Seattle Seahawks: 5 Players facing the most pressure in 2018

In a rebuilding year, there are still expectations for the Seattle Seahawks to compete for a postseason spot, putting a lot of pressure on the team.

Now that the Seattle Seahawks have parted ways with most of their best players from their Super Bowl runs other players will have to step up and assume more responsibility. The team is currently rebuilding and still lacks talent and depth at some positions. That means certain players will have to pick up the slack and work harder to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.

Apart from that, fan expectations will also play a role in pressuring young players and even some veterans. The Seahawks’ success in seasons prior to 2017 and their relatively middling draft classes in recent years have lead to the buildup of this pressure. While veterans may be prepared to handle the burden, for many rookies it will be a new experience and could prove dangerous to their confidence and development.

What’s crazy is that 2018 is still a rebuilding year for the Seahawks, but they do have a shot at making the postseason. I guess you could say the team is stuck right in the middle between their old era and the new one. While it’s good to have some extremely talented holdovers, the team doesn’t have normal rebuilding standards like most in the past.

Instead of having expectations reduced and being able to use a season as a no-pressure learning situation, the Seahawks are still being held to postseason standards. That’s a lot of added pressure and it will fall on many of the team’s young projects and veteran leaders.