At the risk of sounding like a fantasy football team owner, the Seattle Seahawks should trade for Jonathan Taylor. That’s if they want to give themselves the best possible chance of winning their second straight Super Bowl.
Of all the players who are thought to be currently available, Taylor would increase their chances the most this season. By a wide margin over whoever else they may be discussing.
Now, there are reasons not to trade for Taylor. Well, actually, there is one reason – and only one reason not to trade for Taylor. We will get to that shortly. But I think a cost benefit analysis favors the trade.
There would be an immediate issue regarding the salary cap, and perhaps I am being cavalier when I say that general manager John Schneider would have to find a creative way to carve out a few million dollars of required cap space. It might mean a roster move that Schneider would rather not make, but I doubt that would stop him.
The pros and cons of the Seattle Seahawks trading for Jonathan Taylor
So Schneider would not be constrained by the cap this year. That does not mean cap concerns down the road are meaningless. That will require a little explanation, so first, let’s talk about the argument in favor of adding Taylor. I can make that argument with one number.
1.46. That’s really all you need to know.
As in the 1.46 seconds it takes Jonathan Taylor to travel 10 yards from a standing start. Taylor has a blistering 4.39 40-yard time. That’s outstanding speed, and it helps him convert a ten-yard run into a 50-yard scamper to the end zone.
But his 10-yard split is actually more important. For a running back, that 10-yard split time is always more important than the time in the 40. That’s the initial burst that propels them through the line of scrimmage.
If they combine that burst with vision and balance – as Taylor does – that 10-yard standard is the speed that takes a two-yard run and turns it into a 12-yarder. And that is one of the most important things any running back can do.
It’s exactly what Kenneth Walker did last season on his way to Super Bowl MVP. It is exactly what the Seahawks offense has been missing without Walker this year. Walker had the burst to press the hole and the bounce to make defenses play for overcommitting. He scared opponents and literally changed how aggressive they could be on defense.
Jadarian Price showed some of that before he got hurt. No other Seahawk back can do it.
Jonathan Taylor can do it. That 1.46 is why. Walker has a 1.49 10-yard split. That is elite. And Taylor is faster.
Who is the fastest back in the league? De’Von Achane? His 4.32 40-yard time is among the best recorded for a running back. His 10-yard split is 1.51. Before Achane, maybe the fastest was Raheem Mostert. Like Walker, he goes 1.49. Raiders’ rookie Mike Washington goes 4.33 in the 40. He posts a 1.51 at ten yards.
Chris Johnson, the fastest running back ever timed at the Combine, is the only runner I know who has a faster 10-yard split. Johnson went an other-worldly 1.40.
Taylor's combination of speed, power, vision, and burst would give the Seahawks offense the thing it has been missing this year. A running back who forces the hand of the defense. He is not the same type of runner as Walker, but they are close.
Taylor is bigger. He outweighs Walker by about 15 pounds. He is less likely to bounce wide than to make an abrupt counter move within the hole. He is more likely to run over or through a defender.
That extra size makes him better near the goal line. It is very hard to keep Jonathan Taylor out of the end zone. He has led the league in rushing touchdowns twice in six seasons, and his eight this year currently put him in first place.
Jonathan Taylor would make this offense Super Bowl-caliber.
Now, here’s the problem. That pesky salary cap.
Taylor has a couple more years on his contract. The Hawks have just paid a lot of their young players – JSN and Spoon – and one of their old players – Williams. They will need to pay Byron Murphy II and Nick Emmanwori down the road.
But the biggest problem is that they will also need to restock at edge rusher. There’s a good chance Demarcus Lawrence retires after this season. Uchenna Nwosu turns 30 at the end of the year. Mike Macdonald likes to throw waves of pressure at an offense, and he needs talented edges to do that. Cap space would help get him those pieces.
If the asking price for Taylor starts with a first-round pick, Seattle can afford that. That, too, would make it harder to get edges in the draft, but Schneider will still have a lot of picks next year, which will give him some flexibility. But that tight cap space could hurt in the years to come.
For this year, though, Jonathan Taylor can get you another Super Bowl. It's a risk worth taking.
By the way, Seattle does have a backfield player with an even faster 10-yard split than Jonathan Taylor. Care to guess who it is? If you guessed Velus Jones, that would be smart. He’s one of the fastest players in the NFL. But it would be wrong.
It’s Jalen Hurts. Maybe, if no trade for Taylor materializes, Hurts could run a few plays out of the backfield.
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