Seahawks sign Earl Mitchell but do not solve problem

The Seahawks signed Earl Mitchell on Wednesday to help replace suspended Jarran Reed. But Mitchell is the wrong kind of player Seattle needs.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider knows a lot more about football than I ever will. He is smart with signings and keeps Seattle constantly among the good teams in the NFL. Needing to replace suspended defensive tackle Jarran Reed, Seattle signed free agent Earl Mitchell on Wednesday.

But Mitchell is not a Reed-type player. Reed, for instance, got 10.5 sacks in 2018. Mitchell in his nine-year career has a total of 6.5. Of course, interior defensive lineman who can create a huge push on opposing quarterbacks are not your common athlete but Mitchell is simply a run-stopper and Seattle could have tried for more of a combo player.

Muhammad Wilkerson is available, for instance. He might be starting to digress due to injuries and played in only 3 games last year, but twice in his career he has 10.5 sacks or more. It could be that Wilkerson is much more damaged than we know and teams don’t want to take a chance on signing him.

Mitchell is a good run defender and the Seahawks certainly need help in that department. The team stunk stopping the run in 2018. Last year he had a 74 percent success rate on run stop attempts, according to Football Outsiders. Rookie Poona Ford had a 76 percent success rate for Seattle last year.

Ford will start at one defensive tackle. Up for grabs, at least through game six, is who will start at the other. Seattle needs to find an interior lineman who can rush the quarterback. Ford isn’t that yet. Neither is Mitchell. The question is, did Seattle make a rush signing of Mitchell when instead they could have spent their money on someone who is more like Reed? The answer to that might determine whether Seattle makes the playoffs or not.