Seahawks work out LB Joe Schobert but there should be caution

The Seattle Seahawks worked out three players on Friday and one of them was linebacker Joe Schobert. Is he worth trying to sign?

Joe Schobert has been a productive player in the NFL over his six-year career. Every season since his rookie year, he has accumulated at least 103 tackles. In 2017, he made the Pro Bowl and led the NFL with 144 combined tackles. But where would he fit on the Seahawks?

Linebacker doesn’t seem to be the problem for Seattle’s defense right now. At least, not inside linebacker which is what Schobert is. Jordyn Brooks has been fine so far in 2022 if not exactly making impact plays. Cody Barton has been as good as expected and that’s fine.

It is odd that Schobert has bounced around the league the last three years. After playing four years with the Browns, he went to the Jaguars in 2020 and the Steelers in 2021. He has stayed healthy. He missed one game in 2021 and three in 2018 and that is it for his career. He has started every game he has been available for, except one, since 2017.

Seahawks should pass on trying to sign linebacker Joe Schobert

So why hasn’t he been signed by some team?

For one, he isn’t a perfect tackler and tackling has been a huge issue for the Seahawks this year. In 2018, Schobert missed 18.9 percent of his attempted tackles. Except for 2021 (7.4 percent), Schobert has missed at least 9 percent of his attempted tackles every season. 9 percent for a cornerback is one thing but for a linebacker that is far too much and 9 percent is one of the lowest marks of his career.

In 2021, Schobert received a run defense grade of just 48.3 from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In 2020, his run defense grade was a solid 65.5 but his coverage grade was a very bad 43.1. Schobert also missed 20 tackles. In 2019, Schobert received a decent coverage grade but was bad against the run.

The fact is that if the Seahawks are going to sign a player it needs to be one that is more consistent in anything that he does. Schobert does have experience and that might help a young Seahawks defense. Schobert is also just 28 years old so he should still have a few years left to play.

But what the Seahawks really need to do is bring in a few safeties to work out. Seattle’s depth, especially quality depth, is lacking at the position. If Quandre Diggs were to be injured, the back end of Seattle’s defense would be a mess. So maybe the Seahawks should try out Landon Collins instead of Joe Schobert.