This is how the Seahawks should approach the offseason

How I speculate Seattle will remedy the biggest remaining holes on the roster.

The biggest holes would be TE, OL, RB, CB and WR.

Tight end

The Seahawks use the tight end position as a safety valve for Russell. When Will Dissly succumbed an injury mid-season, Russell looked out of sorts. Seattle could look to trade (David Njoku, Nick Boyle, OJ Howard) or free agency (Austin Hooper, Tyler Eifert, Hunter Henry) to secure this position as they have in the past (Zach Miller, Jimmy Graham and Jacob Hollister). However, I think there are a few tantalizing options in the draft that would be more cost-efficient and have a better fit with the current Superbowl window. Look for Seattle to target a TE in the draft.

Offensive line

The first step would be to re-sign DJ Fluker. Yes, I know we just cut him several slides ago. However, I still like his fit on the team, just not for the cost he was slated to make. I would resign him for a veteran’s minimum contract in the range of 800k- $1 million.

The second step would be to draft a new center (with a higher ceiling than Joey Hunt). The two names that come to mind, Cesar Ruiz and Nick Harris. The pairing are vastly different, Ruiz is a mountain of a man at 6’4 and 320lbs. He plays with incredible power and has solid fundamentals. He won the award this year for the best interior offensive line player in pass blocking.

The other would be Nick Harris who is on the smaller side at 6’1 and 300lbs. Harris wins in the trenches using his athleticism, burst and a high football IQ. Cesar Ruiz would likely cost a late 1st round to early 2nd round pick whereas Nick Harris should be available in the later parts of the 2nd round.

Seattle should then look to the 2-3 round range for a tackle prospect. There are a handful of tantalizing options that Seattle should look at. In the early-mid rounds most tackle prospects will either be a low ceiling high floor player or one that possesses all the physical gifts a team could ask for but will need time to develop. This would be why George Fant is resigned. Not only is he versatile, but he will also be plugged into the right side while the rookie learns the ropes.

Running Back

The Seahawks have two elite running backs in Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny. Carson eclipsed 1k in rushing yards for the second year in a row. While Penny averaged just under 6 yards per rush, which is exceptional. The problem is both seem to be injury-prone and Carson is a free agent after the 2020 season. This year’s NFL draft is stacked full of quality running backs and it shouldn’t be a problem to scoop one up in the later rounds and hope they pan out. Look for Seattle to take a running back in the late rounds of the draft.

Cornerback

Shaquille Griffin has taken the step forward that fans and coaches were hoping for last year. But as the age-old saying goes, better late than never. However, his counterpart, Tre Flowers took a significant step back this year. It’s possible that Flowers can get back on his feet just like Griffin did, however, I disliked what I saw enough to hope the Seahawks will look to free agency to get some competition/ experience into the mix. A few names to monitor would be Jimmy Smith, Brian Poole, Jonathan Joseph, Kendall Fuller and Eli Apple.

Wide receiver

Many will want Seattle to go out and spend on a proven entity to help Russell, while I get that, I don’t agree. The wide receiver market price has been booming in recent seasons and I would rather Seattle save the cap space for extensions of their current players than spend big money on a position that Seattle already has proven talent in. Thus, once again I look to the draft. The draft experts are saying this could be the best wide receiver draft class since the famed 2014 class that brought Odell Beckham, Mike Evans, Brandon Cooks, Devante Adams and Sammy Watkins to the NFL. The Seahawks should be looking to the 2nd-4th round range to scoop up another talented wide receiver.