Report: Seahawks front runners for Ziggy Ansah

There’s been an air of inevitability about this.

The Seahawks’ pass rush in its current state is inadequate. They have to do something and that was acknowledged by both Pete Carroll and John Schneider following the draft.

The thing is, there’s a reason players are still available at this stage. In Ziggy Ansah’s case it’s an existing shoulder injury, age and inconsistency. Ansah has shown the ability to dominate games but he also has a two-sack season on his resume (in 2016 when he played 13 games).

For all the clamouring for the Seahawks to sign him from fans and media — the deal carries a decent element of risk because of the health of his shoulder. They ultimately need to make a call on whether the risk is worth it and based on Ian Rapoport’s tweet above they’ve come to a positive conclusion.

Yet they also need to leave enough cap room for further additions. Even by adding Ansah the D-line still needs more. All they’ve done so far is replace Dion Jordan with L.J. Collier and Shemar Stephen with Demarcus Christmas. Ansah would be a replacement for Frank Clark. They needed more going into the off-season — not simply to replace departing players. They need at least one more defensive tackle and maybe another (cheaper) EDGE.

Clearly there are some things to weigh up. That’s why Rapoport is saying ‘front runners’ and not ‘done deal’. It does seem inevitable though.

So what would they be getting?

Ansah had an outstanding combine running a 4.63 at 271lbs then adding a brilliant 4.26 short shuttle. He’s plenty explosive (34.5 inch vertical) and he has length (35 1/8 inch arms). Whether he’s quite as sharp as he was in 2013 after a few years in the league is a big question mark but clearly Ansah is one of the best athletes playing D-line in the league.

TFL’s are usually a better gauge of impact than sacks. Here’s Ansah’s numbers per season and NFL ranking in brackets:

2018 — 3 (#251)
2017 — 15 (#11)
2016 — 9 (#53)
2015 — 15 (#12)
2014 — 14 (#21)
2013 — 7 (unknown)

Here are his sack numbers:

2018 — 4
2017 — 12
2016 — 2
2015 — 14.5
2014 — 7.5
2013 — 8

How he went from having 14.5 sacks in 16 games in 2015 to two sacks in 13 games in 2016 is a mystery.

Here’s what PFF said about Ansah going into free agency:

Ansah played 80 games for the Lions (seven in 2018) and amassed 52 sacks and 271 total quarterback pressures. The BYU-alumnus has been linked to various teams but will be turning 30 before the 2019 season begins, bringing his long-term viability into question.

Ansah’s ability doesn’t stop with his pass-rushing prowess. He has displayed his run-stopping ability, as he’s earned a 69.0-plus run-defense grade in four of his six seasons. The edge defender’s most prolific season occurred in 2014 when he caused 64 quarterback pressures (T-8th) and earned an 82.5 overall grade (6th). Ansah will have to turn back the clock following an injury-riddled year where he earned a 74.5 defense grade, but there may not be a surplus of suitors with the pass-rusher-heavy class entering the NFL Draft this year.

It’s encouraging to read a positive review of his run defense. Aside from needing to upgrade their pass rush, the Seahawks need to be tougher against the run.

The Seahawks have done a good job of bringing out the best in pass rushers over the years. They turned journeyman Chris Clemons into a productive starter. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril both excelled. Raheem Brock had a nine-sack season in 2010. They’ve helped Frank Clark become of the best paid players in the league.

That has to appeal to Ansah — especially on a likely one-year deal and a chance to return to the market in 10 months.

If they sign him it’ll likely be the first of multiple moves. They’re not going from Bennett, Avril and Clarke to Collier, Martin and Green. Competition is required, plus a flash of proven quality.

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137 Comments

  1. CHawk Talker Eric

    Ha beat me to it!

    @RapSheet

    Sources: The #Seahawks have emerged as the front-runner to sign star FA DE Ziggy Ansah. They visited with him in late April and need a big-time pass-rusher after dealing Frank Clark. The contract has not been finalized yet. He also visited with the #Bills, who remain interested.

  2. AndrewP

    Not much to see, IMHO…

    If they’d given him the $$$ he wanted, the ink would be dry. Same goes for any team, really.

    I wonder how inclined Ansah would be to play the long game, and wait for an injury in camp. A team gets desperate, you never know what that might do their judgement.

    *Yes, I’m aware that it’s a bit different in the NFL due to the camp. Enough teams have enough space, however, that should such a situation arise, it would considerably increase Ansah’s negotiating power.

  3. Logan Lynch

    I think this would be the perfect move for SEA and gives them a legitimate, proven sack producer (if healthy).

