Seahawks could use Nick Perry or Aaron Lynch to bolster the pass rush

The Seahawks haven’t brought in many new players. That could change with the addition of either – or both – of these pass rushers.

It isn’t exactly a secret that the Seahawks have been pretty quiet in the free agent market this offseason. To be more accurate, they’ve been quiet when it comes to adding new players. When you’ve given defensive end Frank Clark the franchise tag and re-signed two more key players, linebacker K. J. Wright and guard D.J. Fluker, you’ve made some big moves. So far the only newcomers have been kicker Jason Myers and guard Mike Iupati.

That could change, as the Seahawks have entertained more than a few free agents this week. Two in particular stand out to me, as either – or maybe both – could add depth to Seattle’s pass rush. The first of these players is free agent pass rusher Nick Perry. He spent his seven-year career with the Green Bay Packers before being released this month.

There are some solid reasons to add Perry to the defense. Over 2016 and 2017 he totaled 18 sacks, 18 tackles for a loss, and 30 quarterback hits. Add in that as he was cut by his prior team, signing Perry would not factor into the league’s formula for compensatory picks. Despite seven years experience in the NFL, he won’t even turn 29 until next month, so he’s still relatively young. Oh, and he played under some guy named Pete at USC for his first two seasons of college.

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks will proceed with caution

The drawbacks are plentiful, however. Perry missed seven games in 2018 when he went down with a knee injury in November. In fact, he’s never played a full 16 games season in his career. A minor caveat is that Perry played outside linebacker for the Packers. However, that was in a 3-4 scheme, and Perry often played from a three-point stance. I think he’d make the transition to end just fine. At 6’3″ and 265 pounds he’s virtually identical to Clark in size, if not burst. I think Perry could make the move.

Another visitor to Seattle this week was defensive end Aaron Lynch. The Hawks are familiar with him, as he spent his first four seasons in San Francisco. He signed with Chicago last season for one year, and is an unrestricted free agent now.  His first two seasons were his best by far. In 2014 and 2015, Lynch totaled 12.5 sacks, 22 tackles for a loss, and 35 quarterback hits.

That promise didn’t hold as he missed time with injuries and a four-game suspension for substance abuse in his last two seasons with the Niners. He bounced back to some extent with the Bears, but his last three seasons pale when compared to his first two. From 2016 through 2018, Lynch appeared in only 27 of 48 possible games, and just six of those starts. He totaled 5.5 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, and 19 quarterback hits.

Still, he did play better with the Bears, and he just turned 26 this month. He’s going to be relatively cheap, although as a free agent, he would count in the calculation for compensatory picks in 2020. Although he may be cheap enough that he wouldn’t affect the compensation formula at all. While Lynch is younger than Perry, he has had more injury trouble and far fewer starts.

Of the two, I’d be happier if the Seahawks signed Perry. As long as Lynch isn’t too pricey, I wouldn’t exactly cry if they signed him – or even signed them both. Perry could have a shot at starting opposite Clark, while Lynch would almost certainly be a role player. It could very well be that Seattle will stand pat and call on Jacob Martin to step up his game. Time will tell, and these are exciting times for the Seahawks.