Seahawks need a pass rusher; at the right price it could be Vic Beasley

It’s no secret the Seahawks need another stud for the pass rush. Former Falcon Vic Beasley could be the answer at the right price.

The Seahawks need to bolster their pass rush. When you finish the season with just 28 sacks,  you’ve got a problem. By the way, only the Miami Dolphins registered fewer sacks than the Hawks. That miserable pass rush is a major reason why Seattle ranked 22nd in point allowed last year. So, yeah, they need some pass rushers. Former Falcons All-Pro Vic Beasley could be the answer, at least at the right price.

Beasley has a lot of name recognition, largely for the afore-mentioned All-Pro (and Pro Bowl) season in 2016. In just his second season, Beasley terrorized the opposition. He led the NFL in sacks with 15.5 and forced fumbles with six. He added 16 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for a loss. Obviously, any team would want a guy with that production. So why shouldn’t the Seahawks go after him?

Well, there are a few caveats. The problem is, that production is long gone. Remember, that was 2016. In the three seasons since then, Beasley has accounted for 18 sacks. That’s still pretty good, an average of six per year. He also has 25 quarterback hits and 23 tackles for a loss over those three seasons. Not spectacular numbers by any means, but a player that averages six sacks, eight quarterback hits and eight tackles for a loss is a pretty useful player.

Now consider that no member of the Seahawks had more than four sacks last year; that was Rasheem Green with four. Consider that only one defender (Mychal Kendricks) matched the eight tackles for a loss. And only three players had as many as eight quarterback hits (Jadeveon Clowney, Quinton Jefferson, and Jarran Reed). Suddenly, that 6-8-8 stat line for Beasley looks a little more impressive, doesn’t it?

Now consider that Beasley had something of a rebound in 2019. He had just five sacks in the two previous years, then had eight in 2019. His quarterback hits also jumped, from five and eight to 12 last year. Add in that he’s only missed two games in five years, and that he’ll only turn 28 at the start of 2020 training camp, and Beasley is a good health risk. We all know how fun it is to sign a big-name pass-rush specialist with a litany of injuries. For the record, that’s not a knock on Ziggy Ansah or on the Hawks for signing him. I was all for the move, as it was a relatively low-cost deal. In today’s NFL, $9 million is low-cost. And it was just for one year, which was a very good thing, as it turned out.

Which brings us to money and Mr. Beasley. According to the wonderful sports contract site spotrac.com, the defensive end/LB projected market value is about $7.3 million per year over three years. Now, just because spotrac.com says that’s his value doesn’t mean Beasley and his agent will see it the same way. He’s coming off his best season since 2016, and Atlanta paid him $12.8 million for it, the last year of a very heavily back-loaded contract.

If the Seahawks can land Beasley for something close to the projected value Spotrac listed, then this should be a very easy decision. If the market pushes his value into the range that Reed is apparently expecting, that makes this a very dicey proposition. Still, it’s worth it for the Seahawks to take a look at what the man can offer before they worry about what they’ll offer him.