Seahawks need to bringing back Michael Bennett for so many reasons

The Seahawks have an ongoing need on the defensive line. Michael Bennett would be able to provide leadership, mentoring to youngsters and help generate a pass rush.

Michael Bennett played 5 seasons with the Seahawks. During this span, he averaged 39 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and 8 sacks per season. Between Cliff Avril and Bennett, they became a fearsome duo for opposing quarterbacks to face. They created pressure on the quarterback forcing throws to come out early, helping the secondary earn its name of “The Legion of Boom.”

Seattle has a lot of young talent on the defensive line. This is especially true at the base end and defensive tackle positions. The Seahawks would be wise to look to an old friend to help guide these youngsters along and add much-needed depth.

The past two seasons Michael Bennett has been used mostly in a reserve role. This is perfect, as it would be similar to how Seattle would use him this go around. Bennett has a plethora of pass rush moves and the brute strength to excel in both the base end and as a defensive tackle.

During the two year stretch where he was a reserve, he still managed to post very respectable numbers.

Year                       2018       2019       Career Avg

Tackles                 34             32               32

Sacks                     9              6.5                6

TFL                         15            14               12

Pressure %          9.2%       10.3%         10.7%

Seattle needs to turn back to letting their young players get in-game experience. This would mean letting players like Rasheem Green, LJ Collier, Poona Ford, Marquise Blair, Darrell Taylor and Jordyn Brooks in the game early and often. However, when you play with a young team, it is imperative to have lots of experience around them to help guide.

Michael Bennett spoke to the media several months ago and voiced that he would embrace the mentorship role.

"It’s always good to have a good veteran defender that can help young guys. A lot of guys have skill in the NFL, but a lot of them don’t know how to study tape. Having a guy who knows how to study and could bring in some veteran leadership to go along with some great young talent, I would always think that’s a good idea."

He also notes he has a strong desire to finish his career in Seattle. The culture is just different than anywhere else in the NFL, its special. The Seahawks brought back Bruce Irvin to add much-needed speed to the defense. Perhaps, it is time to bring in his old teammate to help generate pressure on the quarterback.

He wouldn’t be expensive to re-sign either. Entering his age 34 season, he should be available for something just north of the veteran minimum (my guess would $1.2-2 million). Given how poor the last go-around ended, the Seahawks could likely offer little guarantees, just in case he causes chemistry issues. He could be released with little damage to the salary cap.

To me, the risk, reward ratio is so far tilted to the reward side that this isn’t even a question. Bennett can obviously still play. He also plays a VERY similar game to last year’s first round pick LJ Collier. Perhaps Bennett could be the key to unlocking Collier’s potential. For a low-cost flyer, this signing has the potential to pay dividends for years to come.