Roster Analysis: QBs

In the coming weeks, I will break down the entire Seahawks roster position by position. It makes sense to start with the QBs because that situation is pretty fixed, and leaves little room for debate (at least among those who know what they are talking about).

Quarterbacks
Matt Hasselbeck is the unquestioned starter, and is a Pro Bowl caliber QB when at his best. Seneca Wallace is cemented as the backup. Now that Wallace got some actual playing time in games that mattered last year, he is a legitimate #2 QB. He was not going into last season. The Seahawks would love for him to become a slash type player, but Seneca Wallace has to want that as well. He would likely sign with another team as the backup QB than re-sign with Seattle to play another position.

David Greene is the #3 QB, and he has been fairly safe in that role since he was drafted (despite the clamoring among fans). I am not sure it even makes sense to talk about if David Greene has lived up to expectations. As the #3 QB, you get very limited work, even in camp. Running an offense is all about rhythm and being comfortable, which takes time.

The Seahawks may talk about bringing in a veteran QB, but that has proven to be lip service to this point. Players have been available (e.g. Tim Rattay), but the Seahawks never make a move. Part of the problem is that Seneca Wallace in entrenched as the #2 QB. No experienced veteran free agent wants to sign as the #3 QB. Veterans worth signing are looking for a chance to at least compete to be an injury away from getting some starts and maybe landing a starting gig again (see: Jeff Garcia in Philadelphia). That is part of the reason the Seahawks did not end up signing David Carr.

What does all of that mean? It means there is basically no chance the Seahawks would be able to sign a veteran unless they were planning on getting rid of Seneca Wallace or moving him to a different position. Moving Seneca Wallace to a different position and re-signing him might be next to impossible when he becomes a free agent next year. That leaves the Seahawks with someone like David Greene as the #3 QB as long as Seneca Wallace is on the roster.

David Greene is most likely to be replaced by the Seahawks drafting another 3rd or 4th round quarterback in the next two years. The team will eventually be looking to land someone like others did with Brodie Croyle, Matt Schaub, or Chris Simms. That was the hope with Greene, but it hasn't panned out. Seneca Wallace is never going to be the long-term solution to replace Matt Hasselbeck.