Seahawks: two trades Seattle should make, but won’t

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 1:pm local time in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks are looking for  offensive line help in an effort to help salvage their season. Trade talks will happen but the it is very unlikely that anything significant happens before the deadline.

That is just the nature of the NFL. There isn’t time to learn an playbook a new scheme and get on the field in an impactful way. Unlike baseball and basketball, the NFL trade deadline is often completely uneventful.

Not expecting trades to be made doesn’t mean there are aren’t moves available though. Here are two trades the Seahawks should make before Tuesday’s deadline, but almost certainly won’t happen.

Trade Jermaine Kearse and a 6th round pick to Carolina for OL Amini Silatolu

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This is a trade that offers short-term help for both teams at positions where it is needed. The Panthers need receivers for Cam Newton, and the Seahawks need help along the offensive line.

The Seahawks are about to Paul Richardson back from injury, and will replace Kearse as the team’s No. 2 receiver. That makes Kearse expendable if the Seahawks can get value in return. Kearse is also a free agent after this season, so trading him does not cause long-term problems for Seattle.

Carolina already gave up a draft pick for Kevin Norwood prior to the start of the season. He’s provided depth, but hasn’t made an impact on offense. Kearse offers a the possibility to be a much more impactful acquisition.

Silatolu is a three-year starter at guard who has also played OT at times when other players were injured. That is the type of versatility the Seahawks look for in their offensive linemen. He is also a good run blocker, and isn’t the liability in pass protection that Justin Britt has proven to be.

Like Kearse, Silatolu is a free agent after this season. That makes this a trade a pair of short-term rentals for both teams.

The Seahawks save some cap space in the deal, and are likely to get a better compensatory draft pick when Silatolu signs elsewhere next season. That is why the draft pick will have to be included in order to make this trade happen.

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Russell Okung and 1st round pick to Cleveland for LT Joe Thomas

The Seahawks need help on the offensive line, both for this season and in the future. This trade helps in both areas. Joe Thomas is widely considered the best LT in the NFL, and the Browns are shopping him according to a report on NFL.com.

This trade gives Cleveland what it wants for Thomas: draft picks. The first round pick is valuable, and is what will be necessary to acquire Thomas.

Okung is one of two starters on Seattle’s offensive line who will be a free agent after this season. Including him in the deal creates the cap space needed for Seattle to fit Thomas under the cap.

If the Browns choose not to re-sign Thomas, than they’ll get another draft pick when Okung signs with another team. Okung is likely to get a salary large enough to warrant a 3rd or 4th round compensatory draft pick.

For the Seahawks, the benefit here is obvious. Once Thomas learns Seattle’s offense, he becomes a major upgrade. Seattle’s offensive line would get a major boost as the team reaches the end of the season and the playoffs.

Thomas also has three years left on his contract. His salary cap numbers for those years would be a hefty $8.3 million, $8.8 million and $8.8 million. While that is a lot of cap space, that is actually below market value for player like Thomas.