3 free agents Seahawks should still sign not named Jamal Adams

NFL cap room is a funny thing. There are some who might see the headline of this article and immediately think, "The Seattle Seahawks don't have any cap room so this is a waste of my time." To be honest, the latter of that might still be true (I am not exactly Ernest Hemingway), but the former is not. Teams can move money around fairly easily and create much more cap space.

For instance, Seattle could release edge rusher Darrell Taylor and linebacker Jon Rhattigan and save a collective $6 million. Seattle could also move some of receiver DK Metcalf's base salary of $13 million into a signing bonus and save another $5 million or so. Combine all that and Seattle has $11 million.

Taylor still needs to prove he can stop the run and be a consistent pass rusher. As good of a guy as Rhattigan is, Seattle chose Tyrice Knight in the 2024 draft and Rhattigan, who was already a backup, is now deeper on the depth chart. Metcalf might not mind a little extra money now than wait for the regular season to begin.

Three free agents Seattle Seahawks should still think of signing

Seattle could be set as certain roster positions but that does not mean that the groups could still not use upgrades. For instance, 12s hope that the offensive line is better after adding Laken Tomlinson and drafting a couple of guards. But there are still question marks at center and right guard. And none of the players below are named Jamal Adams because he would likely get hurt and would just be taking up a roster spot.

Safety Justin Simmons

One might wonder how Simmons is still a free agent unless it is because he wants top dollar. He is unlikely to get that as he is now 30 years old and if a team were high enough on him to offer him a big deal, they likely already would have. The safety has always been productive and he was even better in 2023 than in 2022 in terms of run support and tackling. He has had multiple interceptions in every season of his career and tied for the league lead with 6 in 2022.

Simmons has also been named Second-Team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons, including last year. His quarterback rating when targeted was a solid 89.1 in 2023.

Seattle has Julian Love still and signed Rayshawn Jenkins this offseason, but new head coach Mike Macdonald played a lot of three safety sets last year when he was with the Baltimore Ravens. Imagine a Seahawks safety group that includes Love, Jenkins, and Simmons. That could help the defense get very close to being very good.

Edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah

Ogbah is 30 years old as well and still stinging from a 2022 season when he only had one sack and then was injured. He returned in 2023, played in 15 games for the Dolphins, and had 5.5 sacks but in only 128 pass-rush snaps. He is nothing more than a situational pass rusher at this point in his career, but that is all Taylor has really ever been.

Plus, Ogbah might sign for less than the $3 million owed Taylor and Ogbah would likely supply a more consistent pass rush. He is not going to be a Pro Bowler, but he could be a good veteran voice for younger Seahawks edge rushers such as Boye Mafe and Derick Hall. Macdonald would find a way to put Ogbah to his best use.

Safety Quandre Diggs

Diggs is still getting paid a little over $10 million by Seattle in 2024 as that was the guaranteed money left on his contract before Seattle released Diggs this offseason. While the safety was not as effective in 2023 as he was in his previous three years, he still was not awful. He would also be a great veteran presence in the locker room. He was, after all, voted as a captain in 2023.

Again, with Macdonald's three safety sets, one could do far worse than a Love-Jenkins-Diggs trio. The deal would not have to be too high either and not long-term. Seattle could then look to draft a safety in 2025, but the 2024 team would be better by having Diggs be a part.

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