Osemele could be perfect fit as Seahawks LG
By Dan Viens
If the Seahawks dip into the free agency pool to improve their offensive line, former Ravens guard Kelechi Osemele might just be a perfect fit.
Back in October I suggested the Seahawks should consider dealing for Baltimore Ravens guard Kelechi Osemele at the trade deadline. It was unlikely to happen, and of course it didn’t, but it made sense then and it might make even more sense this offseason. He’s an unrestricted free agent.
Osemele was an All-American at Iowa State before being selected in the 2nd round (60th overall) by Baltimore in the 2012 draft. He started 14 games at right tackle as a rookie before being kicked to LG long term, although he moved outside to LT last year (including vs the Seahawks) when Eugene Monroe was injured.
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So why is such a talented player likely to be available as a free agent at the age of 26? It simply comes down to dollars and cents…… or sense. The Ravens recently handed right guard Marshal Yanda a 4 year, $37.4 million dollar extension, and are already on the hook for a cap number of nearly $9 million for Monroe in 2016. Paying Yanda AND Osemele the kind of money that good young guards are making these days just doesn’t make sense. That’s simply too much cap tied up in three offensive linemen.
Osemele is appealing in a number of ways. He has the kind of massive size that the Hawks tend to like in their guards (6’5″ 330lbs), he’s young, and he comes from a zone blocking scheme very similar to the one offensive line coach and running game coordinator Tom Cable employs.
He’s also pretty damn good, and therein lies the potential rub. Osemele is likely to be a highly valued commodity on the open market. Right now the top paid LG in the the NFL is Tampa Bay’s Logan Mankins at $8.5 million per year. Mike Iupati is the only other LG making over $8 million, but there are four others making $6 million or more annually. The bottom line is, Osemele could be expensive. Could the Seahawks fit him into their plans? Should they?
Yes, and yes.
There are a number of potential scenarios the Seahawks could execute as they look to improve their offensive line play heading into 2016 and beyond. One possibility is to let LT Russell Okung walk as a free agent, move Garry Gilliam from the right side to take over for Okung, and sign Osemele. Their two salaries would almost be a wash, as Okung had a cap hit of nearly $8 million last season. Even if you re-sign RG J.R. Sweezy for the $4 million or so a year he’s projected to command as a free agent himself, you’ve still allocated your O-line dollars conservatively.
That would leave you with Justin Britt either becoming a swing backup G/T (like Alvin Bailey, also a FA, has been) or let him compete with a high draft pick at his old spot of right tackle. You could also just keep Gilliam put if you land a starting left tackle in the draft.
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There are a lot of potential moving parts with this position group, and we’ll be writing much…..much more about it over the next couple of months because it’s absolutely the number one off season priority facing the Seahawks. But regardless of how you feel regarding which blockers Seattle should keep or not, adding Kelechi Osemele would immediately make the Hawks a better football team.