The Seahawks need to keep retooling to do more than just make the playoffs in 2019. They won’t be getting any help from these free agent pass rushers.
It’s no secret that while the Seahawks mounted a good pass rush in 2018, it could have been better. 43 sacks is a decent number, but with more than half coming from two players, Seattle could use some reinforcements. Earlier, I examined a few possibilities in the draft. Before we look at free agents that could fit the bill, I thought we’d take some candidates off the board.
As great as it would be to see any of these three players in navy, gray, and green, it isn’t going to happen. The Seahawks have this little thing to contend with called a salary cap, just like the other 31 teams in the league. The excellent sports financial site spotrac.com shows Seattle has just under $55 million in cap space for 2019.
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If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s simply the amount of money the team has available to spend on new players once everyone already under contract is paid. The salary cap for 2019 is believed to be between $189 and $191 million. For more details and insight, read this article.
I’m sure you haven’t forgotten that Frank Clark needs an extension for this season. Spotrac pegs his market value at $12 million per year, but most expect him to be paid much more. If Seattle applies a franchise tag to Clark – in other words, if they can’t reach an agreement on a new contract and just impose one – he’ll be paid at least $17 million.
That number is based on the salaries for defensive ends in the league. The exact amount is calculated as the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position. You can find more details here. For 2018 the franchise tag was $17,143,000. Both the Lions Ezekiel Ansah and the Cowboys Demarcus Lawrence got that princely sum this past season. Both are free agents, and neither will be coming to Seattle.
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.
Seahawks won’t get a chance at Clowney
The third player I can’t see playing for the Seahawks is Jadeveon Clowney. Yes, he’s an excellent player. Yes, after a slow start to his career he’s been healthy for the past three seasons. And yes, he’s been very consistent over the past two seasons. He had 9.5 and 9.0 sacks in 2017 and 2018, and added 21 quarterback hits in each year. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded him as the 9th best edge defender in the league. All great reasons to sign him.
There’s also a very good reason to forget about Clowney. I don’t think the Seahawks will ever get a chance at him. As with the Cowboys and Lawrence, the Texans would be crazy to let him go. As it stands now it’s likely they’ll apply the franchise tag to him as well. If for some reason they don’t – say he wins his argument that he should be tagged as a defensive end instead of a linebacker – he’s going to be a very expensive free agent.
It’s worth noting the Texans paid Clowney a $1 million bonus to settle the same positional dispute regarding his fifth-year option. It seems more likely than ever they’ll resolve the dispute over his listed position. If they don’t, his value as a free agent will be $16.6 million according to spotrac.com. I’m not concerned that moving Clowney from linebacker to defensive end would be an issue. I just think for that much money, there are better options for the Seahawks.
Let me be clear for those who are already gnashing your teeth. If Seattle somehow wound up with either Lawrence or Clowney, that would be a very good thing indeed. If the Hawks somehow land Ziggy Ansah for a reasonable contract, that too would be a very good thing. I just don’t think it’s very likely any of those scenarios will play out.