The Seattle Seahawks team has failed to meet the expectation. They have fallen flat in what was viewed as a must-win season. A make-or-break year. Changes are coming.
As I have written about previously, these changes could be Russell Wilson asking for a trade (I offered several trade ideas here), changing the head coach, or some blend of the both.
What we know will not happen is simply running it back. The failed reset of 2018 has shown too many flaws in the armor of the organization. Too often the team has spent poorly in free agency, missed opportunities in the draft, and spent on the wrong positions.
3 Seahawks are likely playing in their final game for the team
Another simple fact is that some players are bound to move on. Some will look for better opportunities elsewhere. Some have been beaten out by the player that was their depth piece at the beginning of the year.
The team is going to enter the off-season with the eighth-most cap space. If they make a couple of smart moves and move on from players like Bobby Wagner, Chris Carson, and Jason Meyers, they will enter the off-season with the second-most cap space. More than enough money to reinvent themselves.
This is the type of re-set that needs to occur. Move money from the linebacker corps to the defensive line. Put some of your younger guys in earlier and move on from players that have reached the crescendo of their career.
I have outlined three players that I believe have played their last down for the Seahawks.
Player 1: Brandon Shell, RT
This is the unfortunate truth of the NFL. When you sustain an injury that keeps you out for an extended period of time, then backup(s) are set to be put into the spotlight.
Look at Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady. Bledsoe was promised to keep the job after sustaining an injury. That is until Brady showed that he is more than a serviceable starter. The rest is history.
Brandon Shell has been a surprisingly positive addition to the team. I was highly skeptical when the Seahawks signed him. I honestly did not think he would even make the roster. However, I was wrong. He has shown to be a decent stop-gate player who plays both the pass and run admirably.
His biggest flaws are his ability to get manhandled on bull rushes and the never-ending injury bug. Unfortunately for Shell, this last injury bug likely cost him his job.
Jake Curhan stepped into the role and hasn’t looked back. The undrafted rookie free agent has played just as good, if not better than Shell in every aspect of the game. He has had some growth moments over the last month. However, the ceiling with Curhan is significantly higher.
Curhan has shown to be a building block on at right tackle making Brandon Shell expendable and unlikely to return.
Player 2: Quandre Diggs, FS
Quandre Diggs has been one of the best trade acquisitions the Seahawks brass has made in their tenure. The team desperately needed a versatile weapon that can play single-high safety and create turnovers. Diggs has more than lived up to that need.
Diggs has been top four in interceptions in each of the last two seasons. He is everything that the Seahawks needed to fill the Earl Thomas void. However, that is also the reason why he is unlikely to return.
The best part of his acquisition, it only cost the team a 5th round pick for 3 years of service on a very team-friendly deal ($13 million total).
Coming off two straight Pro-Bowl nods Diggs market value is continually increasing. If the Seahawks would have extended Diggs last year, his contract would have been substantially smaller. Something in the ballpark of $8-$10 million per year.
Now, with the second Pro Bowl under his belt, he is going to be one of the hottest safeties in free agency. It’s going to be increasingly hard for Seattle to afford paying both Diggs at his market value ($12-$13 million per year) and Jamal Adams.
For this reason, this is likely the last game Diggs will suit up for the Seahawks. I hope you sit back and enjoy the show while you can, Diggs is a good one.
Player 3: Rasheem Green, DE
Rasheem Green entered the draft back in 2018 as the youngest player to be selected. Coming into the free agency he is only 24 years old. To put into perspective: Green is two years younger than LJ Collier who was drafted a year later. Green is also the same age as Darrell Taylor who was drafted two years after him.
The defensive end position is often viewed as one of the slowest to develop. The college game simply does not prepare the players for the NFL. Because of this, Green is entering free agency coming off his best year as a pro as the third youngest defensive end hitting the market.
Teams are going to see this as potential. They are more or less signing a player the same age as they would draft that has 4 years of NFL experience. This is going to make Green remarkably more expensive than he should be. Potential pays bigly.
One could argue for the Seahawks paying Green. However, with Seattle sitting with 3 potential pieces: Darrell Taylor, Alton Robinson, and LJ Collier at the defensive end position, I would rather spend the money on a sure-fire defensive end. Someone like Chandler Jones, or Von Miller then sign a more expensive potential piece. Because of this, I believe this will be Rasheem Green’s final game in Seattle.