The Seattle Seahawks have hopefully made a bunch of relatively low-cost signings in free agency this offseason. That seems to be the Seattle way of doing things since general manager John Schneider arrived to help run the team. 12s might sometimes get frustrated by not seeing a couple of highly-discussed free agents come to Seattle each year, but it's better to be wise with money instead of overspending.
That said, the way Seattle handles free agency does not always work, of course. One could argue the 2023 signees were more misses than wins, though if Dre'Mont Jones is better in his second year with the team under new coach Mike Macdonald then the 2023 class will look much better. Evan Brown and Devin Bush were not good signings, though.
While we hope that Tyrel Dodson becomes one of the gems from 2024 free agency, there are players worth monitoring because they didn't sign with the Seahawks. We don't want to be stuck asking, "What if?" But here are four important players that Seattle might have missed out on.
Four free agents the Seattle Seahawks might should have signed but did not
Safety Geno Stone
Signed for two years and $15 million with the Cincinnati Bengals
I always get a little worried when teams sign a bunch of players to one-year deals, but John Schneider has made a history of that and it is difficult to argue with the results since 2010. But one-year contracts seem as if a team is saying, "We hope you will work out but we don't know it." The reason I am saying this is that while Stone signed a three-year deal, Seattle only signed Rayshawn Jenkins for one season.
There is also more reason to believe that Stone would be a perfect fit in Seattle's defense, likely as good or better than any other safety could be. He was great under Mike Macdonald in 2023 and transitioning to Seattle from Baltimore this offseason would have allowed Macdonald to implement his defense even a bit easier because Stone would be able to communicate what was needed to the players who remained on the Seahawks' roster from 2023.
Guard Graham Glasgow
Signed for three years and $20 million with the Detroit Lions
As of this writing, Seattle still has not truly addressed the need they have in the interior of the offensive line. Maybe new offensive line coach Scott Huff feels that Olu Oluwatimi can become a starter in his second season in the NFL, and possibly Huff thinks that Anthony Bradford has the skills to develop into a very good guard. Oluwatimi did not play very much this past season, and Bradford was mostly atrocious when he got reps.
Plus, Damien Lewis, arguably Seattle's best offensive lineman over the last four years, left in free agency. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the left guard was not quite as good in 2023 as before, however. He allowed 29 total pressures and was not good as a run-blocker. But the Carolina Panthers still signed him for a staggering four years and $53 million.
Glasgow gave up his share of pressures last season as well, but he was fantastic at run-blocking. He also has shown to be a better pass-blocker than he was this past season so the expectation should be he bounces back to his previous level. But as Seattle should have a better pass-to-run ratio next season (and run the ball more), Glasgow would have helped in that area.
The contract he signed was also extremely affordable. He might have wanted to stay in Detroit, but money also has a way of swaying one's future. Seattle had the money to potentially sign Glasgow for an average of more than $7 million a year. Meanwhile, Seattle still currently has a hole on the left side of their offensive line.
Edge rusher Shaquil Barrett
Signed for one season and $9 million with the Miami Dolphins
Barrett could have simply chosen to stay somewhere where the weather is warmer. He has spent the last five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before moving across the state to play for Miami. While he has seemingly been in the NFL for 20 years, he is still just 31 years old. He has also never had a bad season. Plus, besides 2022, Barrett tends to stay healthy and productive.
His per-game average dropped a bit this past season, but likely only because he was getting fewer snaps per game. He played 62 percent of snaps compared to at least 71 percent in every other season he spent with Tampa Bay. He had 4.5 sacks but he still produced 49 total pressures including 37 hurries. If he can do that again in 2024, $9 million should have been an easy amount for Seattle to spend.
That the Seahawks did not chase an edge rusher this offseason might imply the team is wanting to draft one early in the 2024 draft. Uchenna Nwosu will be returning in 2024 after being lost for the 2023 season after he tore a pec muscle in Week 7. Boye Mafe improved in his second season and could explode under Macdonald in his third year.
Even if Seattle drafts an edge rusher and Nwuso and Mafe are productive, great teams have a bunch of pass rushers. Barrett would have added instant production for the team and Barrett is also pretty good against the run as well. He could be a three-down player as needed.
Linebacker Patrick Queen
Signed for three years and $41 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers
John Schneider likely just didn't want to spend as much as the Steelers did on Queen, but the linebacker would have been a boon to Seattle's defense from a talent standpoint but also become the green dot for Mike Macdonald. Queen played under Macdonald for the last two years when Macdonald was the DC for the Baltimore Ravens. Macdonald would know what the linebacker can do and Queen would know what Macdonald expects.
Just like with the linebackers the Seahawks have signed - Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson, Queen can cover extremely well. But he might be better at bringing quarterback pressure than Dodson and could be better at stopping the run than Baker. The difference between Queen's overall ability and 2023 starters Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner is very noticeable. Wagner and Brooks were awful in coverage and Queen is not.
But perhaps the biggest advantage that Queen would have had is the experience working under Macdonald and the leadership that would come with that. He could teach the players around him what the alignment should be and there would be zero issues with on-field communication. Ultimately, Queen got more money from Pittsburgh than Schneider was going to spend. Let's hope that issue is not something the Seahawks come to regret by not spending a bit more.