All four of the Seahawks starting defensive linemen are set to hit free agency. But with free agent signings, Seattle can fix the defensive line issues.
The Seahawks are both blessed and cursed at the defensive line position. They face an offseason of free agency questions with the unit. This creates a massive need along the defensive front as well as a tremendous opportunity. Seattle can use this to recreate the once-vaunted defensive line from scratch in what appears to be a deep free agency class.
When we look at Seattle’s defense line last season, the first thing that pops into mind is the lack of pass rush. The team had the 2nd (tied) fewest sacks in the NFL with only 28. In comparison, the season prior Frank Clark and Jarran Reed amassed 24.5 by themselves. Meanwhile, this season no player eclipsed 4 sacks.
While the pass rush is definitely an aspect that needs to be addressed, it is not the only one on the defensive front. Seattle gave up the 5th most rushing yards per carry in the NFL at 4.9 per last season. They also gave up the 3rd most rushing touchdowns last season at 22.
What I am getting to is that the defensive line needs a full overhaul, and it won’t be as simple as just signing Clowney and Reed. We need to address the weaknesses with specific players. Fortunately, Seattle has $52 million in cap space after the Greg Olsen signing, this leaves the team plenty of room to dramatically improve their defensive line this year.
Step one: re-sign Jadeveon Clowney
The first signing is the simplest, re-sign Jadeveon Clowney. If you look purely at his stats you would say something along the lines of “only 3 sacks!” However, his play goes so much farther than that. He has been one of the top 10 run defenders on the edge each of the past 3 seasons. He has never lived up to the high pass-rushing production from his college days. But one thing is for certain, he is very disruptive. The 3 sacks also don’t tell the true story, he was the second most double-teamed defensive lineman in the NFL last season behind only Aaron Donald. With some additional help, he should be able to break out for a consistent 8-12 sacks a year.
Yes, I know there have been reports that he wants to reset the market from the media. He also told the Seahawks GM John Schneider that he wants to keep playing for the team and that he will prioritize playing for a contender over all else. I think he will end up signing back with Seattle. The contract will likely end up in the ballpark of a 4-year $90 million contract, which is $22.5 per year.
The contract should be written to minimize the first-years cap hit, somewhere in the ballpark of $12 million. This would allow the Seahawks with enough room to bring in another big-name player to be his partner in crime.
After this first signing, Seattle will have roughly $40 million in cap space (important to note, this is without any roster cuts as I want to show how this can be done as things are currently, not as they could be).
Step two: get Clowney a partner in crime
The second signing would be to prioritize a pass-rushing specialist to be Clowney’s opposite. The player that comes to mind would be Robert Quinn. Last season, Quinn compiled an impressive stat line of 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 13 tackles for a loss with an impressive QB pressure rate of 16%.
To put the pressure rate into perspective, this would be higher than Aaron Donald, Demarcus Lawrence, Khalil Mack, and Frank Clark last season. Quinn has produced a pressure rate north of 10% in each of the last 3 seasons, so this is not a fluke on his contract year either.
Robert Quinn is approaching his age 30 season. Due to the high level of play and consistency he has shown, there will be plenty of suitors. Seattle will need to be aggressive in this signing. I think a 3-year, $48 million contract will be enough to sway him into signing. This contract will give Quinn some security in having multiple years and an average value of $16 million per year.
The first-year cap hit again should be minimized to ensure the Seahawks can continue building the roster around the duo. The team can structure the contract so the next season will be in the realm of $7 million against the cap. This would leave Seattle with $33 million in cap space after both defensive end signings.
Step 3: Get a big body on the interior to soak up the double teams
Now that the defensive line has two very capable pass rushers, its time to focus on the run defense. I think this is the year the Seahawks finally bring Ndamukong Suh back to the Pacific Northwest. Suh is no longer the pass-rushing menace he was early in his career, however, what he lacks in pass rushing he more than makes up for in stuffing the running lanes. Its no surprise that in each of the last 3 seasons the teams that Suh played for ranked in the top 10 in run defense (Rams, Rams and Buccaneers) each year. Suh is a dog on the line that every team needs.
Again, Suh is not going to be signed as the pass rusher, but he more than makes up for it by helping those around him post big numbers. He excels in picking up the double teams and simply making the every down, extra effort plays to get his counterparts in a position to succeed.
I don’t believe it is a coincidence that while with the Rams, he helped Aaron Donald post some of the best numbers of his career. He did the same for Shaquil Barrett last year in Tampa Bay. Barrett posted an NFL high 19.5 sacks with Suh as his counterpart. While one thing is for certain, he will help in the run defense. It is quite possible he could be the missing factor to unleashing Jadeveon Clowney’s pass rush.
Suh has wanted to come back to the Pacific Northwest for the last few off-seasons, the money just simply hasn’t been right. Now well into his age 33 season, his market value shouldn’t be near what it has been in the past. The Seahawks should be able to get Suh on board on a 2-year $12 million contract.
They could even structure it like KJ Wrights deal, this would balloon his contracts cap hit in the second year and offer the team a cleanout in between years 1 and 2. The first-year cap hit should be around $4 million (that would leave the second-year cap hit/team option at $8 million). This would leave Seattle with $29 million in cap room for the 2020-2021 season.
Step 4: focus solely on stopping the run
The final piece of the equation is to bring another elite run-stuffer to plug in at defensive tackle. The player I have in mind is Damon “Snacks” Harrison. He was recently released by the Lions as the team is looking like they are heading for a full rebuild. Harrison was reportedly contemplating retirement before his release, but he has confirmed through Twitter that he is looking for one last hurrah to see if he can join a contender and win a ring.
Snacks has been amongst the best run stuffers in the NFL for the past 7 seasons. He is in sole possession of first place in run stops for interior defensive lineman from 2013 to today, with 254. That number is 75 higher than second place, which shows just how elite he has been. He has been a beacon of consistency in stopping the run which is something Seattle desperately needs. He could also be a good mentor for Poona Ford as they both were UDFA and play a similar game.
With Snacks coming back purely to see if he can win a ring this year, his price tag shouldn’t be daunting. I think a 1-year, $4.5 million contract will get the deal done. This would leave Seattle with $24.5 million in cap space. Again, that number is before any potential roster cuts such as Ed Dickson, Tedric Thompson, Bradley McDougald, KJ Wright or Justin Britt. If all 5 of those players were cut (not saying they all should be), Seattle would accumulate an additional $25 million in cap space.
Through these 4 signings, Seattle would bring back high upside in Jadeveon Clowney. They would bring a player who is fully in his prime and a pass-rushing specialist in Robert Quinn. They would bring one player who I suspect to be the key to Aaron Donald and Shaquil Barrett’s big numbers in Ndamukong Suh. Finally, they would bring one of the best and most consistent run defending defensive tackles in Damon “Snacks” Harrison.
They could do all of this and still have almost half their cap space left to address other positions and extend key players. I can’t think of a better situation to be in and the Seahawks would be firmly in the conversation for the Super Bowl next season with all 4 signings.