Seahawks GM John Schneider having his best offseason ever

Though the Seahawks did their usual slow burn in free agency, general manager John Schneider might be having his offseason since he came to Seattle in 2010. Seattle is now a better team than it was in 2020 and might be getting close, if they remain healthy, to making a deep run in the playoffs.

On Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted that the Seahawks had resigned defensive end Carlos Dunlap to a two-year deal for $16.6 million of which $8.5 million is guaranteed. Dunlap was very good after Seattle traded to get him mid-season last year. And Dunlap won’t have to be alone when it comes to Seattle supplying pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Seattle has also re-signed Benson Mayowa and added Kerry Hyder in free agency. If Darrell Taylor can produce this year, Seattle might just have its best defensive line since 2013. It appears Seattle will be trying to trade Jarran Reed after signing Dunlap, or Reed will be released outright, but Hyder can also play defensive tackle as can L.J. Collier.

To be fair, Reed also had great potential as a pass rusher but he also was extremely inconsistent and needed a good defensive end next to him to be productive. He will be missed but he is not irreplaceable and Seattle may already have his replacement on the roster.

Seahawks getting better due to John Schneider’s moves

But why is this possibly John Schneider’s best offseason? Well, because he is smart for one thing. He knew better than most that while Seattle normally does wait and wait and wait during the first part of free agency, this was the best year to do that. A lower salary cap meant good players would not going to get paid top dollar.

Seattle has somehow ended up re-signing Dunlap and Mayowa, adding Kerry Hyder, re-signing Poona Ford, re-signing Chris Carson, trading for Gabe Jackson, signed Ahkello Witherspoon and brought back most of the depth along the offensive line.

Is the offensive line better going into 2021 as Russell Wilson asked for? It should be. Even without Reed, the defensive line should be vastly better. Seattle might miss Shaquill Griffin but Tre Flowers, Ahkello Witherspoon and potentially Quinton Dunbar might be just as good. K.J. Wright might not come back but Jordyn Brooks should be good enough to replace him.

So John Schneider went into the 2021 offseason with limited cap space and very few draft picks and has somehow come out with a better team. Seahawks fans should be happy John Schneider is the team’s GM and should be happy watching Seattle win games this coming season.