5 players Seahawks should sign Wednesday to vastly improve the roster

The Seattle Seahawks are in the midst of a rebuild. They traded their cornerstone offensive and defensive players this off-season. This completes the full circle of moving on from cornerstones starting in 2017.

The trade is what it is, a fresh start. Russell Wilson appears to have been staring at a new shiny car long enough he wanted it. The Seahawks brain trust has the long-term flexibility they covet.

Both Pete Carroll and John Schneider are adamant that they aren’t rebuilding. They are simply reallocating their money. They believe moving money away from the linebacker and quarterback could put the club in a better position to win today.

5 players the Seahawks should sign to vastly improve the roster.

Let’s revisit the team’s roster as it stands today.

Offense:

• QB: Drew Lock, Jacob Eason, and Geno Smith (maybe?)
• RB: Rashaad Penny, Chris Carson, Deejay Dallas, and Travis Homer
• WR: Tyler Lockett, Freddie Swain, and Penny Hart
• WR: DK Metcalf, Dee Eskridge, and Aaron Fuller
• TE: Noah Fant, Will Dissly, and Colby Parkinson
• LT: Stone Forsythe
• LG: Damien Lewis and Pier Olivier Lestage
• C: Austin Blythe, Kyle Fuller, and Dakoda Shepley
• RG: Gabe Jackson and Phil Haynes
• RT: Jake Curhan

The clearest holes offensively are quarterback, left tackle, right tackle, and running back. Running back needs depth considering the injury history amongst the top two players. The draft is best suited to solve this.

Defense:

• LDE: Shelby Harris and Alton Robinson
• DT: Poona Ford, Al Woods, and Bryan Mone
• RDE: Quinton Jefferson and LJ Collier
• EDGE: Uchenna Nwosu
• MLB: Jordyn Brooks, Jon Rhattigan, Tanner Muse
• MLB: Cody Barton, Ben Burr Kiven
• EDGE: Darrell Taylor
• LCB: Sidney Jones, Tre Brown
• RCB: Artie Burns and John Reid
• Slot CB: Justin Coleman, Marquise Blair, and Ugo Amadi
• FS: Quandre Diggs and Marquise Blair
• SS:  Jamal Adams and Ryan Neal

The defense needs more depth at the edge, cornerback, and better talent at the middle linebacker.

If the Seahawks are serious about simply reshuffling their money to help win today, there are five players who could make a huge impact on the team.

Player 1 to target: Melvin Ingram, Edge

Melvin Ingram was a name that was heavily connected to the Seahawks in the 2021 off-season. However, he ended up signing with Pittsburgh. Fast forward a few months and he was then traded to the Chiefs.

With the Chiefs, he thrived. He looked dynamic. He was a spark plug that the Chiefs threw in for a handful of snaps to see if they can get the defense a stop. More often than not, he made a play. Perhaps not the play that shows on the stat sheet. Nevertheless, a play to help his team get better positioned to neutralize the offense.

This is exactly the type of player the Seahawks need. Their EDGE depth is poor. Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor both are starter quality players. However, behind them is empty. They need someone to spell them and give them breathers.

Ingram is the perfect plug-and-play player. He has played in the Seahawks new style of defense with each of the last three teams he has been with. He shouldn’t be overly expensive either.

Projected contract: 1-year, $4 million.

Player 2 to target: Patrick Peterson, CB

Another name that was heavily connected to the Seahawks in the last off-season. Peterson has long been a thorn in the Seahawks side. He was a dominant corner with the Cardinals for a decade, which included 8 Pro-Bowls, and 3 All-Pro nods.

However, last season, he moved on to the Minnesota Vikings. He needed a fresh start on a new team. During his time with the Vikings, he was consistently put on an island with the opposing team’s most dynamic weapons.

Last season, he allowed a 58 percent completion rate to opposing receivers while accumulating an interception. His PFF grade game back solid, yet unspectacular at 63.0.

He may not be the best corner in the league anymore. However, he is more than serviceable. He also brings a lot of experience and veteran presence to a very young cornerback room. Don’t underestimate the kind of impact this can have. Shoot, look at Rashaad Penny’s breakout after Adrian Peterson came to town.

