Seahawks: Why Seattle has been so active in rookie free agency
The Seahawks have reportedly signed 12 undrafted rookie free agents thus far, a total higher than it has been in the past for the Seahawks.
These UDFAs include 4 offensive linemen, 3 wide receivers, 2 running backs, 1 cornerback, 1 linebacker and 1 defensive tackle. (For a more in-depth look at these players, check out this article.)
Why has this team already signed these 12 players, though? Most other teams in the league have signed around 5 UDFAs, but the Hawks have signed 12. Clearly, this team wound up with only 3 draft picks, and while they made excellent selections with the 3 picks, they had lots of roster space available following the draft.
Seahawks active in signing UDFAs
When the draft ended and before undrafted rookie free agency had begun, the Seahawks had 19 remaining slots on their preseason 90-man roster. Most other teams with a typical amount of draft capital most likely had around 10 slots available, only half as many as the Seahawks.
The Seahawks actually had lots of flexibility heading into rookie free agency, a possible upside of only making 3 picks in the draft. They were able to recruit all of the players they wanted in the first wave of UDFA signings, picking up 12 players who add depth to the team without having to worry about filling the roster.
These 12 signings leave 7 available roster spots for the team to fill with more UDFAs, or with veteran free agents still on the market (KJ Wright, Richard Sherman to name a few).
While most of the names are fairly underwhelming, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with adding depth to the team on the cheapest contracts available. UDFAs have the smallest cap hits in the league, typically around $650,000, and that’s if they make the team.
Next. Grades for each Seahawks 2021 draft pick. dark
Imagine a world where Tamorrion Terry is a solid WR4 for us and we get to pay him less than a million dollars. It’s great to see that even though the Seahawks were limited in the draft, they wasted no time recruiting UDFA help. Now, to watch and see how the team decides to fill its 7 remaining slots.