SEATTLE — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett, defensive tackle Al Woods and safety Quandre Diggs all will have a tall task for the 2022 NFL Season.
As three of the team's four captains for the upcoming season, the trio will be asked to fill the leadership void left by the offseason departures of quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Nick Bellore is the lone holdover among the captains as he also was the Seahawks' special teams captain in 2021.
Wilson was one of the Seahawks' captains in each of the previous nine seasons, while Wagner had been one in six of the previous seven years.
Lockett replaces Wilson as the offensive captain as the wideout enters his eighth NFL season, all of which have been with the Seahawks.
A dedicated member of the Seattle community in addition to his on-field exploits, Lockett was the Seahawks' 2021 nominee for prestigious NFL honors like the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Wilson previously was named the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2020.
"A beautiful recognition for a guy that's always been a leader in this program and always been at the front of it. He's got the wisdom, and they recognize it and they really listen to him," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said of Lockett being named the offensive captain for 2022 (h/t Seahawks.com).
New starting quarterback Geno Smith likely will lean on Lockett for on-field leadership as he takes over the reins of the Seahawks offense.
Woods is the Seahawks' oldest active player at age 35 and is on his third stint in Seattle. Both he and Diggs can offer experience from being in other NFL locker rooms over their careers, something Lockett and Bellore cannot provide given that they began their careers in Seattle.
"Quandre Diggs is a guy that's been a leader in this program, been part of it—big voice, big character, terrific football player that guys really look up to," Carroll said. "And speaking of looking up to in a big way, Al Woods up front really just brings all the voice and the stature and the work habits and the ethic that you want to lead."
Wagner was a natural choice for Seattle's defensive captain in years past given that he also often led the on-field play-calling and served as a veteran leader. Woods and Diggs won't be calling plays in 2022, as that responsibility now will lie with Jordyn Brooks, who will be one of the starting inside linebackers in new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt's scheme.
In a season where expectations are significantly lower than the organization has had in years, new leaders like Lockett and Diggs will be counted on to keep younger players motivated and engaged if losses start to pile up.
2022 marks a new era in Seahawks history, and with it comes a new crop of faces of the franchise.