Evan Mathis signs with the Broncos

Evan Mathis visiting with the Seahawks (and some entertaining flirting on social media) suggested a move was possible. In reality, they didn’t have enough cap room to make it happen without some serious moves.

Today he agreed a $2.5m deal with the Denver Broncos (it can rise to $4.5m). So what now for Seattle?

Continuity is a good thing for an offensive line and some consistency with the starters has to be a positive. The same line that played relatively well against Kansas City gets another chance against the Chargers.

The question marks come at center. They met with Samson Satele. That’s surely not because they’re totally convinced with Drew Nowak and Lemuel Jeanpierre. Nowak has upside and might grow into the role — but Jeanpierre is a solid, known commodity. Unless Nowak can really convince this week, Jeanpierre — or an outsider like Satele — might snatch the starting role.

74 Comments

  1. J2MED

    Damn. I knew it was unrealistic, but that would’ve been sweet…

  2. Trevor

    Good pick up for the Broncos at a reasonable price. We just did not have the room without cutting or restructuring. Really hoping Nowak can really pick up things quick and line gels into a solid unit over the next two weeks. I am optimistic that this can be line that is as good or better than the one that got us to a Super Bowl last year. Also our depth with Glowinski, Bailey, JP should be OK.

    I really hope Russ and the starting offense looks sharper this week.

    • Volume12

      You have to remember, Seattle hasn’t run much or any zone read with the starting offense, and very little ZBS elements as well.

      • rowdy

        This is something I been saying since the first game. When pete just talked about getting good film on the guys to see where their at, I figured they left them one one to see what they could and couldn’t do.he said their game planning for this week so hopefully we see more progress out do the line and more running lanes.

      • Screeching Hawk

        How can you tell about the zone blocking my hommie Volume12? Are you really Jon Gruden? You must have played yourself? I wanted to in high school but I’m too layed back of a guy to be so competitive. I was the drum line section leader so I did contribute some energy to the Wenatchee Panther football games. Always good to hear your insight Volume12?

        • Screeching Hawk

          The ? at the end was meant to be a !. That’s why we need an editing option please Rob Staton, the best Seahawks writer on the planet.

    • redzone086

      I believe Carroll is trying to hold back the play book that we shall see in the regular season but the pass protection in general and gap responsibility for the run game shall be under the microscope this week for sure…

  3. Volume12

    Honestly, I’m kind of relieved they didn’t sign Mathis. He’s a 2 time pro bowler, yet Philly releases him over Allen Barbre, really? If his game wasn’t on the decline, why would he still be out there? Obviously the answer is going to be because he wants to play for a contender, but IDK, something strikes me as off or odd about this dude.

    • Trevor

      I think he was another guy who thought he was under paid at $5 mil and wanted a raise so Chip released him. Now he signs for $2.5. Some of these guys need to get better agents.

      Vol if you check out his tape you will be impressed. He would have helped our OL and is a perfect example of SPARQ and skill matching to make an almost perfect Guard in a ZBS.

      • Volume12

        Oh I agree that he’s as SPARQ’D up as they come. But does Justin Britt become a swing lineman? Do you stunt Britt’s growth at LG and expect him to pick up the C position in 2.5-3 weeks? Or does Mathis come in and then be relied upon to learn that same C position in such a short amount of time?

        IMO C isn’t something that can be taught shortly.

        • Trevor

          No good point I think it would be a lot to ask for either to switch to C . But I would have been fine with moving Britt to a backup spot and using Mathis as a LG and huge upgrade. It would be like going from Turbin to Lynch with regards to quality at the positions. Since we are in win now mode I would have sacrificed a year of growth for Britt whom I view as an average at best lineman.

          • line_hawk

            Actually, I don’t like the phrase “”won now mode” because Caroll preaches Win Forever & nothing they have done suggests otherwise. Plus Britt can develop into a good cheap lineman for the next 3 years. Mathis, many be one year if he stays healthy. I think this move is good for the long term.

