Seahawks finally make the splashy free agent signing 12s have wanted

The Seattle Seahawks finally made the kind of splashy free agent signing that 12s are not used to but probably have wanted for many offseasons. Seattle needed to do something, whether it be in free agency or the 2023 NFL draft, to fix the interior of their defensive line. The reported signing of defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones should go quite a ways toward making Seattle a much better defense.

The deal isn’t a cheap one for Seattle, however. Jones will make up to $51 million over three years. In the first year of the deal, Jones could make up to $23.5 million. But if Jones plays anywhere near as well as the Seahawks hope, Jones will be worth every penny.

In 2022, Jones tied a career-high with 6.5 sacks. He has 9 tackles for loss in each of the past two seasons and has double-digit quarterback hits in the past three. The 6’3” and 280-pound Michael Bennett clone also just turned 26 years old so he has many years left to play at potentially even a higher level than he has so far in his four-year career.

Seahawks sign defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones

Seattle hasn’t had the type of player Jones is since Michael Bennett was in Seattle. The Seahawks have had pure edge rushers and guys in the middle, like Al Woods, that could stop the run. Seattle had Jarran Reed but Reed was wildly inconsistent. None of these players were as consistently successful in getting to opposing quarterbacks while also being able to stop the run as Jones has been.

Now Seattle needs to get Jones some help. After releasing Shelby Harris this week and likely not welcoming L.J. Collier back, along with the possibility that Seattle doesn’t bring Poona Ford back in free agency, Seattle was a bit thin along the defensive line prior to signing Jones. But good teams need multiple players who can rotate in and out of the interior of the defensive line. Jones is a great signing but adding another player in the draft, such as Jalen Carter, would make what was a mediocre defensive line in 2022 into a formidable one in 2023.

Plus, isn’t it refreshing as a 12 that general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll appear to be approaching this free agency period differently than in years past? Schneider and Carroll did the same thing in their approach to last year’s draft (Seattle didn’t trade their first pick and didn’t do a lot of trading overall during the draft). Last year’s draft was fantastic and made Seattle capable of making the playoffs. Signing Jones may not make the Seahawks a Super Bowl contender, but it certainly makes them even better than in 2022 and that might mean a deeper run in the playoffs and possibly even better things in the future.