Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider is a smart guy, and he has made some extremely shrewd free agent moves. Many times, these include signing a veteran to a relatively low-cost deal and watching as the player exceeds expectations. That has been the case with edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence this season, for instance.
It didn't quite work out as well with defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins last year, and far less so this year. Hankins was signed in free agency initially ahead of last season after playing for the Dallas Cowboys, and he was supposed to help stop the run.
He didn't do that very well, however. He played in all 17 games, but he whiffed on 15.8 percent of his tackle attempts, an atrocious number for an interior defensive lineman. He was also penalized four times. He got eight total quarterback pressures, but his run defense was lacking.
Seattle Seahawks release defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins in the days ahead of Week 14
Still, Schneider, head coach Mike Macdonald, and defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who coached Hankins in Dallas, had enough hope that he could still be a good player that Seattle re-signed him this past offseason. He would never play a down. He had a back injury and was placed on the non-football injury list ahead of the season.
In the days ahead of Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons, Hankins was released by the Seahawks, as there was little hope he would play at all this year and was simply collecting free money. He is 33 years old, injured, no longer very productive, and unlikely to ever play again.
He did have a long career, however, after being a second-round selection in the 2013 draft. Until 2020, he was very stout against the run and supplied some pressure on the quarterback, getting a career-high seven sacks in 2017.
According to Pro Football Rumors, two weeks ago, Hankins appeared to have been told by the Seattle Seahawks that he wasn't going to be activated from the non-NFI list. He might have asked for his release, but if that were the case, the actual move would have probably happened before this week.
The Seahawks also aren't normally the kind of team to keep a player on an injured list who isn't actually hurt. In other words, Johnathan Hankins most likely has a career-ending back injury. He most certainly will never play for Seattle again.