Jeremy Lane fails physical, still with Seahawks after all

In another surprising turn in the deal to get Duane Brown, Jeremy Lane stays with the Seahawks. So what will happen next?

First it was expected to be a blockbuster trade, tight end Jimmy Graham for left tackle Duane Brown. Then the Seahawks seemingly worked a very magical spell. They turned an offer of a four time Pro Bowl tight end into a trade of a cornerback who’s battled for a starting position throughout his career. Well, that and some draft picks. The original deal sent Lane to Houston along with a 2018 fifth round pick and a 2019 second round pick. That was a much better deal than shipping Jimmy Graham, even though until Sunday he’d played below his established level.

News broke just recently that Lane failed his physical with the Texans. You know it’s true, because Schefty reported it:

So Seattle has some decisions to make on a few different fronts. First, they have a player on the roster they thought was going to be in Houston. The Seahawks finesse these moves all the time. It isn’t exactly a major issue, but it does need to be addressed.

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Seahawks have decisions to make, and so does Lane

A bigger issue is salary. Lane is owed a bit over $2 million for the 2017 season, and it’s all guaranteed. Cutting him, as some have suggested, would give the Seahawks absolutely zero cost benefits. The wiggle room to pay for Duane Brown’s contract will have to come from somewhere else. And Russell Wilson already restructured his deal to make the Brown deal happen. Smart man, that Wilson. He apparently values his health enough to know he needs a left tackle.

The real issue as I see it is the team dynamic. Lane has been a good player for the Seahawks, but as you hopefully read a few days ago on this site, Lane is graded far below his teammates Shaquill Griffin and Justin Coleman. When he was benched, Lane had a couple of emotional outbursts on the Tweeter machine.

It remains to be seen if Lane will stop pouting and become a team player again, or see the dashed trade as another reason to resent his current fortunes in Seattle. Hopefully he realizes he can still be a valuable asset to the Legion of Boom. Maybe he can even pick off another pass in the Super Bowl while he’s at it.