The Seahawks are entering a very difficult off-season. There will be many difficult decisions to be had. The team has almost no cap space, a total of around $1 million in “true” cap space. They have the 6th most free agents slated to hit the market. Meanwhile, they have almost no draft capital to help replenish the roster with inexpensive labor.
Something is going to have to give.
The Seahawks options
First, you can restructure or extend a player. Think of a restructure like borrowing against a credit card. The money that is being saved is still there, just due at a later date. This is a dangerous game to play with. The easiest way of explaining the risks, it saves money today by mortgaging the future. Just look at the Eagles cap situation.
Second, you can cut players. This is a common talking point. However, it is hard for me to flat out say cut a player because it more or less means the team doesn’t gain any value in return. Outside of the cap savings of course. This would only solve some of the money problems. It does nothing to help with the lack of draft capital or replenishing of talent.
Finally, you can trade a player. This is where I am going to stay for the rest of the article. By trading a player, you get out of a contract (resulting in savings), while gaining some sort of asset in return. For the Seahawks and their cap situation, the asset sought after is likely to be draft picks.
This is the second article in this series. If you haven’t read the first one, click here. The article goes over what a Tyler Lockett trade could look like.
Seahawks trade Quandre Diggs to the Cowboys
I want to start this page off by saying Diggs has been one of John Schneider’s best trade acquisitions. This is especially true when you look at the minimal value it took to get him to Seattle.
Diggs is an incredibly versatile defensive back. He can play free safety, strong safety, slot corner, or outside cornerback and do so effectively and efficiently. In Seattle, we used him almost predominantly as a single high free safety.
His ability to read the play, cover ground and make the play has been crucial for Seattle’s success. So you may ask why trade him? The answer is clear. This would be a calculated move to cash in on a player coming off a career year.
Diggs is soon to be 29 years old. He is on the books for just $5.5 million. All of which is tradeable. He is coming off the best year of his career which ended with a Pro Bowl nod. Plus, Seattle already has two replacements on the roster between Marquise Blair and Ugo Amadi.
Proposed trade:
There was so much talk before with the Seahawks potentially trading a defensive back to the Cowboys. It just wasn’t Quandre Diggs being talked about. Dallas never addressed the issue that consistently connected Earl Thomas to the Cowboys. So here we are.
For the Cowboys, this makes tons of sense. They never addressed this position in the draft. The free agency pool is a crap-shoot this year. The trade allows the Cowboys to acquire a Pro-Bowl player to help shore up what was a shaky defense. All it will cost them is a third-round pick.
Did you know that Quandre Diggs is actually from Texas? He went to college in Texas. He still owns a home in Texas. This would more or less be a homecoming for the defensive back. Dallas would absorb his relatively inexpensive contract of $5.5 million.
Digg’s contract makes this trade all the more valuable. In an off-season with the majority of the NFL in some sort of hellish landscape regarding the salary cap, an inexpensive and productive vet like Diggs is worth a lot more than an expensive vet, regardless of his talent.
In return, Seattle would gain $5.5 million in cap space. They would also gain an early third-round pick this year. The trade would be a win-win for both sides. Now the question is, what would Seattle do with their newest assets?
Pick gained from the Diggs trade
The team could go any number of ways with this pick. However, I will say this is where the team would need to draft an offensive line or defensive line if they are looking in that direction. The talent about runs dry here. There should also be some very promising skill position players available.
D’Wayne Eskeridge, WR: If you read my target at each position article you would understand why this name is here. Eskeridge is a small school wonder who is about as slippery as you can get. His understanding of route running and creating separation is elite. His top-end speed has to be in the low 4.3s. The comp I recently heard was Tyreek Hills speed with Devante Adams footwork. The team could definitely do worse than Eskeridge.
Quinn Meinerz, C: Meinerz is another small school wonder. Many hadn’t heard his name until the Senior Bowl. However, anyone who followed the week in Mobile is now buzzing about his potential. He flat out destroyed the competition. He went from a likely undrafted FA to a likely third-round prospect. He plays with an incredible balance of power and control. He has great lateral agility with a lot of strength. A great fit for our blended Seahawks-Rams scheme.
James Hudson, OT: This is a great spot to take a developmental tackle prospect. Hudson is an incredibly athletic big man. His lateral agility is elite. He can play speed rusher better than just about anyone. His technique and footwork are precise. He can play both left and right tackle. He will just need some time to add some weight and strength to help add to his anchor. Hudson hasn’t allowed a sack in the last 2 seasons.
Keith Taylor, CB: Taylor looks like a classic Seahawks cornerback. He stands at 6’2″, 195 pounds, and a 76-inch wingspan. He has great agility, effective tackling, and physicality. He stood head and shoulders above the crop of cornerbacks at the Senior Bowl. He was incredibly sticky in coverage and excelled in accumulating pass breakups. He is a plug-and-play prospect with the versatility to play any of the defensive back positions.
Osa Odighizuwa, DT: If you read my draft prospects to target at each position article, you would understand why his name is listed. He looks and plays like a slightly lighter version of Poona Ford. He is the 280lb version of our favorite 310lb 1-tech defensive tackle. Odighizuwa is an athletically gifted player. He has a shorter stature with long arms. He plays with great leverage and explosiveness. He would make a dominant running partner for Ford to play with long-term at the 3-tech.
The order in which I would target each of these is as follows:
- Quinn Meinerz. He is a plug and play center and has HUGE upside. Get Russell Wilson a formidable offensive line and see how he performs.
- D’Wayne Eskeridge. Whether the team retains Lockett or not, Eskeridge is a dynamic playmaker who can help set the team over the top. The kid is electric.
- James Hudson. I was torn between Hudson and Odighizuwa here. Both have equally high ceilings. Both are developmental prospects. Rolling with Hudson first due to positional value.
- Osa Odighizuwa. He would be such a big get on the defensive line. His athleticism, burst and pass-rushing moves would surely create waves. He just needs to work on consistency.
- Keith Taylor. This is not a strong cornerback class. There are a handful of great prospects at the top but dries quickly. Taylor is a great schematic fit but would be a reach to select him here.
The $5.5 million saved from the trade is nothing to sneeze at. However, this would likely have to be one move amongst many if the team really wants to get their cap under control. I will continue coming out with other trade valuations for Seahawks stars to help accomplish just that.