Five positions Seahawks MUST address in free agency

NFL teams must wait until March 9th to officially sign unrestricted free agents (although they can begin preliminary discussions two days earlier) but any GM worth his salt already has a plan in place for acquiring veteran players. In fact, Seattle Seahawks General Manager John Schneider says they’ve had their free agency board (organized just like a draft board would be) completed since December.

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If we were allowed a peek at that free agency board, what do you think it would look like? Some positions of need are obvious and universally agreed upon, while others may be more surprising or subtle. How well the team executes these decisions this off season make or break the 2016 season.

So let’s dive right in, and take a look at five position the Seahawks MUST address in free agency.

OFFENSIVE LINE:

No sense in burying the lead right? We all know this is the single weakest position group on the team, hell…..EVERYONE knows it. And depending on how you view Russell Okung’s ability, it’s about to get weaker as I expect the left tackle to depart as a free agent himself. If the Seahawks are as committed to improving (translation: overhauling) this unit as we all expect them to be, it’ll likely come from a combination of free agency and the draft.

It’s possible the Hawks will simply look for some solid veteran OL value in free agency, but if they want to make a big move and add a stud, they’ll have the cap space to do it and there are potentially some intriguing veteran possibilities:

Andre Smith, RT, Cincinnati, 29 years old, 2015 cap hit $6.4 million. Smith would be expensive, but he’s one of the highest profile tackles available on the market.

Alex Boone, G, San Francisco, 28, $3.7 million. Signing Boone would serve the dual purpose of upgrading a position of need while also taking a good player away from a division rival.

Stefen Wisniewski, C, Jacksonville, 26, $2.5 million. Visited Seattle before signing with the Jaguars last season amid concerns about his shoulder, but he started all 16 games this season and is still only 26.

Bobby Massie, RT, Arizona, 26, $1.5 million. Massie has been a full time starter at RT for the Cardinals since being drafted in the 4th round in 2012. He’s had some off-field issues, but is a big, strong, young, experienced tackle.

Kelechi Osemele, G/T, Baltimore, 26, $1 million. I’ve advocated for the signing of Osemele here for a while now. He’s an ascendant player who Baltimore probably can’t afford to re sign with their other big OL contracts. Some feel he can kick outside and play left tackle full time, and in fact he filled in for Eugene Monroe in a couple of games when he was injured. He would be expensive, but worth every penny.

Richie Incognito, G, Buffalo, 32, $1.1 million. He resurrected his career and reputation in Buffalo this year, making the Pro Bowl and keeping his nose clean. John Schneider says the Seahawks need to get “tougher” up front. Incognito would certainly help with that.

And there’s one more possibility that might make a ton of sense if it happens:

It’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

Next: Life after Marshawn Lynch