5 realistic edge rushers the Seahawks could sign in 2024 free agency
By Lee Vowell
The NFL's legal tampering period gets underway on Monday at 12 pm ET. Many of the more expensive free agents will likely get attached to a team ahead of the start of the new league year which begins at 4 pm ET on Wednesday. Should the Seattle Seahawks sign a high-priced free agent, 12s will likely know about that sometime between Monday and Wednesday.
Seattle has been busy making cap space over the last week. The team has released safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, tight end Will Dissly, defensive tackle Bryan Mone, and re-worked receiver Tyler Lockett's deal. For a team that had negative cap room just a few weeks ago, Seattle will head into free agency with around $53-55 million which is in the top seven of the league.
But Seattle still has to be wise about how they spend their money. They cannot just splash down $20 million a season on two players. The team needs quality depth. These five edge rushers might supply that.
Seattle Seahawks could sign Andrew Van Ginkel
Van Ginkel only has a few seasons in the NFL when he has gotten a lot of reps. This is not because he lacks talent but he has played behind some other good edge rushers in Miami. He is a bit thin and has shorter arms, but he is also a smart player with excellent quickness, and that helps him get around would-be blockers. The 29-year-old should also have several seasons left to be productive.
2023 was likely Van Ginkel's best year overall and he was able to show off his versatility. He got 6 sacks and 19 quarterback hits, plus 8 tackles for loss. He also graded as Pro Football Focus's (subscription required) seventh-best edge rusher in the league for this past season. His pass-rush grade was elite, but he was stout everywhere including when he was asked to drop back into coverage. PFF also has him projected to get a contract at an affordable $6.5 million per season for each of the next two years.
(Update: Van Ginkel will reportedly be signing with the Minnesota Vikings for two years and $20 million.)