THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Pete's moves have the smell of a rebuild

Paging Bobby Wagner.

Yes, I’m joking, but …

Clearly, Pete Carroll’s nose is growing each time he insists the Seahawks are not rebuilding.

We don’t rebuild, claims Pete, we just reload.

Right.

Well, after the Seahawks (and the rest of the NFL) hacked their way down to 53 players on Tuesday, the evidence was clearer than ever that Seattle is facing a serious challenge concerning any return to league relevance.

You know about Geno Smith at quarterback, OK?

We’ve talked this one almost to death, but just as a reminder, Smith was considered the 35th (and worst) active veteran QB in a study conducted by Pro Football Focus.

Smith’s new backup, Drew Lock, landed at No. 34 — yep, Seattle has cornered the bottom two.

But just to reinforce the idea that Carroll either considers the position meaningless (not as ridiculous as it sounds) or that the Seahawks don’t plan to strengthen it anytime soon, it’s worth noting that the 49ers surprisingly kept Jimmy Garoppolo on their own 53-man roster – after working out a lower salary for their former QB1.

SURE, THE Seahawks could still trade for Jimmy G — the 49ers don’t have to pay him until the start of the regular season, and his lower salary makes him a bit more attractive, but …

I’m afraid that ship has sailed.

San Francisco is keeping Garoppolo in case Trey Lance begins flinging passes to the wrong team, so unless the 49ers are pulling a double bluff here, I’m afraid all you Jimmy fans who have been getting in touch are out of luck.

So, Geno is your man.

Oh, and you might have noticed that the first sentence of this column contained a mention of Bobby Wagner, former Seahawk and future Hall of Famer.

Seattle parted ways with Wagner after last season, reasoning that there was a lot of money to be saved, and that Bobby was past his prime.

Well …

Several respected media services have pronounced Wagner – THIS year’s version, now a member of the Super Bowl champion Rams – as still one of the top 20 players in the league at any position.

Yikes!

Meanwhile, during the cutdown machinations on Tuesday, the Seahawks kept just three inside linebackers (Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton and Nick Bellore).

For the record, Bellore is a converted fullback, and very unlikely to have a bust in Canton down the hall from Wagner’s.

The Seahawks, according to most sources, are scouring the waiver wire to find another inside linebacker or two.

So, to recap …

Seattle traded a future Hall of Fame quarterback, and now plans to start the QB ranked lowest among veterans at the position.

And …

The club released Wagner, the last remaining member of the Legion of Boom, rather than pay him $16 million – presumably, for the crime of being 32 years of age.

In Bobby’s place, we find an all-purpose fullback listed on the depth chart — only No. 3 on the depth chart, in fact, at a position that requires two starters.

TELL US again, Pete, that you’re not rebuilding.

Oh, yeah, this current roster could be a playoff monster, even though Russell Wilson’s in Denver and Wagner is hanging out in L.A.

Let’s be honest here.

The Seahawks drafted very well, by all accounts, and they now have two firsts and two seconds in next year’s draft.

There are some very good young players on the roster, and some others in mid-prime or slightly beyond (Tyler Lockett, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Al Woods, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, Austin Blythe, Gabe Jackson, perhaps even a healthy Rashaad Penny and others) to steer the kids in the right direction.

To be fair, Brooks is no Bobby Wagner, at least not yet — but he looks like a future all-pro linebacker.

They have skill players (although cornerback is not quite solved) and the best offensive line in years.

However …

Geno Smith and Drew Lock are taking you nowhere, except to a pretty high draft choice the next spring (which cynics might say is the idea).

I’m sorry, Pete, call it what you want — but this is still very much a form of tanking.

You’re not losing games on purpose, because that’s just not you.

But running Geno out there every week in a brutal division (along with a tough remaining schedule, to boot) means that those draft choices next year should look pretty sweet.

What’s more, there are a boatload of potential pro quarterbacks in the 2023 pool.

None are going to take you to the Super Bowl as rookies, though, and therefore …

Truthfully, this is a three-year rebuilding project.

If you’re going to hoist that Lombardi Trophy again, Pete, you’ll be at least 74.

At least you’ll look damn good for your age.

Although watching Geno and Drew for a year, maybe …

Nah, just think about the ’23 draft.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published weekly during the season, beginning in October.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”