Seattle Seahawks potential surprise cuts

Dec 2, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as New Orleans Saints center Brian de la Puente (60) snaps the ball against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (92) at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks defeated the Saints 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

BRANDON MEBANE, DT:

All offseason there has been speculation that Brandon Mebane is a candidate to be cut, for two reasons.  There’s his salary cap number of $5.7 million that the Seahawks would surely love to free up, and then there’s the severe hamstring injury that landed him on IR last November.

But it doesn’t appear that the team is ready to part ways with their foundational run-stuffing defensive tackle, and last weeks release of fellow DT starter Tony McDaniel undoubtedly signals their confidence in his current health. There’s no obvious candidate to supplant Mebane if he were to be cut, which makes it all the more disconcerting to think what may happen if he were to get hurt again.

Still, at the age of 30, playing a position as physically demanding as his coming off a major injury, and at that cap number……if the Seahawks feel at any point that there’s someone else on the roster who could perform at or near the same level, we could see the end of the Brandon Mebane era.

Next: Weaving through a deep backfield