            • Trevor

              I think when they paid Marshawn last year because they new our offense had no shot without him shows they were in win now mode or they would not have caved and then they would likely not be facing another holdout this year. I think they plan better than any organization in the league along with the Packers but lets get real. They know they have a window with a core group of stars.

            • arias

              “Win now mode” is not about coaching philosophy, it’s just the practical reality of what GMs engage in order to maximize the return from the team while they’re a contender for a championship. You do what you can to put the team over the top now with moves that you might not make 3 years from now when you’ve got a ton of areas to improve and one move isn’t going to necessarily make the team that much better.

          • Volume12

            Fair points as well. He probably would’ve upgraded the line sure, I just think Seattle needs some consistency, to steal Rob’s adjective, on their O-line. We’d have to replace Mathis in a year anyways, and the only way Britt is going to get better is by taking his lumps, whether that’s as our 6th-7th O-lineman or LG of the future.

            The C spot is the weakness right now. Big Carp, Bowie, McQuistan were all average to below average at LG. Doesn’t make sense to add another LG right now.

            • Trevor

              Seems like PC/JS view it the same way as they were not willing to find a way to make it work. Not sure how we find a new Center week 3 in pre season though.

              • Volume12

                That’s the issue. We’re probably looking at Nowak, LJP, possibly Satele, and then you target the top 3 or so C prospects in the 2016 class. If none of those 3 have played well or nailed down the job by mid-season, then maybe make a trade. They could have their eye on someone possibly being left off a roster when the 53 man cutdown begins.

                • sdcoug

                  This week will be our best barometer yet. Last week was obviously the first game this grouping played together (including two position switches), and now they have another full week of practice under their belts. We get to see them for at least a half or more against SD…will be interesting to watch, and much more revealing of what we have

    • Willyeye

      Rob, I’m curious if you have any idea why Patrick Lewis seemed to be left out of the competition for the Center position. I thought he showed a lot of promise last year, and his upside seemed really good. Why do you think he lost his place in that competition?

  4. Lewis

    It occurred to me earlier that perhaps they are tentatively ok with the line that played in KC (pending the next game) but realize that one injury on the front could end up requiring major re-shuffling. Could it be they were kicking the tires now on a couple of guys to see who they might bring in later if it becomes necessary?

    • CharlietheUnicorn

      I think they have the starting 5 more or less decided. Now the guys behind them fit into the right places…. lining up with the current starters better. I like the flexibility that the “current” back-ups provide. The OL is moving in the right direction….. can’t ask for more than that.

      • Screeching Hawk

        I agree, once the O line becomes comfortable with their roles and how the guy or guys next to them react/move then the consistency will be ataind. So right now Sweezy and Britt are adjusting accordingly. I really do have a better feeling with Gilliam as tackle. Like I’ve said before he could potentially come into play as an eligible reciever with his tight end experience. Mix it up for Petes sake. For example I always thought it would be cool to put in some of our defensive studs on a fourh down or a goal line stance. It would really mess with the defense and Kam or Earl could jump over the top. I’d love to see more diverse play calling. Hell what do I know?

  5. James

    Signing a 30+ yr/old veteran for the minimum is OK, but $4 mil/yr for someone who, according to the odds, is an extreme injury risk at his age, would be crazy. Glad to see that John and Pete kicked the tires but then said No. Inserting Mathis at LG and moving Britt to C would throw everything off at this point in the season. You cannot move a guy to C with two weeks until the opening game and expect anything but keystone cops. We go with these 5 guys – Okung, Britt, Nowak, Sweezy and Gilliam – coach them up and blow the whistle.

    Interesting how the two most difficult positions to find elite athletes after R1… CB and OL, we see Pete, Cable, John, et al, turning over every defensive rock to find sparq-gods to mold into winners.

