Midseason grades for every Seattle Seahawks 2023 free agent signing
- One returning player has been great
- Some money appears to have been wasted this past offseason
By Lee Vowell
D grades
Center Evan Brown
Brown started off well, and maybe part of his issue is that he simply has had to try to make up for so many players around him being injured. In the first two games of the season, he allowed no QB hurries or pressures. But in each game he has played since Week 3, he has allowed at least 2 hurries and pressures. In Week 9's awfulness against the Baltimore Ravens, Brown allowed 4 hurries and 4 pressures.
The biggest problem, however, is that he hasn't been very good at run blocking. This might be why we see running back Kenneth Walker III try to run a lot more toward the tackles than into the interior of the line. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has given him a grade of only 55.8 in run blocking in 2023, 30th among centers. Overall, Brown is graded 26th at his position.
Defensive end Dre'Mont Jones
Sticking with the PFF theme for a second, Jones is graded as 80th among interior defensive linemen and that is atrocious for a player the Seahawks gave the highest free agent contract to in the general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll era. Jones has 2.5 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, on par with his career averages. But he needed to be better in 2023 with more responsibility. Maybe he isn't capable of being better.
Jones was a slightly better against the Commanders, but he needs to be great the rest of the year as the Seahawks are about to face some very tough competition. Seattle thought Jones would elevate the defensive line and he hasn't. He still has a chance to do so, though.
C grades
Safety Julian Love
The most disappointing part of Love's game has been his run defense. After playing for the New York Giants in recent years, one would expect he would be better in that area but he has not been. Love has also missed 15.4 percent of his tackle attempts in 2023. That's bad.
Love was signed to a two-year deal and would be a cheaper option to keep than Quandre Diggs or Jamal Adams in 2024. If the Seahawks do release one of those three safeties, Diggs would bring the biggest savings ($11 million) and Love could potentially slide over to Diggs' free safety spot.