Former NBA Star Yao Ming once said, “Everybody is improving but I am improving slowly, which seemingly widens our distance.” With teams in the NFL constantly improving, the Seattle Seahawks should not fall behind, especially being in the NFC West, where both the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals are only going to improve upon the great seasons they both had in 2011.
The Seahawks enter this offseason in great shape, with the 12th pick in the draft and nearly $35 million in cap space. The new CBA deal has really helped the Seahawks, as teams can now roll over their remaining cap into the next season. Without going into too much detail on the workings of the salary cap, the number is bound to increase after some cuts and unsigning of free agents on their own team.
Seattle should use their draft picks wisely and should fill holes with those picks. At pick number 12 it is not wise for the Seahawks to select a quarterback, as there are no game changing quarterbacks left. Seattle should wait for the second or third round for that position. Seattle’s weakness on defense last season was applying pressure to the quarter back and they should definitely address this through the draft. DE Devon Still, from Penn State, looks to be the man for the job. Personally, I believe Seattle should use their second round pick on quarterback Nick Foles of Arizona, but there are reports that Seattle has shown interest in Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins. If this is true, Seattle can continue to improve their pass rush in the second round and still be able to get Cousins in the third.
Pete Carroll has a great defensive mind and improving their pass rush through the draft allows Seattle to resign key free agents, as well as not having to over spend on bringing in someone like Mario Williams. The Seahawks should definitely bring back RB Marshawn Lynch, DE Red Bryant and FB Michael Robinson. ILB David Hawthorne should only be resigned at a moderate price and the Seahawks should not spend over $3 million on him this season, and that might be too much.
Seattle should focus their free agency on offense and although running back Marshawn Lynch was a “beast” to say the least, Seattle still only ranked 21st in the NFL with 1756 rushing yards. This definitely has to improve, as it seems to be the foundation of Seattle’s offense. Seattle should look to add a strong complimentary back and should consider Tim Hightower, Tashard Choice and a long shot Michael Bush. Seattle has a solid offensive line and do not need to look at any outside free agents for depth.
Of course Seattle’s pass game needs vast improvement and the quarterback is the first to be looked at. Tarvaris Jackson is not a game changing quarterback, that is known, but is Seattle a team that solely depends on its quarterback? The answer to that is no, Seattle has a good team in place and unlike the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle can win 7 games without an elite quarterback. The Seahawks are built more like the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. Seattle should not, and I emphasize not, look at a quarterback in free agency and as mentioned earlier should look to draft Nick Foles, or even Kirk Cousins. I believe both these players have the potential to do what Andy Dalton did for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. This is why Seattle should look to add another receiver through free agency. There are a plethora of young talented wide receivers that are free agents this year. Three players Seattle should consider are Robert Meachem, Mario Manningham and Laurent Robinson. With Sidney Rice’s tendency to be injured this will allow Seattle to have a great go-to receiver, in case Rice is out and a great one-two punch when Rice is healthy.
Another interesting conundrum for Seattle: should they experiment with the two tight end set like New England did this past season? Seattle should think about resigning John Carlson, although I highly doubt this will happen and so look at the free agent crop for some depth and punch. Players like Kellen Davis, Donte Rosario and Visanthe Shiancoe, just to name a few, should provide Seattle with solid tight end play and not cost much.
If Seattle plays its cards right, they could improve their team drastically through the draft and free agency, without having to spend a fortune and hoping that it pans out. Adding a solid pass rush, to their already top 10 defense will elevate them into elite status. With a great defense and adding weapons on offense, Seattle can create good quarterback play either by a rookie or Tarvaris Jackson. Pete Carroll is building this team in a old school way, a strong defense and an offense that is predicated by its rushing attack, which in turns creates the pass. If Seattle can stay consistent on this path, I see them being a perennial playoff team, and with the other NFC West teams constantly improving, Seattle needs to make drastic improvements to not just keep up, but surpass their rivals and take back the NFC West Crown.
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