    Question…would you rather overpay a bit for Ansah and be limited in the other moves you can make, or sign a combo of Shane Ray, Nick Perry, and an interior DL? Knowing the SEA front office, I don’t think they’ll offer Ansah too much without protection, but I think Clayton’s estimate of $7M-$9M is going to end up quite a bit lower than he gets. I could see $12M-$14M including incentives. I’d like to be wrong obviously.

    • Kevin

      The Bills have 15 cap to give, so if the seahawks had offered more than that Ansah would already be a seahawk.

      If his shoulder is fine a 14m+ contract with 8 or so base and the rest in incentives is quite likely. Since that would impact only 8m of cap right now and we are freeing up a good chunk of change on June 1st (10-17M depending on cuts) that leaves plenty of space to sign 2 more splashy players and a 2 more Kearse/Pryor level players.

      • Saxon

        There is no way Ansah gets $14 million. At least, it better not be us that gives it to him. Injury + only one good season in 3 years. The Bills can have him.

        If he were willing to sign an incentive laden deal for around 8-9 mil with a reasonable signing bonus, then fine. There aren’t many other options right now.

        I’d rather spend the money on Perry + Ray and see who gets cut later. Caveat: our run defense would probably get worse.

        • kevin

          You are right, I went too high.

          5.5 base and only 13.5M total. I am guessing his shoulder is not 100%

  4. Gaeleck

    I keep repeating to myself, If the Seahawks are this far in the process, then they feel comfortable with his health. If healthy, he is a game wrecker, from time to time. When those big games or stretches occur, he typically is beastly and dominates. I am trying to keep in mind that this tweet could quite easily be the product of Ziggy’s representation and more intended for the Bills front office. If Ian is correct and Seattle does sign Ansah, I think that I like the end result of the Frank Clark trade. I am still reserving final judgement until the ink is on paper and the final numbers are released. Schneider killed the draft part of the equation, this could potentially be the proverbial cherry on top.

  5. HawkfaninMT

    Yeah, if they are signing him, then I am excited. it means the shoulder checks out, and the Hawks are getting a top 8 edge in the latter stages of FA. Hopefully (to me) that means a 2 year 22M type deal, that will work out famously and produce a long term pass rusher. This type of contract would also allow for another move at DL like Shelton, Bailey, Rey, Suh (if he is there cup of tea), etc

    Will be interesting to see if there is any movement at WR also. Kearse or pryor perhaps?

  6. Misfit74

    Let’s get it, #Seahawks.

    1yr, 12~14M total value (incentive laden) my guess

    • Rokas

      My biggest fear is that he is not looking for a 1 year prove it deal, but is willing to go to a team, which gives him 2-3 years deal. Not sure how realistic is thay, but if he wants a 3 year deal, i don’t think Seattle will pull the trigger. How likely is that some other team comes with a 3 year/50 mil deal?

      Would be really pissed if he goes to say Buffalo for 1 year/12 mil with incentives deal. We have enough Brandon Jacksens and Q- Jeffersons. Let’s bring some real talent, instead of going a cheaper route.

  7. LouieLouie

    My concern is that Ziggy will be on IR for the playoffs. If he’s healthy by then, it would be a great signing.

  8. King_Rajesh

    Am I the only one who wouldn’t pay Ansah over 10m?

    If he wants that much for a prove-it deal while being injury prone, I’d pass and lean on the guys they have – build the “We all we got, we all we need” mentality.

    • Rob Staton

      Whatever happens with Ansah, they are not going to ‘lean on the guys they have’. Because they’re not good enough.

      • King_Rajesh

        Not good enough for what? Contending for the title? Even with prime Bennett and Avril, I don’t think this team is good enough for that unless those young players who are “not good enough” take a few steps forward, which they’ll only do if we get them enough snaps to season them appropriate. We can’t do that if they don’t get the chance to play because Ansah or Suh are taking up valuable snaps and costing a ton of money.

        We need the defense to be league average this year. If they’re average, I think we’re solid enough to win 10 games and be a wildcard team again because the offense should be much better.

        Pete should be able to coach up the people we have into a league average defense that gives up less than 24 points per game. Russell should be able to give us more than 24 points per game if Pete and Schotty get away from Run-Run-Pass and let the ball go a few more times a game.

        • Rob Staton

          Just because you personally don’t think this team is good enough to contend for a title doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be doing whatever it takes to improve.

          It’s all well and good saying you want them to ‘just play the young guys’ and ‘just be league average’.

          Then six weeks in they haven’t laid a finger on opposing QB’s, can’t create any pressure and everyone goes nuts saying why didn’t they improve the pass rush.

          As if anyone ever settles for ‘average’ when you can legitimately make your team better

          Madness.

          • King_Rajesh

            They did whatever it took to compete in 2017 and it set the team back two years. I’m not sure we should be willing to potentially mortgage the future by not extending Wagner and Reed with the money we have because we bought a ton of guys on rentals.