    • manthony

      Not the NFL, but my Junior year in HS, I slid over to Center i n the middle of the game and did fine, w/o ever playing center before. We ran out of Shotgun and from underCenter, and we did just fine. Me and 3 of the other lineman had played for years together and communicated well so that was an assett.
      With that beig said, i dont think 2 weeks isnt unreasonable to get a guy ready. Sometimes teams have less then a week to get a guy signed and ready in the season

      • CharlietheUnicorn

        I believe Mathis is going to be playing guard with the Broncos. So, it is a more natural fit for him, than a switch to center. I was not for a 1 year “rental”, I would like to think the Seahawks are thinking more long term….. I’m all for letting Nowak start the season as center.

        • manthony

          Im pulling for Nowak too

  6. CA

    I guess what I’m confused about is why these OL we’ve been shopping have been at the C position and not RT. I would imagine that depth at RT is needed over C but a lot goes in to that. Maybe there is just better talent to shop for at C or maybe teams are less likely to have viable tackles on the market. Gilliam seems less proven than LJP.

    As for 2016, the Arkansas line looks nearly pro ready or at least very well hyped. To go with that, a lot of good RBs are coming out of Arkansas so that whole ground game could appeal to Seattle next year at RB or OL.

    • HOUSE

      Tom Cable loved Gilliam last year. His biggest knocks… He had only played OT for about a year and a half (former TE that turned in RT) and that he was only 288 lbs. He has put on almost 20 lbs of strength and has very ATHLETIC feet…

      C is the biggest concern because of the the importance of the position and lack of consistency. Nowak is the upside guy that is learning. LJP is a serviceable guy that gets by. It seemed like Patrick Lewis entering the offseason would be the shoe-in, but he’s underwhelmed…

      I am one that is happy Mathis signed elsewhere…

      • manthony

        LJP is a warmbody punching bag. I hope Nowak comes on strong or another name enters the fold

        • manthony

          Satale is a Warm Body punching bag too. I had a little faith in Lewis coming into this but the first positive i heard from any of the coaches was just this week. Hopefully he can make some strides. I dont know how any team can run LJP out as starter on opening day

          • CharlietheUnicorn

            Lewis looked competant last season, so he might still have a future (in 2016) as a center.

          • cha

            “Warm Body punching bag” Dibs on that for a band name

    • CharlietheUnicorn

      RT would be a premium position and command top dollar/draft pick(s). I’m thinking if they do not like what they see, they might grab someone off another PS or off the cut scrap heap in the next 2 weeks.

      Let’s have faith they have the guy on the roster and get ready to roll week #1.

    • Volume12

      CA, that Arkansas line is huge! They’re body types may be too big for what TC prefers. T Denver Kirkland is 6’7, 335 lbs., T Dan Skipper is 6’9-6’10. Their LG Sebastin Tretola was at 350 last year, but has reportedly dropped a ton of weight. I think they have a pretty good C prospect as well.

      Only 1 HB left frtom their stable. HB Korlis Marshall transferred or was kicked off the team, HB Jonathan Williams is out for the year, and that leaves HB Alex Collins.

      Collins is one of my favorite backs in this class. Great vision, makes guys miss, hits the hole hard. He can appear a bit sluggish at times and that probably has to due with the fact he played overweight last year.

      2 concerns with Collins: He fumbles quite a bit and has never rushed for over 100 yards in a game after Nov. 1st.

      • CA

        J Will could be available later on in the draft though. He’s a Sr this year and Bielema loves him. Just a good ground game all around don’t be surprised if we tap in to that in 2016. I agree though the measurables of that line are outrageous, maybe too big for Seattle.

        • Volume12

          J Will isn’t a bad back either. I just think Collins has more potential. It wouldn’t shock me one bit if one of those backs were a selection of Seattle’s.

      • icb

        I like Collins as well! Plenty of interesting running backs to keep tabs on this year.

        • Volume12

          Absolutely. My man crush at that HB position this year is still LA Tech HB Kenneth Dixon. Grown a** man.

          • icb

            I think over Collins I still like Devontae Booker-Utah, and Kareem Hunt-Toledo better.

            I’m also really looking forward to seeing what Leonard Fournette does his sophomore year at LSU.

