3 midseason trades the Seahawks should make to win the NFC West this year

The Seattle Seahawks have jumped out to a 3-0 record in the early 2024 season. In what should be one of the best divisions in football, the NFC West currently features only one team with a winning record: your undefeated Seattle Seahawks.

The San Francisco 49ers, fresh off of another painful Super Bowl loss, are injured, discouraged, and 1-2. As are both the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks have an early two-game lead in the division, but my gut says the 49ers won't stay down for long. And neither will the rest of the division.

While Seattle is 3-0, there are still some glaring holes on this roster. They've still yet to put together a complete clean team win, but they've been able to control the bleeding against inferior opponents. If Seattle continues to battle the same struggles against better teams, will they win those games? It's tough to tell, but instead of winning despite these issues, Seattle may look to fix them altogether through trade.

Seahawks acquire guard Joel Bitonio from the Cleveland Browns for cheap

Seattle's interior offensive line play has been awful this year. Running holes are nonexistent, pressure on the quarterback through the middle seems almost inevitable, and the drive-killing penalties are getting old. The Seahawks absolutely must upgrade in the middle of the offensive line if they want to win the NFC West.

The Cleveland Browns are in cap hell after giving $230 million to quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson, receiving much of that guaranteed, is playing some terrible football and the Browns will likely inevitably eat a ton of that money to release Watson and re-build their roster. 32-year-old guard Joel Bitonio likely won't be in their future plans as his deal expires in 2025. Unloading him for draft capital makes a ton of sense for Cleveland.

For Seattle, Bitonio is exactly what they need in the interior of their offensive line. An elite pass protector and a very solid run blocker, Bitonio could boot Anthony Bradford, along with his 15 penalties per game, and provide an immediate upgrade. And since Bitonio is 32 years old with an expiring contract, he shouldn't be too expensive to acquire. I'd estimate Seattle would have to give up a fourth or fifth-round pick to acquire the guard.

Seattle gives up an early draft pick for Cleveland's OT Jedrick Wills

The tackle position for Seattle has been a rollercoaster over the past two seasons. Left tackle Charles Cross finally looks like the top-10 pick Seattle selected in 2022 and is having an All-Pro season thus far in 2024. However, right tackle remains an issue with Abraham Lucas still sidelined with injury and his backup, George Fant, also out with injury.

Assuming Lucas will continue to remain out with a lingering knee issue, right tackle is a position Seattle must upgrade at. Again, Cleveland remains in cap hell after the Watson deal is does not look like they will be competing at all this year. Like Bitonio, Jedrick Wills is set to become a free agent in 2025. But unlike Bitonio, Wills is coming off a major injury that derailed his 2023 season. But he is very good - and young.

The Seahawks cannot continue to roll with Stone Forsythe at right tackle. Even when Fant returns, Seattle should look to upgrade. Fant is a nice swing tackle and is definitely a great depth piece, but if Seattle wants to win the West, they need linemen who can handle the types of pass rushers they will see in the division. Giving up a second or third-round pick may be worth acquiring your right tackle of the future.

Seattle acquires pass rusher Haason Reddick from the Jets amid contract holdout

I get it, the Seahawks' defense is very good right now. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But the Jets have a very unique situation going on with OLB Haason Reddick, who they acquired via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason. Reddick wants a new contract, but the Jets aren't budding. So the Jets have yet to see Reddick play a down for them since trading for him.

New York sent Philadelphia a 2026 third-round pick for Reddick in April. Reddick has refused to participate in team activities unless New York offers him a new deal. In his absence, the Jets have been doing just fine with a good defense. This whole messy situation screams "trade"! Now enter Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who has done business in the past with Jets general manager Joe Douglas.

Seattle doesn't necessarily need another pass rusher, but with Uchenna Nwosu's status up in the air and Boye Mafe nursing a few injuries himself, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist certainly wouldn't hurt. Further, the Jets may just want to cut their losses and get close to what they gave up for him back. A 2026 third-round pick would be easy to part with if Seattle wanted to really crank up the pass rush.

Imagine Reddick in Macdonald's defense. If the Seahawks are comfortable committing to Reddick for a few years on a guaranteed deal, there's no reason why they shouldn't give the Jets a call.

More Seahawks news and analysis: