Of the nine major free agents the Seattle Seahawks have entering the market next week (they have 15 in total), five of them are on the defense. Riq Woolen (cornerback) is the most expected to walk in free agency, and the Seahawks might let him.
Among the others are Boye Mafe, the four-year edge rusher who has tallied 20 sacks overall for the Seahawks and was a solid and reliable backup to DeMarcus Lawrence this past season. Lawrence could be considering retirement, as reported in the last several days, which could drastically change things for the Seahawks at that position.
Mafe has done well enough that he could slide in to take Lawrence's place, should the veteran retire. But that would also require the Seahawks to re-sign Mafe and for him to want to return to Seattle. Nothing is for certain right now, and free agents don't officially hit the market until next week.
Jerry Jones' recent comments could indicate offering Seattle Seahawks' free agent Boye Mafe a lot of money
That said, if not the Seahawks, Mafe will offer a solid presence on the defensive line elsewhere, and there is one team desperate to add defensive depth that could offer Mafe the right amount of dollars he's looking for.
Jones said it himself; he "could see the Cowboys being aggressive" in free agency next week. But before you take Jones at his word, remember those words are coming from Jones, whose track record in recent years regarding spending money and adding top-level talent hasn't exactly transitioned into something real.
That said, the Cowboys cannot enter next season with the defense they had last season — they could have been a playoff team thanks to Dak Prescott and the offense, but their defense was terrible and eventually sank the ship. This offseason should look different for Jones and the Cowboys, and it's more likely than not that Jones will do as he says this time.
Where does Mafe fit into this? He's a perfect fit for what the Cowboys need on defense, and more specifically, their D-line. Mafe is young and an experienced 3-4 pass-rusher who played an integral, albeit secondary, role at edge that helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl. Perhaps it was simply because he played behind Lawrence that Mafe's numbers weren't all that loud, but still, impactful.
With him at the edge rusher's spot at one end of the Cowboys' line, Mafe has the potential to become a regular starting-caliber defensive threat at that position. According to Sports Illustrated's NFL reporter, Gilberto Manzano, Mafe and the Cowboys would be a great fit, thanks to how the Seahawks balanced their pass rush last season and throughout the playoffs.
”Perhaps the best way for the Cowboys to fill the gaping hole that Micah Parsons left after being traded to the Packers is to follow the lead of the Seahawks, who had an abundance of pass rushers en route to winning the Super Bowl,” Manzano wrote. “Mafe was a part of that dominant rotation, and with 20 career sacks, he can drastically improve Dallas’s defense.”
The Seahawks could still offer Mafe a second chance at wearing their uniform again, but he will have plenty of suitors out there who see him as a starting edge rusher, and not a spot back on the depth chart. Mafe could significantly help solve a problem on the Cowboys' defense.
As for the Seahawks, they might have to either do the same on their end or sign someone else to play behind Lawrence. If he decides to return, that will relieve some of the pressure off the Seahawks to completely fill that position.