12th Man Rising
FanSided

Seahawks patience on defensive line may not pay off

By Lee Vowell

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 08: Defensive end Rasheem Green #98 of the Seattle Seahawks looks on from the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 08, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 08: Defensive end Rasheem Green #98 of the Seattle Seahawks looks on from the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 08, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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While free agent linemen get snatched up by other teams, the Seahawks wait. And wait. Yet they wait again. And this might not be a good move.

Hello, 12s. I am here to prophesize. No one wants to think the Seahawks run of good play and good fortune, but John Schneider and Pete Carroll might be making it so. Do not get me wrong. Seattle certainly would not have had their best decade without Schneider and Carroll, but the next decade might be disappointing. Seattle is waiting too long to sign defensive linemen.

If the 2020 season were to start tomorrow, these would be the Seahawks defensive ends: L.J. Collier, Rasheem Green, Bruce Irvin, Branden Jackson and Shakir Soto. And these would be the defensive tackles: Demarcus Christmas, Poona Ford, Nazair Jones, Bryan Mone and Jarran Reed. Is that the worst overall unit in the NFL? Possibly.

Yet, the Seahawks management seemingly waits for Jadeveon Clowney to accept a reported three year and $18.5 million a season contract. Maybe they have their eye on Everson Griffen too. But just as real of the possibility that Seattle signs Clowney and maybe Griffen is the fact they don’t sign them.

Schneider and Carroll will have watched as pass rusher after pass rusher got gobbled up in free agency and they did nothing to improve Seattle’s porous pass rush from 2019. Signing Irvin is fine, as long as he gets lots of help.

In my opinion, the Seahawks should have changed their ways a bit this offseason. Instead of being patient, they should have been aggressive in getting a good pass rusher or three. If Clowney balked at the first or second offer, move on quickly. Seattle’s secondary wasn’t the problem last season but them having to cover and cover and cover some more was. If Seattle had greatly improved its pass rush the defense overall would be much better.

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Having faith that Collier, who was a complete bust in his rookie year, is not the answer. Neither is thinking Reed will be more like 2018 than 2016 or 2017 or 2019. Green led the team in sacks with 4. That might be his career-high. Seattle right now is worse than they were in 2019 and that is not acceptable. If Seattle doesn’t sign Clowney and possibly another pass rusher, the outcome of the 2020 season falls on Schneider and that outcome will not be good.

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