            If Ansah is cheap, good. If he’s not, we don’t need him. We can deal with a season where the defense takes a step back if it forces Pete to finally lean on his offense and his star QB for once. That’s a valuable lesson for Pete to learn, that he can in fact, win with offense like every other team.

            • Gaeleck

              Pete’s NEVER gonna try to be like every other team. On top of that, last year’s offense was 6th in the NFL in scoring. They scored the second most points in franchise history. When considering how atrocious weeks 1 & 2 were, that’s pretty impressive. The Seahawks led the NFL in rushing yards per game while their QB set his career high in QB rating. Those seem to be the marks of a quality NFL offense, especially under a first year coordinator. I’m just saying…

            • Rob Staton

              How the hell is signing Ziggy Ansah to a one year deal “mortgaging the future.”

              Good grief

              • Kevin

                Rajesh does not understand that we have cap space to not only keep Wagner and Reed, we could potentially also sign a couple more contracts like this one if necessary. Pete is not going to roll any cap this year, that is certain.

                If Ansah works out we have made out like bandits. We save 3.6M as compared to tagging Clark, get the bounty of picks Clark brought in AND we get a high comp pick for Ansah when he leaves. If he does not work out we are out 5.5M.

                This is as good a move as I have ever seen in the NFL.

      • CHawk Talker Eric

        He’s worth a million dollars a sack to a team without another dependable rusher.

        That’s a round about way of saying I think he’s worth $10-12M/year. I’m guessing the sticky wicket is guaranteed money.

        • Kenny Sloth

          This. And it pretty much came to fruition.

          I read the deal has escalators for up to 12m~

  9. TCHawk

    I’m excited as long as it is for a reasonable contract (<$10M). Even if he is not ready until Week 3 or 4. We could then add one more FA, Perry or Shelton depending on need. Please no Suh, with his lackluster attitude and effort.

  10. SamL

    Is he any good at run defense? If not we could just use him on pass rush downs.

    • Aaron

      He definetly wasn’t good at run defense when we played them in the 2016 Wild Card Round. I seem to remember that they ran to his side a lot. He did give Fant fits though at LT in pass rush scenarios. He would be our starting LEO so he would need to be fairly stout, at least on par with Frank, Avril, and Clemons.

  11. Paul Cook

    Get er done. This would significantly reduce the desperation factor in regards to the defensive line.

  12. JC3

    Being the only proven rusher on this team, Ansah is stupid not signing with the Hawks for at least one year and re-establish himself. I bet Ansah is not the only deal they are working on, they are in win now mode & a 35 mils QB on the roster so every year is SB or bust.
    I wish they also sign Bailey from KC, he is just plain violent.

  13. H

    Would be the 6th guy taken in the top 15 of the 2013 draft to end up on the Seahawks.

  14. millhouse-serbia

    Dusan Tadic is my brother. This is tragedy for Ajax.

    • Rob Staton

      Is he really your brother?

      I’m guessing not but thought I’d ask 🙂

      • millhouse-serbia

        Yea he is. 🙂 Father of my father and mother of his father are siblings. We have same grand grand father.

      • millhouse-serbia

        Same great grandfather. 🙂

      • millhouse-serbia

        And my grandfather and his brother played football and Dusan is tallented on them. 🙂 So I have hope that my son will have some of that talent. 😀 😀 😀

        • Rob Staton

          Nice one.

          • millhouse-serbia

            But Totanham plays great second half tonight, and I hope they will win on june 1st. And if they dont, than I can say that my club (Red Star) won european champion. 🙂

            • H

              That is frickin’ cool man, great player Tadic. Ajax were the better team over the course of the two legs, massive credit to them for a fantastic run in this competition.

              • millhouse-serbia

                I am from Belgrade and he is from Backa Topola but as a kid he played for Vojvodina from Novi Sad. And whenever he played against someone from Belgrade I watched that. And I never thought that he will be this good, and that he will become player that he is today. As a kid, and later as a senior (Vojvodina, Groninghem and Twente) he played as a winger, and he isnt fast enough for that, so i thought he is limited for biggest stage. But he is really smart and has perfect pass and ball control, and his best games came when he started to play behind striker (with his second HC at souththempton), as a playmaker and reall no10. And now he is player for top teams.

              • Group captain mandrake

                Ajax were the better team, but they insisted on trying to score more tather than shutting up shop. They should have won, but like Barca, royally screwed up.

    • H

      Not meaning to rub anything in, but this is the happiest I’ve been from sports since the Seahawks turnaround against the Packers in the 2014 NFC championship game!!!!

      Absolutely buzzing right now.

      • Kenny Sloth

        Does this mean football finally came home?

