Seahawks: Ranking their top offseason priorities

The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of positions that need new players this offseason, but what ones are the top priorities for Seattle?

One third of the players on the Seattle Seahawks roster at the end of the season are about to become free agents. The Seahawks have to re-sign or place each of them before they can even start improving.

That’s a lot of work for general manager John Schneider and company to do in a very short period of time. They’re going to have to prioritize, and make sure that the biggest needs are allocated the most resources.

Here are the five biggest priorities for the Seahawks this offseason. It is not their only needs, but these are the ones that must be taken care of first.

1. Defensive line

Although the team’s pass rush was not as effective last season as the prior two years, the defensive line was in no way a weakness. So how is it the teams biggest priority this offseason? Free agency is set to strip this unit almost completely.

Both of Seattle’s starting defensive tackles are free agents. Behind them, there is essentially no depth. Seattle uses defensive ends Michael Bennett and Frank Clark at DT at times, so they don’t carry extra DTs on the roster.

Jordan Hill is rarely healthy. When he is, he’s a pass rusher who offers next to nothing against the run. A.J Francis was a late-season waiver wire pickup who has limited athleticism. Neither is a starting-caliber player by any means.

Plus the Seahawks are losing some of their pass rushing talent with Bruce Irvin set to be a free agent. He doesn’t move up from his linebacker spot to DE as much as some people think, but he is still a depth at a key position on defense. Irvin’s backup, Mike Morgan, is also a free agent.

Throw in a pending contract dispute with Michael Bennett, and you can start to see the problem. This is a unit that must be addressed both in free agency and through the draft.

The Seahawks need multiple starters. If they fail to find them, their defense will take a major step back next season.

2. Offensive line

If you watched any games last year, or really any games in the Pete Carroll era, then you already know that offensive line was terrible. Now they’re set to lose the two players from that unit that were at least mostly competent to free agency.

So why isn’t this the number one priority? Simple: even if both Okung and Sweezy leave, the unit will only be slightly worse. It was already one of the worst in the entire league. There isn’t much room for it to drop more.

Plus, no matter who is playing, the running game will still use the zone blocking scheme to generate running lanes. The team will also still have Russell Wilson’s elusiveness that makes up for a lot of pass rushing blunders.

But don’t be fooled, the offensive line was trash last season, and it will be again without a major overhaul. Replacing one starter through the draft is fine, but the other must be done with a veteran player.

They also need to get some competition in there for Justin Britt, who played at a pathetic level last season. This entire unit needs a lot of work.

3. Defensive backs

The Legion of Boom been a major strength during this championship run. That changed a bit last year.

Cary Williams was a disaster at CB and was cut. Jeremy Lane returned from injury to play well, but will likely find a large payday elsewhere.

Kam Chancellor played poorly when he played. His contract issues aren’t going to go away, so there is a reasonable chance that his time in Seattle is over.

The team still has Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman. DeShawn Shead also returns. Backups Marcus Burley, Tye Smith, and Kelcie McCray will be back. Tharold Simon will also return from injury.

The cupboard is far from bare, but the depth and top-end talent are both set to take a hit next season. This is something that must be addressed in the draft, and cannot be ignored.

4. Tight end

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With Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson both in the fold for next season, Tight end should be position the team can skip. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

Jimmy Graham’s knee injury throws a massive wrench into the works. He likely won’t be ready for next season, leaving just Willson at the position.

Willson is a nice roster piece, but as a starter he’s barely average. He has also had a tough time staying healthy throughout his career.

The Seahawks clearly need more bodies at the position, but luckily they don’t need to be ready to start on Day 1. Seattle has the benefit of drafting a high-ceiling project and (much like Willson once was) and then easing them into playing time as the season progresses.

5. Running back

The national media seems to think this is Seattle’s biggest need since Marshawn Lynch retired. They seem to be forgetting that Thomas Rawls was arguably the best RB in the NFL last season.

The Seahawks don’t need a starter. They have one. Unfortunately, that’s all they have at the moment.

Christine Michael is a restricted free agent. He should be back, giving Seattle a solid backup. But that is only if his head is still screwed on tightly. He he goes back to being the head-case he was prior to being traded, Seattle will need a backup RB as well.

What’s missing is a third-down/two-minute back. That’s the role that Fred Jackson served in last season, and Robert Turbin before that.

This is a specialty role, and not one that is particularly difficult to fill. The Seahawks should be able to find an appropriate player without using high draft pick or giving out a large contract.