      • peter

        I’d be a little concerned with Arkansas backs the same way Stanford and Wisconsin backs worry me. Those lines are so prodigious I wonder how good you really have to be behind them. That said Collins looks pretty solid and if he can play well and has a little SPARQ in his step I like the way he carries himself on the field

  7. Clayton

    Does anyone know if the team frees up money after it makes camp cuts? And if so, could the team use that money to pay Kam Chancellor?

    • Ho Lee Chit

      Your top 53 active players count against the cap. Whether they save money depends on each contract. Most cuts will cost them dead cap money because of a signing bonus or guaranteed salary. We are still counting Harvin against the cap. If Kam goes on the Reserve – Did Not Report list his salary does not count against the cap until he returns. That could save them a lot of money against the cap.

  8. DC

    Center Chris Myers visited the Seahawks on or around March 30th. Here are some of the links from that time:

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000482527/article/center-chris-myers-visiting-with-seattle-seahawks

    http://www.fieldgulls.com/2015/3/30/8314059/seahawks-chris-myers-free-agency-nfl

    http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/center-chris-myers-to-visit-seahawks/

    Of course I’m hoping that our current group gets the job done. As a bridge player though, Myers, as a wily veteran Center at the right price could glue the rest of our young line together. I feel like this is year 4 of our 4 year RW rookie contract title window. Get the last piece in that we need and let competition settle it.

    LT: Okung
    LG: Britt
    C: Myers, Nowak
    RG: Sweezy, Glowinski
    RT: Gilliam
    ST: Bailey
    + whoever else makes the cut.

  9. Ben2

    Did you guys hear Michael Bennett’sinterview on Brock & Salk where he talks about mediocre QBs getting paid? Hilarious – Black Santa is a personal favorite!

    http://mynorthwest.com/category/pod_player_sports/?a=9991293&p=1007&n=Brock%20and%20Salk

    • manthony

      Thanks for sharing, that was prolly the best interview ive heard in awhile. MB78 was just letting it fly!

  10. Volume12

    You guys like Rutgers WR Leonte Carroo? Has some Tate to his game.

  11. Ed

    I am not opposed to adding talent, but I’m glad we didn’t take the plunge. Don’t need another salary issue, especially with an outsider.

    Let Big Chance sit for 10 weeks and rest up so he is healthy for the stretch run. I don’t think it will last that long, but if the case, that’s fine. Our team is getting deeper and while it will be a drop off, it won’t be as steep as the other times he has been hurt.

  12. Steele

    Hawks signed WR Deontay Greenberry. A promising prospect I liked in the low rounds. Interesting roster churn. Nobody besides Lockett has done much so far.

    • Trevor

      Good size and I liked him coming out. Glad they are taking a look.

      • Volume12

        Awful hands. Hopefully that’s improved. So who’s hurt or got cut?

        • Miles

          Jake Waters got let go.

          • HOUSE

            Greenberry reminded me a lot of Sidney Rice. I highlighted on him during the draft process as a 5th-7th pick/UDFA. He’s got great size and roams the middle of the field. We’ll see if he makes it to the PS…

            • Miles

              He definitely does have a similar scouting profile to what you’d imagine Sidney Rice had. Here’s the article on FieldGulls that details Greenberry:

              “Shows an ability to make challenging adjustments to poor throws.”

              “Struggled to make contested catches and had way too many focus drops.”

              http://www.fieldgulls.com/2015/8/26/9211783/seahawks-sign-deontay-greenberry-waive-jake-waters.

              And here’s his seemingly official YouTube highlight video. The best catch is at 1:10 where he goes over a defender and bails out the QB on a bad throw:

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ZxVr3VjuE

            • Volume12

              Is he going to play CB? Another converted wideout?

              • Miles

                He’s wearing #86 so it looks like he’s being brought in to play receiver. If that’s true he is as much a project at receiver as he would be at corner. He has great straight-line speed but tested quite poorly in agility drills. He fits the profile of a cornerback convert. Not to mention the fact that he had 11 drops last year. That’s wow. I’d be surprised if, should he make the practice squad, he isn’t a cornerback by then. We’ll see.

