Five edge rushers Seahawks should sign in 2021 free agency

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Justin Houston (99) yells in celebration while leaving the field after the Colts' 15-13 win over the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019.Indianapolis Colts Denver Broncos Week 8
Indianapolis Colts defensive end Justin Houston (99) yells in celebration while leaving the field after the Colts' 15-13 win over the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019.Indianapolis Colts Denver Broncos Week 8 /
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The Seahawks will be in need of quality edge rushers during the 2021 free agency period. This would be true even if Seattle had not released Carlos Dunlap, but they did on Monday. Dunlap would have been owed $14 million in 2021 if he had stayed on the roster and that was just too steep of a price.

But again, no matter if Seattle finds a way to re-sign Dunlap or not, like every NFL team, the Seahawks need depth at edge rusher, not just one or two guys who are pretty good. A good pass rush helps the secondary and allows linebackers to not have to blitz as much and cover more ground. Heck, even Seattle safety Jamal Adams wouldn’t have to blitz as much even though he is so good at it.

Which five edge rushers should Seahawks look to sign in free agency

Justin Houston

Assuming that Seattle will not overpay for any one particular player even with the cap space created by a Carlos Dunlap release, all five of the players I have mentioned here are actual candidates to sign with the Seahawks.

Justin Houston has successfully made the transition from linebacker to defensive end over the last couple of years with the Colts. He isn’t the player he was during the 2014 season when he had 22 sacks, but he has remained a consistent force when it comes to chasing down opposing quarterbacks.

Houston will be 32 years old during the 2021 season but has had at least 8 sacks every season since 2016. He also isn’t likely to be signed long-term anywhere due to his age so Seattle should jump at signing him to a one-year deal at a pretty cost-effective rate.