Free agency begins on March 10th and all indicators point to the Seattle Seahawks being very active. While the Seahawks don’t have a mountain of money to spend like the Oakland Raiders ($63 million), they do have a respectable $30 million available to retool an already impressive Super Bowl roster.
It is hard to pin-point exactly who the Seahawks will pursue in free agency as the NFL Draft begins a mere 51 days after the start of free agency. All that can be known now is that the Seahawks plan of attack during free agency will speak volumes about how they intend to attack the draft. Where they see weakness in the draft, they will attack hard in free agency to find what they’re looking for and vice versa.
As I pointed out last week in my post-combine write-up, there are a few positions of real strength and depth in the 2015 draft class but there are also a few lackluster position groups. Because of the needs of the Seahawks and the make-up of the draft, I believe their free agency targets could look something like this:
Cornerback:
With Byron Maxwell all but gone, the Seahawks are in the market for, at minimum, two corners that fit there scheme/style. Recently cut Cary Williams was brought in this week for a proverbial kick of the tires but there has been no word yet if he made the right impression. A report came out yesterday that said the Seahawks will pursue veteran corner Tramon Williams of Green Bay, who is an unrestricted free agent. This signing would make a lot of sense as John Schneider has experience working with Williams when he was in the front office of the Packers. While Williams is not as fast as he once was, the 31 year old still is a capable starting corner with good length (which the Seahawks covet). Another corner who fits the Hawks’ lanky criteria is, former Arizona Cardinal and New York Jet Antonio Cromartie. He is the kind of big, physical player that the Seahawks have experimented with before at corner (Brandon Browner), but has his speed declined to the point where the Hawks would rather pass?
Defensive Line:
The Seahawks have recently signed restricted free agent Greg Scruggs for a one year prove it deal, but he is coming off knee surgery and has never played a full NFL season. Defensive linemen Kevin Williams, Landon Cohen, and Demarcus Dobbs are unrestricted free agents. Dobbs and Cohen could be resigned for cheap and likely will be. Kevin Williams is likely retiring. We have both of our premier defensive ends locked up this year, but when Cliff Avril went out of the Super Bowl, his loss was, in a word, glaring.
There are always veteran DT’s kicking around in free agency and John Schneider has a great track record for bringing them in cheap and hungry for a chance at a Super Bowl. The DE’s that I see the Hawks having interest in are Brian Orakpo, Jabaal Sheard and Greg Hardy. Orakpo is coming off a torn pectoral muscle and he only managed to garner a half-sack in the seven games he did play in 2014, but he is a physical specimen with a tremendous motor that would excel in the defensive rotation. Sheard, maybe the most intriguing player of the three, is only 26 and managed an impressive 8.5 sacks in his rookie season. Since the Browns moved to a 3-4 defense two years ago, Sheard’s production has fallen off, but I believe a switch back to a more traditional 4-3 would bolster his stat line and vastly improve the defensive line rotation (I could see Seattle parting ways with Tony McDaniel, $3.6 million cap number in 2015, to make cap room for this move).
The last target, Greg Hardy, tests Seattle’s willingness to make a move for an alleged wife-beater. His case was thrown out because the victim refused to cooperate with the court, but this does not vindicate him in the eyes of the public or the NFL. He is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list and his playing status for next year is still up in the air. If the Seahawks can look past his past, he is a top echelon pass-rusher in this league. Would the Seahawks accept him? Would Seattle?
Wide Receiver:
This is a position that is flowing with talent in the draft, so it may be unlikely that the Seahawks sign a wide receiver during free agency, but there are always special cases. Those special cases are Andre Johnson and Brandon Marshall.
Johnson was recently given permission by the Houston Texans to seek a trade, but because of his large cap number for 2015, he will likely be cut. In his prime, Johnson was a world class talent. While he has slowed down a bit recently, he is still a fiery competitor with an impressive 6’3’’ frame. At the right price, the Seahawks could be very interested.
Similar to the Texans, the Chicago Bears are looking to trade their star wideout. It is reported that the Bears are looking for a mid-round pick for Marshall, but because of his large cap number for 2015 and beyond, and his locker room history, he may end up being cut as well. If this is the case, I would be aghast if the Seahawks didn’t bring him in for, at least, a visit. In 2012, when he was a free agent, Pete Carroll and Schneider eagerly tried to sign him until he ultimately signed with the Bears. He is the kind of big-bodied, box-out style player that the Seahawks desperately need and, unfortunately, have never had.
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