Seahawks should pass on trying to sign Linval Joseph
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks need to revamp their defensive line in 2020. But they should not try doing so by signing defensive tackle Linval Joseph.
The Seahawks need defensive linemen. They need depth, bulk and talent. Seattle currently has just seven defensive linemen on their 2020 roster. Of those seven, only four played for the Seahawks last year. And only two, Rasheem Green and Poona Ford, did anything remotely productive. Seattle’s defensive line needs help.
But that help needs to come in the form of long-term talent and not one-year rentables. Aging players who might eat up more cap space than they should need to be left out of the 2020 line equation. This includes recently released and former Viking defensive tackle Linval Joseph.
Joseph has been a very good player in the NFL. He has made two Pro Bowls. In 2016, Joseph had 77 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits from his interior position. If Joseph had been available after 2016 and the Seahawks had a chance to sign him, I would have said to do it in a second and spend money.
But Joseph will be 32 years old for most of the 2020 season. In each of the last four seasons, his tackles have gone down. In 2019, his sack total was 3 which is about his career average but his quarterback hits of 6 pale in comparison to his seasons of 2016, 2017 and 2014 when he was in double-figures.
There is a reason that Minnesota is letting Joseph go. They do not feel he is worth the money that they were going to have pay him, which saved the Vikings $10 million. It is possible that some team might feel like signing Joseph to an $8 million deal for 2020 is a wise investment. It wouldn’t be for the Seahawks.
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If the Seahawks were going to spend that kind of money, and a bit more, they should just re-sign Jarran Reed. Reed is also a defensive tackle but he has had a 10 sack season. He is also younger than Joseph. Seattle needs edge rushers more than interior linemen. Joseph just isn’t worth the risk of signing at this point.