The Seattle Seahawks defensive line has not been overly good for a number of years. In fact, in the last two seasons, the interior of the line has been fairly atrocious. Seattle has to be better at addressing this issue this offseason than in previous ones.
Some of the help should come in the 2024 NFL draft as well. But as Seattle does not have a second-round pick in this year's draft, there is a ceiling to the quality Seattle might be able to find. Seattle would need to draft a defensive tackle in the first round to get one of the higher-rated IDLs in the draft.
Thankfully, though, the salary cap is higher than previously expected this offseason. This gives Seattle a bit more money to spend. New head coach Mike Macdonald is going to want to revamp his defense some and the Seahawks could do so by signing one of the six of seven players that follow. The first player simply needs to be re-signed, however.
Seattle Seahawks should sign free agent defensive tackle Leonard Williams
I will start with the relatively low-hanging fruit. Williams is a free agent, of course, and likely too expensive for Seattle to re-sign currently. The good thing is that free agency does not begin until - unofficially - March 11. This is when the legal tampering period begins with players officially signing as early as March 13. This gives Seattle a bit of time to free up more cap room in order to sign Williams who is projected by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) to get a contract of $17.25 million per season for three years.
Williams played 10 games for Seattle in 2023 after coming over in a trade from the New York Giants. In that time, he was productive enough to finish sixth on the team in sacks. fourth in quarterback hits, second in tackles for loss, and he had 21 run stuffs. He easily graded, per PFF, as Seattle's best interior defensive lineman against the run and finished as the 22nd-best IDL in the league overall.
Seattle will almost definitely create more cap room by releasing Jamal Adams, or Quandre Diggs, or Tyler Lockett. Because of the higher-than-expected salary cap, Seattle already has more room than they expected this offseason. They need to create even more space to re-sign Williams but he would continue to make Seattle's defensive line better, especially under head coach Mike Macdonald.
Free agent DT No. 2 - Maurice Hurst
Hurst has been with four teams since he was drafted by the Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. His issue is that he has not been consistently healthy. He played only one full season and that was in 2019, though he did play 13 in 2023. His season ended early because of a torn pec. But when he is available, he is capable of greatness both against the run and pass.
The Seahawks need to take a chance on him for various reasons. One is that he is still only 28 years old so if he ever can stay healthy he still should have a number of years to play. Two is his versatility as he is a true three-down player who had a pressure rate higher than 10 percent this past season, a very good number for an interior defensive lineman. Three is that he likely won't get more than $2 million for 2024 in a prove-it season so he won't break the bank.
Free agent DT No. 3 - Shelby Harris
Harris might have been a bit miffed after being released by the Seahawks after the 2022 season. He was part of the trade that had sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in the 2022 offseason and Harris was expected to be a solid veteran presence on a younger Seattle roster. And for the most part, he was. But he also was too expensive to keep so he was released and signed with the Cleveland Browns.
Like Hurst was with Cleveland this past season, Harris was a versatile lineman who was productive against the run and in pass rush. Harris is 32 years old so his snap count might be a bit lower in future seasons, but that should only make him more effective in the reps he does get. Since there has been a change of coaching staff in Seattle, whatever ill feelings, if any, Harris would have toward Seattle is likely to be gone and he might only cost $3-4 million in 2024.
Free agent DT No. 4 - Teair Tart
There was a disconnect between Tart and the Tennessee Titans in 2023 after he began the season by playing on a second-round tender and not being offered a longer extension he thought was worthy. After playing several games that the Titans thought Tart was not giving maximum effort, the team released him and he ended up with the Houston Texans. Important to note is that the Titans' coaches did not seem to have a good rapport with many of their players and head coach Mike Vrabel was terminated after the season and has not been hired elsewhere yet.
Tart, though, has a strong lower body and is tough to move with one blocker. He has always been good against the run in the NFL and can supply a decent interior pass rush. He had 26 total pressures in 2022, for example. He also missed just 2 tackle attempts this past season. Plus, he will only be 27 years old in Week 1 of the 2024 season so has a lot of years left to be good.
Free agent DT No. 5 - DJ Reader
Reader would be an expensive hire by Seattle as Pro Football Focus has him getting a projected deal for three years and $15.25 million a season. He is only 29 years old so that contract makes sense. If the Seahawks were able to sign Reader, he would instantly upgrade Seattle's defensive line as he is one of the best run-stoppers in the NFL along the interior of the D-line.
His market could be affected by a torn quadriceps he suffered last in 2023. He likely would get back just in time for the new season so if he does come to a new team instead of staying with the Cincinnati Bengals. This would mean he would miss valuable reps with his new teammates. But long-term, Reader would be a great fit in a Mike Macdonald defense and while Reader will never produce huge sack totals, he stuffs the run and helps collapse the pocket when an opposing quarterback does drop back to throw.
Free agent DT No. 6 - Grover Stewart
Stewart is quite a bit like Reader and around the same age. The Indianapolis Colts free agent was not injured at the end of the year, though, so that might augment his market while Reader's gets a bit depressed. The issue for Stewart in 2023 was that he was suspended for six games for performance-enhancing drugs. He came back late in the year and finished the season strong. He also seemed to fit well in the locker room so he should be well-respected in Seattle's locker room as well.
Stewart also won't put up big sack numbers. His career high is 4 in 2022 and only twice in seven years does he have more than one sack. But he is nearly immovable against the run and his presence allows his teammates to see more one-on-one blocking. His projected deal is $11 million a season for three years so that is a lot more affordable than Reader or Leonard Williams.
Free agent DT No. 7 - Sheldon Rankins
Rankins differs from every other player on this list because he isn't simply good against the run. In fact, he still struggles at times to stop opposing offenses from rushing the ball. But what Rankins does potentially better than anyone else on the list other than Williams is put pressure on quarterbacks. This past year with the Houston Texans, Rankins had 40 total quarterback pressures including 6 sacks.
Because he does not have the versatility of some of the other defensive tackles here, his next contract should not be as burdensome as Williams' or Reader's. Rankins will still get paid because of his pass-rush ability, but he may only get as much as $10 million. Plus, Rankins will only be 30 years old at the start of the 2024 season so Seattle could sign him for two years and Macdonald could help Rankins get into enough situations to have the defensive lineman get 10 sacks or more.