Seattle has only six starters remaining from the 22 who started Super Bowl XLVIII, and who knows how much longer Earl Thomas remains on the roster.
Doug Baldwin is among the last starters standing.
“It is different,” Baldwin told Q13 News. “There’s a large void there. We had a lot of leadership that was just natural, honestly, especially on the defensive side of the ball, obviously. Those individuals challenged the entire team. Whether you want to say it was good or bad, they did push our entire team to maximize our potential. That element is missing -- I shouldn’t say missing; it is missed -- but there’s guys who can step up and fill that void on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think it gives us an opportunity to breathe, and find that new talent, that new leadership, and hopefully continue where we left off.”
The Seahawks have lost Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, among others, this offseason. Seattle released Sherman, who signed with San Francisco; doctors have not cleared Chancellor or Avril to return from neck injuries; and the Seahawks traded Bennett to the Eagles.
“Let me not gloss over the fact that we’re missing a lot of those crucial guys who built a championship environment and culture here,” Baldwin said. “So I don’t want to gloss over that and make it sound like it’s easy to forget those guys, cause it’s not. They helped us build something that has never been done here before.
“That being said, I am excited about the new faces and the new energy, the fresh vibe that you feel. There’s a youngness to it, a sense of urgency that I’ve got to prove myself.”