4 bargain free agents Seahawks should target to fix biggest needs

Edge rusher Marcus Davenport

Davenport had his 2023 season cut short due to a high ankle injury. He played only four games for the Minnesota Vikings after signing only a one-year deal as a then-26-year-old edge rusher who is 6'6" and 265 pounds. The deal was for $10 million, but he is very unlikely to get that much this offseason. Still, in those four games, Davenport appeared on the verge of potentially having a career year as he had 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and 4 quarterback hits.

Perhaps where Davenport would help Seattle the most is in run support. He can get to opposing quarterbacks - he had 9 sacks in 2021 - but he has consistently been very good at slowing down the run. In his first five seasons, he had double-digit run stuffs, with a high of 24 in 2021. Twice he was given elite run defense grades by PFF but his lowest was still considered good.

Davenport is a bit like Jadeveon Clowney as well. Both players are more like true defensive ends with the versatility to play edge at times. Both players supply some pass rush, though Clowney might be a bit better than Davenport in that area, and both are great against the run. I bring up Clowney because Mike Macdonald got greatness out of him this past season when both were with the Baltimore Ravens and Macdonald could probably do the same with Davenport in 2024.

PFF projects Davenport to get a contract for only one year that pays him $5 million. The Seahawks should jump at that if the numbers are correct. He does have a bit of an injury history, but so did Clowney and Macdonald got him to play all 17 games this past year. Maybe Davenport could do that for Seattle next season.