Give Peterson enough money that he feels respected without breaking the bank. A stop-gap contract for a year is likely the answer.

Projected contract: 1-year, $5.5 million

Player 3 to target: Duane Brown, LT

Duane Brown is a player that I don’t think the Seahawks can afford to lose. This is especially true if they are still trying to remain competitive during this time of uncertainty.

I have heard all the arguments about why the Seahawks need to move on. Duane Brown is old and we are rebuilding. Duane Brown looked bad last year. Stone Forsythe is the future. We have picks, draft a left tackle.

My arguments for each point are below:

• There is no better player left in free agency. Duane Brown is a class act and a leader. A team that no longer has the voices of Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner needs leaders that know the organization.
• Duane Brown held out all off-season. This undoubtedly hurt his production as it has to many other athletes who held out. While his play wasn’t elite, it was still very solid. If you go back and watch all the sacks that were Duane Browns man, about half of them were results of Russell Wilson scrambling right into Browns guy. Not trying to make excuses for him. However, he is still a Pro-Bowl-level talent.
• The Seahawks don’t seem to be sold on Forsythe at left tackle. In fact, the only position Forsythe played last year was right tackle. He lost that backup job to UDFA Jake Curhan. If the Seahawks want a chance to be competitive, banking on Forsythe is a risky proposition.
• This is not a great left tackle class. I was WAY higher on this class before the combine/ Senior Bowl. What I am left with, the few top-tier players will be gone before Seattle picks (Ikem and Neal). The others should not start right away (Penning and Raimann). Some others did test as well as hoped (Charles Cross and Nicholas Petit-Frere).

All in all, Duane Brown may not be the player that will be the long-term solution. However, he is better than any other option for this year. I would rather sign Brown to a two-year deal and draft a low floor, high potential player in the mid-rounds ( Matt Waletzko, Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom, or Kellen Diesch) to see if you can unlock their potential.

Projected contract: 2-years, $18 million with incentives to $21 million.

Player 4 to target: J.C. Tretter, C

If the Seahawks are truly looking to restart the Pete-ball methodology, they need a dominant offensive line. They also need leaders on the team to help fill the vacuum that Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner left in their wake.

J.C. Tretter is the NFL PA president, making him a leader amongst leaders. He is an incredibly consistent producer with each of the last four seasons with a PFF grade north of 72.

Tretter is also very durable having missed only one game in the last five seasons. The Seahawks need leaders. They need producers. They need individuals to guide the organization into the next dynasty.

The Seahawks could do a lot worse than signing the sixth highest-rated center in 2021 to a long-term contract.

In this scenario, I would trade/cut Gabe Jackson, move Damien Lewis back to his organic position of right guard, and have the newly signed Austin Blythe play left guard.

This has the makings (with Duane Brown also returning) of being one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. A perfect unit to help Pete Carroll do what Pete Carroll wants to do, run the rock.

Projected contract: 3-years, $28 million

Player 5 to target: Jadeveon Clowney, Edge

The Seahawks need additional depth at the edge. They need players who can take over games. They need someone who knows the new system and knows the organization. What if they turn to an old friend in Jadeveon Clowney?

Clowney is coming off his best season as a pro. He accumulated 11 sacks across from Myles Garrett. Sure, he may be inclined to go back to Cleveland. However, he has stated numerous times in the past that he loved his tenure as a Seahawk and loved the culture.

What if the Seahawks think that none of the pass rushers they want will be available when they pick at number 9 in the draft. What if they decide free agency is the best bet to ensure the improved defense that was promised to new (and highly sought after) assistant head coach Sean Dessai.

A front 7 of Shelby Harris, Poona Ford, Jadeveon Clowney, Uchenna Nwosu, Cody Barton (or another MIKE), Jordyn Brooks, and Darrell Taylor is more than enough firepower to cause mayhem every game for the pass and the run game.

If the Seahawks are real about wanting to go back to their core: ball control and dominant defenses, they need to have a dominant pass rush and offensive line. Adding just a couple of the players named in this article would be a big step in the right direction.

Suggested contract: 2-years, $24 million.