5 Seattle Seahawks players who struck gold during 2024 offseason

Tyrel Dodson - Seahawks linebacker

12s can assume that John Schneider pays attention to Pro Football Focus because PFF had Dodson as the highest-graded linebacker in the NFL in 2023. He only started ten games, though, so one might ask what the Bills saw in Dodson because he only started 15 games over four years for Buffalo. Sure, the Bills have some good linebackers, but if Dodson was truly very good then he would have played more than 20 percent of Buffalo's defensive snaps through his first three seasons.

Dodson still got a hefty pay increase from Seattle this offseason. He only signed a one-year contract for $4.26 million, which is double what he made in any of his previous four years. Schneider is taking a chance that Dodson will be the perfect fit in Mike Macdonald's scheme because Dodson will not only be a starter at inside linebacker, but he will also be the green dot on the Seahawks' defense which means he will be communicating Macdonald's play calls.

Should Dodson excel in his first season as the presumed starter in Week 1, he will get an even bigger pay raise next offseason. If he fails, Seattle's defense overall will fail, too.

George Fant - Seahawks offensive tackle

Fant began his career with Seattle in 2016. He had played tight end in college, but the Seahawks thought he could make the transition to offensive tackle in the NFL. That seemed a leap of faith at the time, but Fant made it work. After performing decently well for Seattle (he started 24 games in three years), he left in free agency in 2020 for the New York Jets. In New York, Fant became a full-time starter until 2022 when he fell a bit out of favor.

Last offseason, Fant signed with Houston for one year and $3 million. He started 13 games for the surprisingly good Texans. Fant's natural athletic ability helps him as a tackle as he can adjust quickly to what edge rushers are trying to do. He isn't quite as good at being bullish in blocking in the run game.

John Schneider still gave Schneider a raise to join Seattle. This might be because the Seahawks are unsure what they will get from right tackle Abe Lucas, who is dealing with a chronic knee injury. Fant was signed for two years, which implies Seattle sees Fant starting a number of games with Lucas potentially out, with a max of $9.1 million. Should Fant play a lot and do well, he will more than exceed his contract.

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