3 Seahawks defensive players on the bubble entering training camp

Seahawks roster bubble player three: KJ Wright – LB

Statistically, KJ Wright just came off one of his best seasons to date. He set a personal record for tackles, interceptions and passes defended. Yet, he seems to be the odd man out.

Wright is now on the wrong side of 30. He is currently the longest-tenured Seahawk on the roster. With the Seahawks spending a total of a first, third and fifth-round draft pick over the last two years on linebackers, his days seem to be numbered.

He has noticeably slowed down. PFF gave Wright the lowest grade of his career last season. He was solid in coverage, yet he was a liability defending the run and appeared slow. If it wasn’t for his phenomenally instinctual play, Wright’s downward turn would of been more apparent.

In a recent press conference, Pete Carroll stated that Jordyn Brooks’s clearest path to start is at the weakside linebacker position. This has been Wright’s spot for the last 9 seasons. It’s possible that Wright is not completely healthy. It’s also possible that they are thinking about life beyond him.

With this roster cut, the Seahawks would save a total of $6.5 million in cap space. This is the biggest roster saving the team could make this off-season. However, I for one hope they do not cut Wright.

Wright is just a phenomenal human being. He is also one of the smartest linebackers in the game. I would much rather give him another year to help coach up some of the other linebackers.

Players like Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven could benefit greatly from his expertise. Even if he wasn’t a starter, and he was purely a mentor. An expensive mentor, but one of the most instinctual players in the game.

Unless the Seahawks are starving for cap space while looking to make a big splash acquisition, this would be a bad way to see this relationship end. Plus, if they thought there was any chance of cutting him, they should have done it around the free agency opening period.

This would have given him a solid chance of making some good money elsewhere. It would have also saved the team the $1 million they paid out in a bonus.