        Wait till soccer comes home 😉(I’ve been sitting on that for a few weeks now)

    • SoCal12

      This Champions League has been simply unreal. Ajax should be proud of what they accomplished here. Heartbreaking loss, but what an incredible run from such a young team.

      I’m curious who Rob has winning the finals lol. Should be a fun matchup.

      • Rob Staton

        Really hard to call. Liverpool have the edge I think but bloody hell I wouldn’t rule Spurs out.

        • SoCal12

          Really interesting matchup. My bet is it’s going to be a nail bitter that comes down to the last minute or penalties. As a neuatral who likes both teams I can’t really say I’d be disappointed either way. Would be fun to see Jurgen take home both the Prem and Champions league trophy though.

      • H

        Spurs.

        • Greg Haugsven

          Proves that the EPL is king. Hopefully for the Spurs Kane can stay healthy.

        • Michael (CLT)

          Go Spurs!

  15. Zb

    Raheem Brock? Blast from the past.

  16. Paul Cook

    If we get Ansah, maybe it’s Danny Shelton time, add some run-stopping beastliness to the center of the line, lengthen up our D-line rotation.

  17. Awsi Dooger

    I’d be careful. I think he is older than he says he is. Normally I am the last guy to fall for cynical claims like that. But I thought it seemed obvious at BYU that Ansah was older than listed, so I wasn’t surprised when the topic resurfaced a couple of years ago, with some indications from an official document in Ghana that he was a couple of years older than claimed.

    It could partially explain an earlier than logical decline for a pass rusher

    • Rob Staton

      There’s definitely some risk with Ansah as noted in the piece. That’s why he’s still available.

      But the Seahawks, more than most, are perfectly positioned to be the ones to take the risk on a one-year deal. They have the cap space and a huge need.

  18. Paul Cook

    We’re not looking for long term with Ansah, more a stopgap for this year.

    • Rob Staton

      Yes

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      That’s the same mentality with Clowney if that trade happens. Swap a R2 for a year of Clowney and a R3 comp. If you can’t sign him past that so what? You still get a season out of him for the cost of a round drop.

      Though FWIW I’d be much more interested in Clowney long term than Ansah.

  19. millhouse-serbia

    https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1126237834258599936?s=19

    Brandon Beane on @1270TheFan on Z. Ansah: “We’re still in talks with him and his agent. Everything has been very good. All I’ll say about reports [Seattle is emerging as favorite] is I don’t buy into that garbage, especially when I consider where some of the sourcing comes from.”

    • GauxGaux

      haha… getting the feeling that the relationship between seattle and buffalo is on the rocks!

      • Aaron

        Prob been a bad relationship since Lynch was traded in 2010

  20. CaptainJack

    How does the 2020 draft look for pass rush.
    There’s the guy from Ohio State but he’ll go early and besides that?

    • Rob Staton

      Too early to say.

      • D-OZ

        Looks very good!!! I am in the process of compiling a list now. A little more research and I’ll have it up. 🙂

  21. RWIII

    Agree with Millhouse: Buffalo is still in the running to land Ansah. Here is a question for Ziggy. Where would you rather live in Dec/Jan. Buffalo or Seattle? If you decide to pick Buffalo I hope you enjoy driving to work in a blizzard.

    • Coleslaw

      Hes been in Detroit so I doubt that’s going to play a factor.

      What I thought was most interesting is “the deal isnt finalized yet” which means we are close, we could have it done and just be waiting for him to sign it.

    • Rob Staton

      We have no idea who is or isn’t in the running.

      There’s a reason Rapoport reported what he did, regardless of what Beane says.

      And if it comes down to Seattle vs Buffalo — there’s very little that’ll sway him to Buffalo other than a major money difference.

      • GerryG

        No state income tax in WA too

  22. Paul Cook

    Maybe we’ll get more out of Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin in terms of QB pressure. I’d like to be surprised. I also sometimes wonder how much it’s possible for *scheme* to help make up for whatever defensive deficiencies we end up with up-front next year? There’s no substitute for talent, that’s for sure; but with a good rotation and blitz packages and other defensive scheming you can compensate for some of your deficiencies. Also, there’s that hard-to-predict factor of just how well (or not) a particular group of players will play with each other when put together. Remember how our offensive line went from pretty bad to pretty good in one year? And it’s not like we added superstars there last off-season.

    • Rob Staton

      The added talent and fits to the O-line though. Duane Brown was a massive addition. Fluker was a massive addition. Both former R1 players. Sweezy was always a good fit in Seattle and Ifedi + Britt are high picks.

