Seahawks Free Agent Fit, Joique Bell

Is recently released veteran RB Joique Bell a viable option for the Seattle Seahawks backfield?

On a recent local radio appearance, ESPN NFL reporter John Clayton posed the idea of the Seahawks bringing in running back Joique Bell, who was released by the Detroit Lions Wednesday.

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Bell is a 29 year old back who spent the last five seasons with the Lions, averaging 4 yards a carry while piling up 2,235 yards on the ground in Detroit.

Here’s what Clayton had to say about the possible fit:

"“A team like….Seattle will look at him because he can be a physical back, and I think this team is going to look for competition. You can pretty well forecast what the running back situation is going to be, so you probably want to look and see how many are out there but I think this team would consider Joique because….you’re looking at not much money.” John Clayton, ESPN"

Bell made $2.5 million last year, his career high. Entering into the season in which he’ll turn 30 he won’t be in a position to command much more. With Marshawn Lynch sliding into retirement, the Seahawks are presumably looking for a back (or two) to compliment second year back Thomas Rawls, who made a dramatic splash as a rookie subbing for the injured Lynch before breaking his ankle and ending the season on injured reserve. They signed CFL back Cameron Marshall earlier in the week, but Bell presents them with a unique opportunity to add someone who could fit to a tee what they’re looking for:

• At 5’11” and 220 pounds, he has the size the Hawks prefer and runs with a physical style
• Never the featured back and always a second fiddle in Detroit, Bell doesn’t have the mileage on him that many RB’s his age do
• He’s an outstanding receiver out of the backfield as well, with 161 catches for 1,640 yards during his Lions career

Want to see how versatile Bell is? Watch the following highlight reel, and note how he goes from running over a defender instead of going out of bounds (dare I say BeastMode style?) at :19 and then follows that up by making a one handed catch look easy. Impressive stuff.

The Seahawks potentially have something special in Rawls, but based on such a small sample size we have no idea if he’ll be durable enough to hold up as a featured back. Most likely, the Seattle coaching staff would prefer to have a cast of backs capable of working together to shoulder the rushing load. Marshall is an intriguing third down possibility, and it’s possible the Hawks will add another RB in the draft as well, but given the overall skill set of Bell, and his affordability, and his experience, it’s clear this is an ideal match.

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Joique Bell and Thomas Rawls could potentially give the Seahawks one of the most complete backfield tandems in the league. Now we will just have to sit back and wait to see if John Schneider and Pete Carroll agree.