Three trades Seahawks should make before the start of the 2021 season
By Lee Vowell
Trade three
Seahawks get: Running back Sony Michel
Patriots get: Seahawks fifth round pick in 2022
Sony Michel was banged up a bit in 2020 but is still just 26 years old and missed a total of three games in his first two years. Michel also should be available in a trade as he isn’t going to be the starter for the Patriots and will just be part of a rotation. Plus, Bill Belichick likes to have a bunch of draft picks each year.
A fifth-rounder for Michel should work for both teams. The pick should still supply the Patriots will a player Belichick can mold into the Patriots Way and find a useful spot for whoever it is. Seattle also currently has picks in rounds 2 through 4 and six overall so losing one only means Schneider will find a way to add more later on (likely during the draft itself).
But Michel is a great fit for the Seahawks offense. He has decent size at 215 pounds and is a straight-ahead runner that Pete Carroll likes but should also work in Shane Waldron’s system. Michel isn’t going to catch a ton of passes but that won’t be his role anyway.
Michel would give starter Chris Carson a proven backup (26.8 percent of Carson’s career rushing attempts have ended in a first down and Michel’s percentage is 27 percent) and one who stays mostly healthy and give the Seahawks another guy behind Carson who can step-in if backup Rashaad Penny goes down yet again with another injury. Plus, if something happens and Michel doesn’t work out, he is a free agent after 2021.