Seahawks have to pass on these free agent pass rushers

Seahawks don’t need one, can’t get the other

In Ansah’s case, he’s a huge talent, but as Lee Vowell wrote earlier, his injury history is just as big a concern. Not only did he miss 14 games in the last three seasons, but he’s been hampered even when he can play. His 2017 season looks great, until you realize nine of his twelve sacks came in just three games. Granted, those were three great performances, but in eight of the fourteen games he played, he had zero sacks and got one quarterback hit or none at all.

If Seattle could get him at a steep discount, he might be worth it. And by steep, I mean in the neighborhood of $8 to $10 million per year. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, spotrac.com lists Ansah’s market value at $12 million. That’s a big drop from $17 million, but it’s just too much money for a player who hasn’t been healthy since 2015.

As for Demarcus Lawrence, this will be a much easier decision for Seattle. As in, they won’t have to make a decision at all. If the Cowboys don’t give him a new contract, they’ll certainly give him a franchise tag, again. Lawrence has been a more consistent destroyer of offensive lines and quarterbacks over the past two seasons than Ansah. He had 14.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits in 2017. In 2018, he had 10.5 sacks and added 23 quarterback hits.

With those stats, he’s going to get paid. And he’s going to get paid by Jerry Jones. If for some reason the Cowboys do let him get away, his price tag is expected to be over $19 million. The Seahawks have a lot of cap space, it’s true. But that’s just too rich for a team that still has to extend three very important players besides Clark.