                • Volume12

                  11 drops on I can’t recall how many targets. But it a equaled 10% drop rate. Anything that’s 10% or over, your probably not playing long in this league.

                  • Volume12

                    Went back and checked the numbers. 11 drops on 83 targets=13% drop rate. Ouch!

  13. Trevor

    Saw this tweet it was pretty funny given what Russ said about recovery water allowing him to bounce back from that Matthews hit.

    Russell Wilson is underrated as both a quarterback and a loon.

    By the way I hope one of our OL gets a good shot at Matthews week #2 that hit on Russ was cheap.

    • Volume12

      One of the dirtier hits I’ve seen on a QB in quite some time. Kind of hoping for a Golden Tate esque cut back block, ala Sean Lee 2012.

      • DC

        That block turned me from a Tate skeptic to a fan. A beautiful de-cleater.

        • HOUSE

          He DESTROYED Sean Lee… LOL

      • Screeching Hawk

        That block was brutal by Tate, it really angered the Cowboys as I can understand since Sean Lee is supposedly a great guy and teamate. Hey if you don’t like playfull violence in a game best you stay away from American Football.

  14. Nathan

    If we had our time again, do we sign Wisnewksi?

    2.5 mil for a single season in Jacksonville. I’m sure he’d rather be playing here for the same dough.

    • Miles

      I think that the Seahawks plan the whole time was to roll with Nowak or Lewis or JLP or Sokoli at Center this year. If they could have gotten one of the OLs on the market at near-minimum (ie. Wisniewski, Mathis), they likely would have went that direction. But right now it seems like the Seahawks don’t want anymore $3-5m contracts on their roster. They’d rather pay “their” guys, than fill in the rest with draft picks and UDFAs. Nowak is the latter.

    • Trevor

      He would have been a great fit! He was my #1 choice going into the off season.

      • Trevor

        Maybe trade Kam to the Jags for their 2016 #1 and Wisnewski.

  15. Volume12

    Rob, do you think Miss St. WR De’Runnya ‘Bear’ Wilson is ‘Seahawky?’

    • peter

      I only watched highlights against Auburn so it’s a pretty small sample:

      1. Dude is a long strider so it seems to lessen the impact of his fakes and cuts.
      2. Obviously he’s big but he can truly block like he means it.
      3. I would have love to seen him time his jumps better as an ex basketball player it seemed that whoever was covering him for auburn was taking it to him on jump balls and it looked like he could have obviously destroyed his man.
      4. One thing I would love to see him not do this season is when it’s clear that he is going to be involved in the play he turns on another gear and is clearly fast, clearly strong. Some of his potential YAC catches are there but it seems that a LOT of college dudes and this goes back to me watching Crabtree highlights, play visibly slower when they aren’t going to be in the play but are a decoy.

      For me De’Runnya looks the part and obviously has the tools. To me in that tape he didn’t make any real boneheaded plays but I would like to see some outright dominance with jump balls or boxing out defenders this season.

      • Volume12

        He’s raw for sure, but has only played football since his senior year of HS. He’s very articulate/intelligent, his work ethic is rumored to be second to none, and we know PC and the NFL love them some former basketball players. He also has a small red flag, something we know this staff has never shied away from.

        Definetly a long strider, but his role wouldn’t be a precision route runner. I like this kid. Has some real grit and swag to his game.

        • peter

          Checked out Leonte Caroo. I liked him quite a bit. I like his size as well. Definitely one to watch this year.

          • Volume12

            Nice. You have an open mind my man. I like that.

            2 late round receivrrs I like quite a bit are UL-Lafayette WR Jamaal Robinson. Huge, productive, potential SPARQ demon. And Utah St WR Hunter Sharp. Former JUCO guy, plays pissed off, and is explosive. Had 5 TDs of over 70 yds.

            • peter

              Ill check them out thanks man!

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