Seahawks: Romeo Okwara would be a great fit in Seattle
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks might need to replace Carlos Dunlap at edge rusher as he is expensive. But to help bring pressure, Seattle should look at signing Romeo Okwara. I want to emphasize the word help there. Okwara wouldn’t be the central piece of Seattle’s pass-rushing scheme but he would be one of the bigger parts of it.
Okwara would be a much less expensive option than Dunlap though Dunlap is by far the more proven commodity. Dunlap has years of NFL experience where he has consistently shown he can be a decent run defender and a very good pass rusher. But Dunlap is 32 years old and likely on the decline.
Okwara will be 26 years old when the 2021 season begins and might be a very productive pass rusher for several more seasons. Possibly, he is just reaching his pick. Though he will only be 26 he has been in the NFL for five years. Two of his best three seasons have come since 2018 and 2020 was by far his best. I should be clear that Okwara is nowhere near the run defender that Dunlap is.
Seahawks should sign Romeo Okwara
But let’s squelched those articles who suggest Okwara is a “one-year wonder.” He isn’t. In 2018, he had 7.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits with 23 quarterback pressures. After a down 2019 season, Okwara bounced back in 2020 to produce 10 sacks with 31 pressures and 18 quarterback hits to go along with 11 tackles-for-loss. This though he played just 67 percent of the Lions defensive snaps.
If Seattle could sign Okwara for around $9 million that would be a win. Seattle should then bring back Benson Mayowa who quietly had 6 sacks in 2020 for the Seahawks after having 7 sacks with the Raiders in 2020. Mayowa was paid a bit over $3 million in 2020 and should be signed for around that same amount for 2021.
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Dunlap is on track to get paid $14 million in 2021 and is likely to be released. His $14 million could go toward acquiring Okwara and re-signing Mayowa. Add to the mix that 2020 draft pick Darrell Taylor should finally play and the Seahawks might be in good shape when it comes to pressuring opposing quarterbacks this coming season.