      Look — I liked Martin’s rookie season and Green has potential. But in the NFL you need studs on the DL. You can’t scheme a consistently threatening pass rush. You can blitz but the Seahawks are not an exotic, Rex Ryan defense. They’re a conventional defense relying on execution and people doing their jobs. There’s a reason they’ve always relied on talent to rush the passer. And they won’t settle on their existing guys. We know they aren’t — Carroll’s has stated that explicitly.

      • Saxon

        Ansah’s studliness is highly questionable as you’ve pointed out. Even if we sign him I think Frank Clark will ultimately be replaced by a healthy Rasheem Green. The handful of snaps we saw Green play were very impressive – and he was only 20.

        I agree it’s unwise to bet on potential, especially from a guy who got injured. Therefore Ansah insurance is wise, but Green will probably become the starter with Ziggy used situationally.

        • Saxon

          And yes, I know Green is more a 5 tech inside/out guy but he showed enough acceleration to play on the edge, imo. No doubt Carroll wants a twitchy guy at that spot but he may reconsider if guys like Jacob Martin become liabilities against the run. This will be the best storyline going into camp…

        • Rob Staton

          Very little about Green was impressive in 2018. He has massive steps to make this year to have any confidence in your suggestion.

          • GoHawksDani

            You could say that about Penny. But very few bashing Penny. Yep, Penny had some crazy runs flipping runs the other way, but that only worked as a rookie, because players won’t count on that. We also saw that he gets buried a ton, and he can’t really break tackles and he has questionable instincts.
            But you advocated that we shouldn’t criticize or call him bust based on his rookie season. He was injured and had to pick up a ton. But we can clearly see potential based on couple of snaps.
            I feel you don’t have much faith in Green.
            He was greener (sorry for the pun) than Penny. He also had some injuries. He flashed in preseason. He only played a handful snaps and wasn’t a liability although also wasn’t a game wrecker.

            Everyone said Green had to have a redshirt year building frame, gather more exp, learn the game, pick up stuff. I doubt he’ll be a 10+ sacks ton of QB hurry, TFL guy. But he’ll be better than last year, I bet. He’ll be at least a really good rotational guy, and I feel he’ll be more productive than Ansah.
            I don’t think they are 100% comps, so won’t say Green will win the starting job instead of Ansah, but I think for week 6 our starting DL will look like: Ansah, Green, Reed, Collier
            And I’m pumped about it. Reed might be a game wrecker, Ansah hopefully will be his better self, Green can be a really solid anchor with pretty good passrush upside and hopefully Collier will be a solid addition.
            I think this pack of guys have major potential. And yeah, it’s not proven production, but with young guys you can’t really have proven production, but you can have 6-8-10 good years with the same group (except Ansah)

            • Rob Staton

              No, you couldn’t say that about Penny.

              Rasheem Green was bad as a rookie. It’s OK to say that. It doesn’t mean he won’t improve. But calling out a fact about Green is perfectly plausible and people don’t need to white knight for him.

  23. Paul Cook

    Didn’t we get D Brown before last off-season? Yeah, he’s a stud. An anchor. The addition of Fluker and return of Sweezy still surprised me in how well they gelled with the other three. Simmons and Fant also gave us some real depth. Pocic I thought would be more than he was.

    I was probably more concerned about our O-Line going into the off-season last year than I was about our D-Line going into this off-season. We were awful. Our running game had fallen off a cliff.

    Losing Frank Clark was huge. No doubt.

    • Rob Staton

      We did get Duane Brown during the 2017 season but it’s very difficult to switch teams/schemes mid-season. Clearly having him for a full first season was a major advantage vs the previous year.

  24. Paul Cook

    But as it’s been said before, you’ve forgotten more than I’ll ever know.

  25. Ashish

    With all available options Ziggy Ansah sounds good bet but with injury concerns even in best case scenario he will be available in mid August. Sounds more risk by investing in a player with some expectation. He might able to attend meetings and get familiar with scheme and all other stuff but can’t compete on field. Instead of this, we might better wait for Roster cut for pass rusher. Less risk more options with risk of player who might need some ramp up time.
    Your thoughts?

  26. James

    The Bills know they have no shot except to outbid Seattle. I am OK with paying north of $12M if he earns it on the field. Make 50% of the contract tied to being healthy and getting sacks. If he isn’t willing to earn his pay, better off without him.

  27. Greg Haugsven

    I have a feeling it will either be Ansah and Shelton or Perry and Suh.

    • Rob Staton

      I’d be surprised if Suh is even on the radar.

    • RWIII

      James: Agree. If Ziggy does sign with Buffalo it’s going to be major difference in salary. One other thing to mention is that there is no state income(although the Democrats are trying to change that law) in the state of Washington. New York has a state income tax. There is a range from 4% to 8.82% depending on how much you earn.

      • CHawk Talker Eric

        Probably not just APY. Also who is willing to guarantee more.

