Seahawks have solved a big problem by recasting Jarran Reed at nose tackle

The Seattle Seahawks have very large shoes to fill with the departure of defensive tackles Al Woods and Poona Ford. As it turns out, they expected Jarran Reed to fill those shoes, and now it appears he'll do that, playing at nose tackle. The position is in very good hands indeed.

- may not have left the Seahawks on the best of terms, but his return has certainly played out well. Reed wanted a long-term deal after 2020, while the Seahawks were understandably lukewarm on the idea. As I wrote at the time, Reed wanted a mega-buck deal, but he simply didn't deserve it. He (and his agent) based his value on his spectacular 10.5-sack 2018 season, not his more down-to-earth 8.5 sacks across the 2019 and 2020 seasons. I'm not knocking Reed at all, but he was never going to get 10 (and a half) sacks again, and he was asking for 10-sack money. I believe the fact he's totaled five sacks in his past 34 games bears that out.

The rest of the league saw it the same way as Seattle. He signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs in 2021 for $5.5 million, followed by another one-year deal with the Packers for $3.25 million. Returning to the Emerald City earned him a two-year deal for $9 million per spotrac.com. So monetarily, all is forgiven. Having played in Kansas City and Green Bay after Seattle, he's no stranger to playoff expectations. That's a big part of the reason he returned to what he's called his football home.

Jarran Reed is the right answer in the middle for the Seahawks

That return has been sweet indeed. As Lee Vowell wrote last week, there's every reason to believe the move to nose tackle is permanent. As Reed himself said in his presser after the first week of practice, “Whatever they need me to play I’m going to play it,’’ he said. “At the end of the day it’s football and I love playing. I can play the nose, three, end. Wherever they need me to play I’m going to play to the best of my ability.” Hear it from the big man himself, courtesy of seahawks.com. Reed always was solid against the run and will chip in on the Seahawks pass rush as well.

Per Pete Carroll, Jarran Reed tips the scales over 320 pounds now. He was never exactly svelte, but that added bulk certainly points to a long-term spot at nose tackle. For now, the Hawks' first-team defensive line looks like Dre'Mont Jones and Mario Edwards bookending Reed in the middle.

Per overthecap.com, the Seahawks have just under $11 million in cap space. With Reed playing over the center, it's far more likely Seattle may look for another end, rather than a nose tackle. And here I was worried that the Hawks didn't have an answer to the very big question in the middle of the defensive line. I need to remember that Pete actually has a defensive coordinator now.

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