Seahawks: 3 moves Seattle should not make in next two years
By Lee Vowell
Don’t re-sign Duane Brown
Duane Brown wasn’t the most expensive left tackle in the NFL in 2021 but he also wasn’t one of the best. Brown was still one of the better parts of the Seattle line but what is that really saying? Paying Brown another $10 million-plus would be a mistake. Brown allowed 8 sacks, his most since his rookie year in 2008.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brown was the 35th-best tackle in 2021 but Brown had the 9th-highest cap number this year. Brown will also be 37 years old when the 2022 season begins. Seattle needs to move on and get younger.
No, Seattle doesn’t have a replacement currently on the roster for Brown. At least, not a sure-bet. The Seahawks drafted Stone Forsythe did show promise this year but in extremely limited snaps. Brown played 969 snaps. Forsythe played 14. That is clearly not enough to go on to assume Forsythe could replace Brown.
But there are several other and younger good left tackles available in free agency this offseason. I think Seattle should go after Saints left tackle Terron Armstead hard. Armstead is 30 years old but should have several good seasons left. Other than Armstead, the Jaguars Cam Robinson and the Colts Eric Fisher are also free agents and both are years younger than Brown and no worse of players.