    • Coleslaw

      I’m not really on the Suh train but I could see that. If they want to win now, DL is a must. Ansah and Suh are the most talented DL left by far.

      I feel like if they’re really in win now mode, they will go to no lengths to add a legit DL. As rob as said, we may have a plan A, B, C etc. Ansah and Shelton could be plan A, Perry and Suh could be plan B.

      However, how sold are we on Ansah or Suh? They’re not going to be a long term answer for us. Can we get outpriced to a point where trading for a superior, young talent like Clowney (or someone we haven’t thought of yet) becomes more appealing than one year of overpaying Ansah or Suh?

      The talent in the DL class next year likely will determine their decision, since they’ll be giving up 2020 draft picks straight up for a DL. If anyone has some thoughts on the 2020 DL class I would love to hear them, anything really. Drop it all here lol.

      • CHawk Talker Eric

        At this point I’d prefer Shelton over Suh. Shelton has the physical tools to dominate, he just didn’t put it together in CLE, but c’mon it’s CLE.

        I think if someone lights a fire under Shelton he could make a significant contribution. I don’t think Suh has any juice left, not just physically, but really competitively. He hasn’t played pissed off for greatness in a while.

        • JC3

          They need quick twitch 3T not Tony Siragusa.

          • Kenny Sloth

            We never really have before sooo

    • WALL UP

      Suh plays a 3T or 5T, which is why LA had a difficult time against the run. They had no true NT in the 3-4 scheme they played.

      The Hawks are vested in Reed @ 3T. They don’t need another starting 3T. They do need a true NT to rotate with Ford though. Danny Shelton would fit quite well for their rotation.

      One player that can rotate with Reed, that is coming off an injury, that would provide some push up the middle, and could hold up against double teams, is Muhammad Wilkerson, who is 6mos younger than Ansah. He is flexible enough to even play 5T while Collier, or Green, plays the RDE position on obvious run downs.

      The Packers have not resigned Wilkerson as yet, due to the last 1yr stint in which he lasted only 3 games, because of being rolled up on, and breaking his ankle, by friendly fire. They may be trying find out his market.

      He made 5mil last yr. GB may be trying to get him for less. He would fit perfectly in the Hawks rotation though. There are a few issues that may prevent that from happening. 1) He’s played on the east coast most of his career, and 2) he has expressed a desire to return to GB. https://packerswire.usatoday.com/2019/03/01/packers-muhammad-wilkerson-have-mutual-interest-in-return/

      Those are the 3 FA signings that I hope they can come away with; Ansah, Wilkerson and Sheldon. If Wilkerson is not available , than someone that would fit that mold of a 6-4 315 lbs 3T/5T, that holds up against double teams, and provides inside push of the pocket. This could result in a championship off season in building their roster.

  28. Duceyq

    Feels like a two year deal here since other teams are interested in Ziggy’s services. 2 years $22-25 mil with $8-12 mil guaranteed seems likely. A one year deal still leaves him in a lurch in case he doesn’t preform well.

    • Rob Staton

      Nope. Was always going to be a one year deal

  29. charlietheunicorn

    If Ansah lands in Seattle, that would be a solid get. They’ve got a bunch of parts and pieces on the DL… and would have to figure it out come TC. With that being said, I can’t see them trading for anyone to bolster the DL right now, only in TC could they possibly add a guy.

  30. SgtPeppy

    Rob,

    Do you think the Seahawks are better off saving their cap room and rolling it over as opposed to giving a big one year deal to an injury prone player? Seems like we are always hard pressed for cap room and this money could be a down payment for Reed and Wagner’s next contracts. I still remember when we blew 4M on fat Eddie Lacy and 8M on Luke Joeckel. Mistakes in retrospect. If we do sign Ansah, I’d love to see a non-guaranteed second year so that we can at least share in the upside if he performs well.

    • Rob Staton

      No they need to get better on the DL urgently

  31. Nathan

    Interesting tweet just put about by Jarrad Reed.

    jarran reed

    Verified account

    @1j_reed
    4m4 minutes ago
    More
    I enjoyed my years as a Seahawk…….. TBC

    • Nathan

      2ND Tweet.

      jarran reed

      Verified account

      @1j_reed
      Following Following @1j_reed
      More
      TBC= To Be Continued

    • Coleslaw

      He deleted that tweet but left To be continued.

      Extension is what I’m thinking. Could free up some space for a signing.

      • Nathan

        Yes but could be read either way.

    • HawkfaninMT

      Would really back up the thesis of this article if Reed were to be extended before Bobby in my opinion

  32. Forty20

    Per Rapoport – Ansah to Seahawks on a 1-year deal. No figures disclosed yet.

