full swing.

Seattle will host the Denver Broncos, who they defeated in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 for the team’s first championship on August 14 before going on the road for back-to-back games visiting the Kansas City Chiefs (August 21) and the San Diego Chargers (August 29). The final tune-up game will be back in Seattle September 3 against the Oakland Raiders in a game that will likely give many of the current non-starters a final chance to earn one of the team’s final 53 roster spots.

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