The Seattle Seahawks have reportedly worked out an extension with edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu that will keep him in Seattle through 2026. The deal could pay Nwosu up to $59 million over three seasons with the extension starting in 2024. Nwosu was already under contract for 2023, of course.
Nwosu was by far Seattle's most productive edge rusher in 2022. He tied for the team-lead in sacks with 9.5 but he had 26 quarterback hits, 14 more than anyone else, and he also had 12 tackles for loss, 4 more than any other player. Nwosu is also just 26 years old so he should have a number of years left to play at a high level. He could even be better in future years than he was last season.
Nwosu's extension will also free up a little bit of money currently for the Seahawks as they can prorate some of the money in 2023 onto other years. This could free up enough money for Seattle to sign a free agent they currently have their eye on (maybe a nose tackle?). But here are three other Seattle players that should get extensions as well.
Seattle Seahawks running back DeeJay Dallas
I realize that signing a running back to an extension might be odd, especially if it's a running back not expected to be RB1 or RB2. But Dallas is a bit different. He isn't just a running back, he can help on kick returns as well. He offers the kind of versatility that most other players on the roster don't have. But Dallas also can be a three-down back when needed as he has the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. He is also a pretty good blocker on passing downs.
The Seahawks have an extremely young group of running backs and Dallas, though only entering his fourth season, has at least two years on everyone else in the running back room. By all accounts he is excellent in the locker room and knows how to keep teammates loose. He is the kind of guy successful teams need: He is willing to do the dirty work some other players won't.
Plus, Dallas wouldn't come at a high cost. He likely could be extended for less than $2 million a year on average. Have the group of four running backs Seattle has currently for the next three years at least is only going to help build the core to a potential Super Bowl team.
Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant
Fant hasn't yet truly become a top-end tight end in the NFL, but he has the physical skills to be a consistently productive receiving threat. If there is any doubt as to what Fant is capable of I would offer Exhibit A from Week 9 of last season against the Arizona Cardinals. Fant took a short pass in the flat from Geno Smith late in the fourth quarter and turns it into a 51-yard, game-clinching play. Fant has good hands and good speed for a player his size.
What Fant really needs is more chances to prove what he can do. It is a bit odd because the Los Angeles Rams use their tight ends fairly well and this was the system that Shane Waldron was in before he became the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks in 2021. No offense to Waldron as he has done a pretty good job at OC, but the tight ends are still underused currently.
What a day for @nrfant! 👏 pic.twitter.com/b3qby9g56W
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 6, 2022
In 2023, Fant should see a lot more open space to catch passes. Opposing defenses always had to focus on receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, of course, but with the addition of Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the 2023 draft, opposing defenses will be focused even less on Seattle's tight ends. Fant could easily exceed 700 yards receiving and get close to 10 touchdown passes in what is currently the walk year of his contract.
As the Seahawks picked up Fant's fifth-year option after getting him from the Denver Broncos in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver, Fant is due to make $6.85 million this year. An extension would likely mean he gets closer to $10 million per season (or more), but since he is only 25 years old he is probably just reaching his peak years. Getting him for two or three more years after 2023 just means the Seahawks keep its offensive weapons intact for several years still to come.
Seahawks left guard Damien Lewis
I think Lewis is a must-extend player. He was near-Pro Bowl-worthy in 2022 and was graded as the 11th-best guard in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). For all of the criticism that the interior of the Seattle offensive line got last season, most of that should be directed at the mess at center and right guard. Lewis at left guard was not the problem.
Lewis is also just 26 years old and can hold down left guard for the next five years. Building cohesion is likely the biggest key to having a successful offensive line, especially if there is talent on the unit. Lewis is a talented player and that has borne out over the last three years, but Lewis got more comfortable and more efficient as the 2022 wore on. The only reason he didn't grade even higher on PFF's scale is that the first four games of last season weren't Lewis's best.
But with the Seahawks having two second-year offensive tackles, and potentially two rookies starting at center and right guard at some point during this year, Lewis would be a veteran presence to help the young guys on the line not just this year but next. A line of LT Charles Cross, LG Lewis, center Olu Oluwatimi, RG Anthony Bradford, and RT Abraham Lucas could be one of the more formidable O-lines in the NFL by 2024.
Lewis is going to deserve a pay hike, though. The top 13 guards in the league all make $10 million or more. Still, Seattle is saving money on the offensive line currently as potentially all the other four starters on the line could be on rookie deals for at least the next three seasons except for Lewis. But extending him simply solidifies a dangerous offensive line for several more years.