While the Seahawks were a pleasant surprise in 2022, they’ll have to be much more consistent on defense to improve this season. The Hawks are only missing a few key pieces; these three players can unlock that potential in 2023.
Last year, the Seahawks defense was: oh, how can you describe this defense? Winston Churchill probably put it best, when he said the Hawks D was “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Okay, he was talking about Russia – and it still applies – but how else would you describe a unit that surrendered over 500 yards twice, but close out the season with three straight sub-300-yard performances? Especially when one of those was against the Chiefs?
Want more evidence of their Jekyll and Hyde nature? The Seahawks held Saquon Barkley, who ran for 1,312 yards last season, to just 53. This same defense allowed both Taysom Hill to go off for over 100 yards and the post-McCaffrey Panthers to rumble for 223 yards on the ground. Then it all came tumbling down against the Niners in the playoffs. The Hawks gave up over 500 yards and 41 points. That was just the third time Seattle gave up that many yards and points all year.
Seahawks free agent target no. 1: Dalvin Tomlinson
We’ve already floated a couple of names out there that would be instant upgrades to the defensive line. As Lee Vowell wrote, Daron Payne would give a massive boost to both the pass and rush defense. If you did your homework and read that article, you also saw he’d come with a high price tag. In fact, the Commanders just placed a franchise tag on him. It’s a non-exclusive tag, but that just jacked the price even higher. Dre’Mont Jones is another great fit – again, check out Lee’s writeup – but he’d also be on the pricey side at approximately $17 million per year, for four years.
I’d love for the Hawks to go with either of those, players, but for significantly less money, we could get almost the same result. At first, I thought about Dalvin Tomlinson, but he basically replicates the skillset and production of both Al Woods and Poona Ford; at least Ford when he’s playing in the right position. But Woods will be 36 years old, Ford was inconsistent last year and is a free agent himself. Bryan Mone is recovering from surgery for a torn ACL, and there’s no set timetable for his return.
So, Dalvin Tomlinson makes sense after all. He’ll be 29 at the start of the season, while both Payne and Jones will only be 26. Then again, that’s a key factor in Tomlinson’s market value being set at only $8.5 million, less than half of what the other two are expected to command. As for his production, the 6’3″ 325-pound tackle is one of the best run defenders in the game. He has the third-most tackles for loss or no gain in the league since 2017. Now he may not get to the quarterback as often as you’d like, but an average of three sacks and 9.5 QB hits over the past four years is more than solid, especially for a guy who often plays the nose.
His overall grade of 77.1 from Pro Football Focus (a subscription site, yes) reflects both aspects of his game. Compare that grade to Woods’ 68.2 and Ford’s 56.2. Even Ford’s 2021 season, 73.0, doesn’t quite measure up. Add that Tomlinson hasn’t been graded lower than 74.9 in the past five years, and you have a very consistent monster in the middle.
Seahawks free agent target no. 2: Cameron Sutton
I’ll start with another player that would be a great fit for the Hawks, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, except for one little problem. They already have a great free safety in Quandre Diggs, and all Ryan Neal did at strong safety was earn Pro Football Focus’ top grade. Hopefully, Jamal Adams will be back at full strength, and Clint Hurtt can see his three-safety sets perform as well as expected. Gardner-Johnson can also play slot corner, but Coby Bryant should have that locked down with another year of experience. If it looks like Adams’ recovery isn’t progressing, then I’d take CJGJ in a heartbeat.
But the Hawks will likely have no issues at safety. Obviously, the right cornerback position is in the best hands in the league with Tariq Woolen. Michael Jackson wasn’t Bad, but he wasn’t exactly a Thriller, either. Sorry, but you know I had to go there. While Woolen tied for the league lead in interceptions (with Gardner-Johnson), Jackson had just one pick. PFF graded Woolen at 71.6, and Jackson at just 60.2. Woolen led the NFL in passer rating allowed (a ridiculous 48.7), while Jackson was at 75.1.
All that is to say that Cameron Sutton, currently of the Steelers, would be a terrific bookend for Woolen. At 5’11” and 188 pounds, he doesn’t fit the Seahawks prototype nearly as well as Woolen, or Jackson, for that matter. All he does is produce. PFF graded him at 71.6, the same as Woolen. I think that’s absurd, but it does reflect that he’s far more than competent.
He’s played in at least 15 games every season since 2018 and has posted passer ratings allowed below 80 in three of his past four seasons. That includes a rating of 65.3 last year, when he broke up 15 passes and picked off three more, all career highs. Perhaps best of all, spotrac.com projects his market value at a pretty cap-friendly $7.6 million per year, with a three-year deal most likely. Compared to the expectation of $13.3 million for Gardner-Johnson, or a probable $16.5 million for Jamel Dean, another top corner, and Sutton looks like the best fit for the Hawks.
Seahawks free agent target no. 3: Tremaine Edmunds
I won’t dilly-dally or shilly-shally on this one, 12s. For me, there’s only one choice at linebacker. That is unless we’re talking about Bobby Wagner. Now that is the guy I want to see. But failing that, I’ll take Tremaine Edmunds. Like Wagner, Edmunds is a tackling machine. He’s never had less than 100 combined tackles in his five years in the league. Despite his experience, Edmunds will still be just 25 at the end of the 2023 season.
Last year he improved in a couple of areas that held him back from being one of the league’s best linebackers. Mind you, he made the Pro Bowl twice before he did this. He cut his missed tackles from an average of 8.5 percent to just one. That’s one percent or one missed tackle, however, you want to read it. BWagzesque, indeed. He also boosted his pass coverage grade to 86.9 percent, third among all off-ball linebackers. His overall PFF trade was 79.0. Edmunds is a talent on the rise and would be a great fit in the middle of the Seahawks’ defense.
Perhaps best of all is that his anticipated market value is relatively low at just $11 million per year for a four-year contract. This is probably a good time to mention that Bobby Wagner was graded at 90.7 overall by Pro Football Focus, recorded 140 total tackles – a slow year for him – and has a football IQ off the charts. I agree with Jake Luppino: I’d rather have Wagner back than anyone else. But that’s a story for another day. For now, I’d be thrilled to have Edmunds, Sutton, or Tomlinson in College Navy, Wolf Gray, and Action Green.