The following is not intended to disparage Demarcus Lawrence. I like Demarcus Lawrence. He used to be among the best two-way edge defenders in the league. And even though he will be 33 when the 2025 season dawns, he might still be a solid contributor for the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.
However, the former Cowboy is coming off a 2024 season marred by injury, and players well past 30 rarely thrive in those situations. More to the point, the Seahawks were already fairly well-stocked on the defensive line and at the edge.
Mike Macdonald has a very defensible belief in storing an abundance of talent across the defensive front, but on a team with many other roster holes, was it advisable to shell out $32 million over three years for Lawrence? We can blame general manager John Schneider if it wasn't.
These free agents would have been great fits with the Seattle Seahawks
For the value of Lawrence’s contract, here are four players John Schneider could have signed instead.
James Daniels, Guard
Daniels was a second-round pick of Chicago in 2018. He has started 84 games over seven seasons, playing on both the right and left sides. Before an injury sidelined him last year, Daniels had become one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable linemen.
Daniels ended up signing with Miami on a three-year, $24 million deal. He is currently projected to be the Dolphins' starter on the right side since Seattle does not have a reliable starter at either guard position. Getting a versatile, quality veteran who is still 27 years old would have been a perfect way to begin an offensive line rebuild.
Justin Watson, Wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling was with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons in 2022 and 2023. During his time with Patrick Mahomes, he caught 51 percent of his targets at an average of 15.9 yards per catch and scored three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Justin Watson, in his three seasons with the Chiefs (2022-2024), caught 54% of his targets for an average of 16.6 yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns. Both are deep threats. MVS might be a slightly more explosive player, but Watson, once he joined a team that knew how to use his skills, has proven to be more reliable. The 28-year-old (two years younger than MVS) signed a two-year deal with Houston for $5 million.
Azeez Ojulari, Edge rusher
Is Ojulari better than Demarcus Lawrence? No. Is he eight years younger, much cheaper, and equally productive over the past four years? Yes, yes, and yes.
Since entering the league in 2021, Ojulari has played just one more game than Lawrence. He has six more sacks and four more QB pressures. Though he is not nearly the run defender that Lawrence is, there is one other major factor in his favor. Ojulari is ascending.
He is likely to get better over the next three to five seasons. That is not true of Lawrence, whose career is winding down. Passing on a rising prospect like Ojulari, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles for $1.3 million, strikes me as a missed opportunity.
Darrick Forrest, Safety
After an auspicious 2022 season in Washington, Forrest got hurt in 2023 and could never win the confidence of a new coaching staff in 2024. Before getting hurt, he was showing signs of developing into a mid-level starting free safety.
He went very cheap – 1 year, $1.3 million – to Buffalo. In Seattle, he would have been an immediate help on special teams and provided solid, low-cost safety insurance. Like Ojulari, Forrest is just hitting what should be his prime. He turns 26 in May.
John Schneider could have signed all of these young, productive players for the same total compensation that he shelled out for Demarcus Lawrence. Since some of these contracts are for one year, the cost in 2025 would have been somewhat higher. If you subtract Valdes-Scantling’s one-year, $ four million deal from the equation, the money balances out for 2025 as well, while saving long-term.
So Schneider signed two players past thirty when he could have four in their 20s. The younger players don’t have the pedigree of the ones he signed, but in recent seasons, they have been equally productive. This has dire long-range implications. If Lawrence and MVS underperform in 2025, those implications will also be short-term.
More Seahawks news and analysis:
manual