ESPN names Seattle Seahawks' biggest needs going into NFL trade deadline

Last year the Seattle Seahawks scored a huge win ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The deal that brought Ernest Jones over from the Tennessee Titans turned Seattle's biggest weakness on defense into a major strength and transformed the whole unit from a good one into a great one.

This year the Seahawks are still in relatively strong shape and they have no dire, back-breaking roster needs like inside linebacker was at this time last season.

However, there are a couple of spots where they could definitely use a boost of depth. According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, Seattle's biggest roster needs are offfensive line and wide receiver.

The offensive line (specifically right guard) is an obvious need, but wide receiver is more interesting. Here's what Barnwell had to say about the Seahawks' situation at that spot.

ESPN on Seahawks WRs

"The Seahawks are obviously thrilled with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Cooper Kupp is making an impact with his blocking, but there are always going to be questions about Kupp's ability to stay healthy in his 30s. We'll see more Tory Horton in the second half, but getting a veteran wideout who can block well as the third or fourth option would track."

Wide receiver may not seem like an obvious need, but a closer look shows that this unit has a very top-heavy dynamic going for it.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is not only dominating the competition at wide receiver - he's also been by far the Seahawks' only reliable producer at the position this season. No pass-catcher on the roster is within even 500 yards of JSN's total.

That means if Smith-Njigba were to get injured, or if opponents finally started figuring out how to contain him, then the Seahawks would lose their fastball on offense - and the rest of their pitches are seriously lacking, especially without a reliable run game.

So, it could make sense for Seattle to be a buyer at wide receiver - but it would probably be better in the long run if Tory Horton took on more work and stepped into a more legitimate WR2 role. For now, that's still held by Cooper Kupp, but he's not producing quite enough to keep it in the long run.

Another opton would be for the Seahawks to give a bigger piece of the pie to rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo - who has the size and athleticism to match any Seattle receiver. If Klint Kubiak feels he's ready for a bigger role, that may preclude the need to add more firepower at wide receiver.