Seahawks DL Grades: Prioritizing Michael Bennett Was Huge In Super Bowl Repeat Bid

Nov 17, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle

(99) celebrates after the Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker

(54) (not pictured) intercepted the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Minnesota 41-20. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Priority Free Agents Re-signed to Roster

• DE Michael Bennett– Re-signed to 4-yr contract

4 years, $28.5 million. It’s pretty clear that Bennett was the first guy up on Seattle’s priority list this offseason, above Golden Tate and of course above anyone else on the line. It had a big effect on the way he approached the situation (he was offered bigger contracts by two other teams but felt valued enough in Seattle to return) and it is also the reason that the interchangeable end is still in Seattle while Tate took himself to Detroit. It was not easy and was in fact dicey for the most part, but Seattle getting Bennett back was huge in their attempt to repeat, especially with the other losses sustained as noted. If the Hawks had lost Clemons, Bryant and Bennett and the rest of the offseason had played out as it did, this defense would’ve been devastated and lost a lot of ground on the rest of the NFC West. Not to mention the dance, we had to have that back! Retention Grade: A+

• DT Tony McDaniel – Re-signed to 2-yr contract

If Bennett getting re-signed was priority 1A for this team, keeping McDaniel was 1B. In his first full year of starting duty, McDaniel made a big difference in the middle of the Seahawks’ line. He was even more productive than Bennett on the whole, in on 53 tackles for the season and even though he only got to the quarterback once he made it very difficult for teams to get a running game generated. As a reward the Hawks locked him back up for two more seasons and his 6’7″, 305 lbs frame fits perfectly in this defensive scheme. Retention Grade: B+ Free Agent Additions

• N/A

Addition Grade: N/A