The Seattle Seahawks didn't make a big splash in free agency, but there's a method at play here. No, no madness, something better. It's called building a team.
Just a quick glance at social media will show that many 12s are upset that the Seahawks didn't sign one of the bigger names in the free-agent market this year. No Christian Wilkins, no Danielle Hunter, no Arik Armstead for the Hawks and the loyal 12s.
There's a really good reason for that; money. The Raiders signed Wilkins for four years and $110 million. Hunter signed with the Texans for two years and $49 million, $41 of that guaranteed. Armstead split the difference and got a three-year deal with the Jaguars for $51 million. Hey, at least he's out of San Francisco.
For the Seattle Seahawks, the sum is greater than the parts
Could Seattle have afforded to make one of those deals? Wilkins, probably not, but Hunter or Armstead, sure. But then the trade for Leonard Williams would have been a complete waste, and he's certainly as valuable as any of those guys. The Hawks couldn't have afforded to sign Williams and Hunter, not if they wanted to build a team around them. That's exactly what they're doing with the free agents they've signed, and it's a great strategy.
After releasing Jamal Adams, Quandre, Diggs, et al, the Hawks had about $42 million in cap space to play with. Except, they didn't have all of it, not really. If Seattle stays with every draft pick they have, they'll need to allocate just over $6 million to those draft slots. Well, it's really $8.4 million, but as far as the top-51 cap is concerned, it's $6 mil. The top 51 contracts are all that matters until the regular season begins.
So with just $42 million, John Schneider had to get creative. Thankfully, he agreed with Tyler Lockett to restructure his deal. With Lockett's new contract, Seattle had over $50 million in cap space. Other moves eventually got the Hawks up to about $57 million. Again, that doesn't count the allocation for draft picks. So, not a lot of money. Schneider knew he wanted to keep both Wiliams and tight end Noah Fant. Between the two of them, they swallowed $17.9 million of that cap space (per spotrac.com).
Within days, the Hawks were down two starting guards, two starting linebackers, and a starting safety. That's five starters and zero depth at tight end, center, and tackle, well, practically at every position. Clearly, the Seahawks couldn't spend another $9 million on each position, as they'd averaged on their first two signees. Instead of signing name players, they got creative and built a team.
Hawks linebackers can now cover the field
No, it wasn't any fun to see the Seahawks move on from Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner - especially not Wagner. But as we've discussed before, neither player fit the scheme of Mike Macdonald's defense. Linebackers must be able to cover, and that's the weak point of both their games.
So it made perfect sense for the Hawks to bring Tyrel Dodson to Seattle. He can shut down the run and blanket the middle of the field. One refreshing aspect of his game for 12s is that he was graded as the best linebacker in the league by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), yet committed just one penalty.
The Hawks wasted no time in adding linebacker Jerome Baker to the team after Dodson. Like his former AFC East foe, Baker is a perfect fit for the Hawks' new-look defense. PFF didn't grade him as highly as Dodson overall, but like his new teammate, he can cover. In that aspect of his game, at least, he matches the far more renowned Patrick Queen. Queen signed with the Steelers for $41 million over three years. Sure, it would have been great to get him. But the Seahawks needed two linebackers, and now have their two starters for a total outlay of (reportedly) $12.5 million.
Again, it's not about signing name players. It's about signing team players. I'm not casting aspersions on Wilkins, Hunter, or Queen, and certainly not on Wagner or Brooks. In this context, I mean players who play within the concept of the team and fit their roles better than a more costly player might. Dodson and Baker are a perfect fit for the Seahawks. As John Schneider pointed out per Brandon Gustafson of Seattle Sports, both have been signal callers for their respective teams, so we can expect better communication on the Hawks as well.
New safeties can play multiple roles
K'Von Wallace could be the poster child for signing players that fit the team instead of the headlines. Many 12s may have asked, "They signed who?", and I get that; I asked myself the same question. As it turns out, Schneider has been watching Wallace for a long time. For good reason, too. Wallace had been a backup since his rookie season with the Eagles in 2020 but stepped into a starting role with the Titans when Amani Hooker was injured. To say he stepped up would be an understatement.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Wallace at 77.9 in coverage and 75.9 overall in his ten games (seven starts). For reference, Quandre Diggs graded out at 55.4 in coverage and 55.1 overall, and Jamal Adams at 50.7 in coverage and 54.9 overall. Oh, and Julian Love was graded at 80.4 and 72.8 overall. So, yeah, Wallace can play. With Love and Rayshawn Jenkins, the Hawks will have it covered.
Back to our GM. The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta quoted Schneider, "[Wallace] was a guy that we had talked to Philly about at one point and just always kept track of him." Schneider added that after meeting Wallace, he "had a great visit, wanted to be here. And so the fact that we were able to add both of those guys creates a ton of depth, a ton of competition, and options for the coaches to really dig into."
Along with the newly signed Rayshawn Jenkins, the Seahawks now have three safeties that can play anywhere on the field. And who played more three-safety sets than any other team in the league? Good job, 12s, you guessed it - Mike Macdonald's Ravens defense. So the Seahawks have completely rebuilt the back end of the defense, and we haven't even got to the draft yet. They've added four new players, and all four have better coverage skills than the player they're replacing. That, dear 12s, is how you play the free agency game and win.