    • Gaeleck

      Reports have him arriving in Seattle tomorrow to put ink to paper…

  33. CHawk Talker Eric

    Boom there it is

    1 year deal

  34. Edgar

    Bills fans are arguing about who is more relevant……Seattle or Buffalo. I get dizzy reading their reasoning.

  35. CHawk Talker Eric

    I know they’re different players, but it’d be great if Ansah can have the same impact as Avril did.

    Curious about the numbers, but at only 1 year who really cares?

    SEA need to find themselves a Clint McDonald. A rotational DT who can add a handful of sacks over the course of a season. Especially at key moments in a game. Like stopping a game-winning drive with a sack on 3rd down and getting off the field. I dunno maybe Poona could be that guy. Or if Green if he has success at 3T on passing downs.

    • WALL UP

      Collier/Green playing inside, ala McDonald. They need a 3T/5T that can handle double teams, against the run.

      • Spencer Duncan

        Hoping for Danny Shelton still if he’s not too expensive. He’s an excellent Run Stopping Guy. Him and Poona on obviously run downs with Ziggy and Collier on the outside is a clear upgrade to our D-Lines run stopping ability from last year.

        Ziggy and Martin on the outside with Collier/Green and Reed on the inside is a pretty competent pass rushing line on passing down as well.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          What about David Irving? He really started to come on in 2017 but sat out last year with injury. He’s only 26.

          • WALL UP

            Weed’s availability here would compromise his ability to stay free from further suspensions from the NFL.

  36. Trevor

    Love the Ansah signing! He was #1 on my wish list all off season. If he can stay healthy he should excel in the Hawks scheme and be a double didgit sack guy.

    Hope they can add 1-2 more pieces to the DL but this is a great start.

  37. Paul Cook

    Whew! It’s great to get that first stake in the ground. Seahawk fan panic subsides. Maybe Danny Shelton now. Maybe returning home to play gets him going again. Or someone else for that run stopping role in the defensive rotation.

    Gotta love the Schneider and Carroll team. They get it done the majority of the time. I mean, we could be the Jets.

  38. brendon

    We Got him!

  39. WALL UP

    One down, two more to go.

  40. Paul Cook

    It must be kept in mind that we weren’t all that great at stopping the run either up front last year. It’s not just about DE, but also a good run-stopping DT.

  41. cha

    Could it possibly be that while the Bills GM was on some talk-radio show trashing Rapaport’s sources that Ziggy was finalizing a deal with the Seahawks? Oh that would be some delicious irony and a totally Bills thing to have happen.

    • Rob Staton

      Not a good look for Brandon Beane

      • Trevor

        Agree he came across as a petulant child who was angry about something from months ago. First time I ha r ever heard a GM make a comment like while still negotiating with a player. Bad look for sure. He has had a few this off season.

  42. Coleslaw

    Great deal for both parties. If he pans out, Seahawks get an elite DE for $13M. If he gets hurt its $5.5M (aside from whatever incentives he earns before that). He has 7.5 million reasons to play his best all year.

    Now I just hope we get a 3 down DT or 2 somehow and we’re set for a really solid year. Go Hawks!

    • Gohawks5151

      Just saw the figures as well. Perfect, incentive heavy deal. He will have every chance to succeed in this defense. If we can manufacture pressure inside so they can’t help on him, he could have a huge year. Stay healthy big fella

    • downtownjewelrybryan

      that’s a really low base. possibility we’re gambling on that shoulder?

  43. Paul Cook

    You gotta give the Hawks management team a lot of credit. They know what they want, and they go out and get it. They may not always be right about it, but they don’t eff around. They drafted OLmen high when they needed them. They’ve drafted a slew of DB’s when they needed to re-stock the last two drafts. They drafted Penney when they wanted to make sure they got their running game back on track, even though they had a few other quality backs.

    You wonder in the case with Ansah…you think maybe…hey, this team wants me, knows why they do, and aren’t wasting a moment to reel me in. That confidence. Maybe it sells.

  44. Coleslaw

    What do you guys think about taking a shot on Adolphus Washington? If we could turn him around it would be huge.

    • cha

      What was the knee injury? Maybe the Hawks keep his number in the file for week 5 or 6 when a DL gets hurt and they need a fill in

    • Rob Staton

      Pass

  45. charlietheunicorn

    FAIR DEAL!

    Former Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah agreed to a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night, a league source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
    The deal is expected to include $5.5 million in guaranteed money, with incentives that could boost it by roughly another $8 million, a source said. Ansah is scheduled to fly to Seattle on Thursday to sign the contract. ~ espn

    • charlietheunicorn

      OUTSTANDING!

      Christmas FA gift #1 opened…… now for that run stuffing DT? Hummmmmm

  46. Bankhawk

    Yeah! Me likee! Doff yer hats fer the Legion Of Boôm, boyz. Make way fer The Spiders From Mars D! They’re gonna be Voodoo!

