The Seattle Seahawks are not getting a lot of love this preseason. Many national pundits see the team as being worse than it was last year when Seattle won 10 games. The reason for this is because of the big names that left this past offseason.
As much as pundits want to sell that they know the NFL extremely well, many will also follow the trail of the better-known players. Quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf are gone, so the Seahawks have to be worse, right? Not so fast.
General manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald want to build a team that resembles that of the Seattle teams in the mid-2010s. That means an extremely strong defense, and an offense that doesn't turn the ball over and is relatively efficient. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is tasked with that last part, and he has succeeded with that in the past.
Just one more would make the Seattle Seahawks very scary
But if the defense is going to be truly scary, then Schneider might need to add a player from another team who isn't overly happy with his contract situation, and the player needs to be an edge rusher.
The Seahawks have the advantage of having Leonard Williams along the defensive line, and as opponents have to focus on him, he helps the edge rushers have a bit more freedom. The problem is that the group is relatively thin currently. Veteran Uchenna Nwosu is seemingly always hurt, and he will likely miss the first part of the season after having offseason knee surgery.
Boye Mafe and Derick Hall could be bound for truly breakout seasons, and if veteran DeMarcus Lawrence can stay healthy, the trio is a good group. Why not make it great? Why not try to acquire an extremely high-end edge rusher, even if it means giving up a high-round draft pick in 2026 and/or 2027?
Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson and Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons are pass-rushers who want to get paid a lot of money, and their respective teams do not appear ready to give them that cash. Neither is probably going to be traded, but there is at least a small chance they could.
Once acquired, the Seahawks have the future cash to keep the players under contract for several more seasons while still having Lawrence and Hall, and potentially Mafe (who is a free agent next offseason). Would giving up Mafe and a first-round pick make a deal for Hendrickson or Parons worth it?
Sure. Subtracting an edge rusher to add one would work in this case, as Hendrickson and Parsons are better than Mafe. Opponents would scheme for them, which would give Leonard Williams more space.
Without a doubt, the Seattle Seahawks acquiring Hendrickson or Parsons would get the attention of national pundits, too. Instead of continuously disrespecting Seattle, maybe they could change their tune and speak the truth: Mike Macdonald's defense could be very dangerous deep into the playoffs.