Seahawks should tell Danny Shelton to come back home
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks need a run stuffing defensive tackle. Former Washington Husky Danny Shelton is available. Seattle should bring him home.
Over the last couple of seasons, the Seahawks and the Patriots have had opposite issues defensively. Seattle has been able to get pressure on the quarterback decently enough but not been great against the run while the Patriots have stuffed the run and had problems getting pressure. New England had defensive tackle Danny Shelton last season but didn’t really need him. Seattle didn’t have Shelton, of course, but could really use his services.
There is one thing Shelton can do really well and that is create issues for the opposing team to run the ball. Shelton is not great at supplying pressure on the quarterback, though. Seattle still needs to find edge rushers, but on the interior of the defensive line they badly need a tackle who can run-stuff.
Shelton is available as a free agent. New England needed to find other players who could pressure the quarterback as they have a defensive system already designed to limit a rushing attack. They can mostly just plug in tackles and be successful. Seattle cannot do that.
In 2018, Seattle signed tackle Shamar Stephen to do what Shelton can do. Stephen wasn’t great at his job, however, and was allowed to walk in free agency. Seattle will have second-year pro Poona Ford in 2019 and Ford was good in limited snaps. But a key to having a good interior line is depth and fresh legs. Shelton could either start or play a lot of snaps next to Jarran Reed. That would be a solid line.
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Shelton was a first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2015. In 2016 and 2017, Shelton was near-elite as a run stopper. He hasn’t yet lived up to being the 12th overall choice in 2015. Shelton will be just 26 years old when the 2019 season begins, though. And the former Washington Husky and native of Auburn, Washington might welcome the chance to come back home to play. The Seahawks should take a chance on Shelton, too. He might just be the run-stopper the team needs.