What do you get for the GM who has everything? If you are shopping for Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, that’s a tough question to answer. He has built a Super Bowl-winning roster filled with young stars and promising depth. On Seattle’s projected starting 22, only three players are in their 30s. The number rises to five if you throw in the kicker and punter.
Still, Schneider never rests. Those older vets – Leonard Williams, Demarcus Lawrence, Cooper Kupp – will be retiring one of these days and will leave big holes. Free agents come and go, as we saw this past season when four prominent contributors to last year’s squad departed. And there are always injuries to contend with.
Despite having a lot of good pieces in his defensive backfield, the Hawks GM spent much of the last two weeks tinkering with it. Three cornerbacks have arrived recently. One may not be available for quite some time, pending the outcome of a legal issue. But Schneider is making arrangements nonetheless.
The top three free agent options still available to the Seattle Seahawks
With that in mind, here are three other current free agents who might fit in well with the Seahawks' current situation.
3. B.J. Ojulari, Edge rusher
Ojulari is the exact kind of player a team like Seattle can afford to stash away. And depending on his medical outlook, they should. Ojulari was a highly touted edge rusher coming out of LSU in 2023.
Arizona drafted him in the second round, and playing as part of a rotation, he had a rather typical rookie season. He wasn’t great by any means, but he showed that he could play and perhaps develop into a quality pass rusher. Then, a torn ACL prior to his second season derailed all those plans.
Ojulari did little last year to prove he was back to the promise he showed in 2023, but there are times when players need two full years to return from a serious knee injury. He is 24 years old. Seattle has plenty of edge rushing talent this year, but some of it is aging.
Ojulari would seem like the perfect dice roll for a team that can afford to wait and bring him along slowly behind an ideal mentor like Demarcus Lawrence.
2. Austin Ekeler, RB
Ekeler is also returning from injury, but he offers the exact opposite value as Ojulari. A few years ago, Ekeler was among the most productive running backs in the league. As a two-way threat, both running and receiving, there weren’t many better. And despite his smaller size, he had an amazing knack for finding the end zone.
At this point, he can still be a top-flight change-of-pace receiving option out of the backfield. That is something Seattle currently lacks. Perhaps Jadarian Price can play that role, but if he struggles as a pass catcher, how nice would it be to have a productive, experienced stand-in waiting in the wings.
Ekeler isn’t likely to play many more years, but in the short term, he could help this team to another championship.
1. Kevin Zeitler, G
When a proven veteran offensive lineman is still available just before the season begins, it usually means one of two things. At 36, perhaps Kevin Zeitler is contemplating how much he wants to continue his career. Or, perhaps he is just looking to skip a grueling training camp and wait for the ideal situation. Might that be a gig with the defending Super Bowl champions?
Zeitler would seem to be an ideal puzzle piece for the Seahawks. He has played right guard in more than 200 NFL games, and he still performs at a high level. Right guard is where the Seahawks have their biggest questions. Anthony Bradford is the incumbent, but he has struggled in pass protection.
Bradford is a bulldozer in the run game but doesn’t move all that well in space. Zeitler might eventually compete for the starting spot on a championship line, or he might provide outstanding insurance in case of injury, something Seattle does not currently have.
Since I suspect Zeitler is not going anywhere with the intention of being a backup, I imagine Schneider would only pursue him if he were viewed as a short-term replacement for Bradford.
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