Barkevious Mingo and Dion Jordan look like odd men out with Seahawks

The Seahawks added more talent to their pass rush the past couple of days. There’s a good chance that neither Mingo nor Jordan will be in Seattle this fall.

After a very slow start, the Seahawks have dipped into the free agent market again this week. Even better, they addressed one of their biggest needs of the off-season, the pass rush. While this is great news for Seattle, it might not be so great for two of last season’s players, Dion Jordan and Barkevious Mingo.

Over the past few days, Seattle has signed two edge rushers, Cassius Marsh and Nate Orchard.  Both have played as outside linebackers and defensive ends in their careers. Marsh shouldn’t need an introduction as he spent his first three seasons with the Seahawks. If he does, Lee Vowell has you covered.

Marsh had the best season of his career last year in San Francisco as he set career highs in virtually every statistic. We especially like those 5.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Marsh got just three starts and played for just over 51 percent of defensive snaps. For point of reference, the Niners starters at  end, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas, had 29 starts. They combined for four sacks and 18 quarterback hits.  They combined for more than twice as many snaps as Marsh, yet he basically outplayed both. So yeah, I’m happy to see Marsh back in Seattle.

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Seahawks see potential in Orchard

Orchard is on the opposite end of the career path from Marsh – at least based on last season. Like Marsh, he’s played both behind the line and on it. Unlike the former Seahawk, Orchard had his best year as a rookie. He had three sacks and four pass defenses for the Browns in 2015. By 2018, he bounced between two clubs, the Bills and Chiefs, and only got into four games. He played just 36 snaps on defense, only one in Kansas City. Unlike Marsh, it’s clear that Orchard won’t likely compete for a starting role.

Regardless, the addition of Marsh and Orchard means it’s far less likely that the Hawks will re-sign Dion Jordan. While I liked the signing of Jordan, he was simply injured too often and not nearly productive enough to bring him back for anything other than the league minimum. If he’s willing to sign for that, then sure, he’d be great to have on the roster, if for no other reason than to push his teammates in camp.

It also seems far more likely that they’ll cut Barkevious Mingo. Considering that the Seahawks had already re-signed Mychal Kendricks, it seemed that Mingo was likely to be on the cutting block anyway. Kendricks was far more productive in far fewer snaps. It’s not just about Mingo’s production; it’s about his cost. I’d be willing to bet that Orchard could generate at least one sack, one pass defense, and one quarterback hit for a lot less money than Mingo.

So the Seahawks made a very nice addition in Marsh and a good one in Orchard. It’s worth noting that as both were released by their former teams, neither can potentially cost the Seahawks a compensatory draft pick in 202. As for Mingo and Jordan, I’d be really happy if both could stay, but only at reduced “show me” salaries. I seriously doubt that’s going to happen. As I see it, the Hawks just got better again.