    • Kenny Sloth

      Idk what yer sayin. But Im feelin that energy broh

      • charlietheunicorn

        I kind of feel the Spiders from Mars.

        Everyone should be getting excited.

  47. Kenny Sloth

    Yet another masterstroke from PCJS in what has been a fantastic offseason from a capital management standpoint

  48. RWIII

    There is no doubt in my mind the Hawks will add a run stuffing DT. It’s just a matter of who it is. The Ziggy signing is HUGE.

    Yes the Hawks lost Frank Clark but they have added Ziggy Ansah and L. J. Collier. In passing situations they will have the interior push of Jarran Reed and L. J. Collier. On the edge it will be Ziggy and either Jake Martin/ Raheem Green. Nice. Now all they have to do is decide which run stuffing DT they want.

    You gotta love these guys.

  49. Paul Cook

    PC/JS are not done yet. But this is setting up to be one exciting training camp this summer. There is going to be some REAL competition to make the starting rotations on both sides of the ball. And (if that’s not enough) we’ve got our franchise QB locked in for years to come and we’re LOADED for the draft next year (didn’t lose one comp pick).

    What can I say? I’m impressed. Keep it going. Keep stocking up for camp.

  50. Paul Cook

    We should make our lists of best off-season moves for the Hawks this year. I’d have to think about it for awhile, and there’s still more to be done, but…my list might include these…

    –Resigning Russell Wilson
    –Resigning KJ Wright
    –Resigning Bobby Wagner (coming soon to a theater near you)
    –Drafting DK Metcalf
    –Drafting Marquis Blair
    –Drafting LJ Collier
    –Drafting Ugo Amadi
    –Drafting Cody Barton
    –Drafting Ben Burr-Kirven
    –Signing Ansah

    Anyway…making our top ten lists and seeing how they pan-out by the end of the year would be an interesting game/contest around these here parts.

    • GoHawksDani

      1, Making 11 picks from 4
      2, Making 11 picks from 4
      3, Making 11 picks from 4

      • GoHawksDani

        But on a more serious note:
        1, Russ
        2, Fluker
        3, Myers
        4, Trading down during the draft
        5, LBs (Kendricks, KJ re-sign, Barton BBK drafted)
        6, Solid competition all across the board
        7, Creating depth at multiple positions
        8, Creating CAP space and draft capital for next year
        9, Firing the strength, conditioning, athletic trainer coaches
        10, Making ST a priority

  51. CaptainJack

    Solid signing. I still think we look to bring in a vet defensive tackle/nose tackle.

  52. Darnell

    I’ll play:

    1. Franchise ownership staying with Allen family
    2. Russ extension
    3. 2020 draft capital
    4. DK
    5. Fluke
    6. Clear path for Poona to start
    7. Ziggy
    8. Collier
    9. Myers
    10. Ugo at nickle

    • Trevor

      Great list I think you nailed it! I would replace #10 with brining KJ back to lead this young defense and show them how to be pros but that is splitting hairs.

  53. Trevor

    One under rated signing JS made was Jamie Meader. He has the potential to be a solid run defender as a rotational DT. Depending on who else the Hawks sign he could be an inportant addition to the Hawks and he actually graded out better than Shelton when both were with the Browns.

    Still hope they add a DT or two but Meader is a guy to keep an eye on in camp.

    • clbradley17

      Meder looks like a good rotational DT if he’s recovered from the ankle injury that started in 2017. Think we still sign another DL, possibly Shelton, Woods or Bailey. More on Meder:

      “He returned to the Browns in 2015 where he appeared in 16 games and notched 33 tackles and a sack and turned himself into a vital special teams member. That role came to a head for Meder in 2016 after being re-signed in the offseason by the Browns. Moving from a backup/special teams role to a starter, he continued to improve. Appearing in 16 games (starting in 15), he amassed 48 tackles, another sack and a pass deflection. He also earned a Special Teams Player of the Week award in week 17 for his critical blocked kick in the only Browns win of the 2016 season.”

      https://247sports.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/Article/Jamie-Meder-reserve-future-deal-Seahawks-127909665/

  54. RobeND

    Ansah seems like a high ceiling low floor guy. He needs to be healthy and hungry to avoid his low floor. The Seahawks checked him out physically. They are paying him properly with 5 m guaranteed and 13m in incentives. I was reading before this signing that they would go after Ansah and Perry. If they have the money they almost have to. The pass rush is pretty uncertain presently. Ansah and Perry competing or tag teaming as the edge rushers looks like the best solution that I have seen out there. How much will 13 sack by those 2 cost the Seahawks?

    Losing Clark, Chancellor and Douglas sure freed up a lot of dollars.

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