Should the Seahawks sign Kelvin Beachum?
By David Stobbe
The Seahawks are in dire need of all the offensive line help they can get, and Kelvin Beachum could be the answer to their left tackle problem.
The Jacksonville Jaguars declined to pick up Beachum’s option yesterday, and he will become a free agent once the new league year begins, on March 9th. He played his first four seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and last year he started 15 games for the Jaguars.
Jaguars are not picking up LT Kelvin Beachum's option, sources say. So like Ryan Clady, he's headed to the free-agent market.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 16, 2017
NFL teams looking for a left tackle will like how Beachum is only 27 years old and still has his best years of football ahead of him. In 2015 he suffered an ACL tear, thus leading to a team friendly deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Beachum showed he can stay healthy for basically a full season, and will be looking to cash in this March.
The Seahawks were reportedly interested in Beachum last offseason when he was a free agent, but nothing further transpired. Having shown interest in him already, they should have some background information that can help speed up the process.
This tweet is from last year’s free agency period:
After #Steelers LT Kelvin Beachum visits the #Jets, I'm told he's visiting #Seahawks on Monday. Meanwhile, Russell Okung at #NYG & DET today
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2016
Left tackles are typically paid much more than right tackles, so it will be interesting if the Seahawks are willing to pay the necessary money to get Kelvin Beachum. If the Seahawks decide to pay up and sign him, Beachum would immediately start at left tackle and would be a major upgrade over the George Fant experiment.
The Seahawks need to make a significant move like this with the offensive line if they expect to protect Russell Wilson in 2017. Wilson dealt with three injuries last year, and it’s vital that the team has an offensive line that can keep him safe in the pocket.
With the struggles that the offensive line had this year, I believe that it’s worth it to spend the extra money to bring in offensive line help. Having a line that can protect well and open up holes in the run game, will help the Seahawks’ offense have success next season.
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Kelvin Beachum could provide the answer at left tackle for the next few years, and he would bring a veteran presence to a young offensive line group. Adding a quality lineman in free agency, like Beachum, makes perfect sense to me.