Seahawks sign Phillip Dorsett

A third consecutive day with a signing announcement — but still no news on Jadeveon Clowney or the pass rush.

In the build up to free agency we discussed the possibility of Seattle waiting out the receiver market and making a move. In particular, we discussed Dorsett as an option.

The Seahawks love speed. They want to be physical in the running game and take shots downfield. Dorsett ran a 4.33 at the 2015 combine and was drafted by the Colts in round one.

He never quite turned that quickness into NFL production. Despite playing most of his career with Tom Brady and Andrew Luck he’s never had more than 528 yards in a season. His five touchdowns in 2019 were a career high.

None of that really matters though. He’ll be judged in Seattle by his ability to contribute big plays. He won’t be mass production. He’ll be competition, depth and a potential X-factor if he makes the roster.

This is just another draft hedge really. It’ll be a major surprise if they don’t take a receiver from this excellent class. Dorsett’s worth having just in case.

The Seahawks have spent a lot of time over the years signing former first round busts. They fill out their middle class with players like this. Dion Jordan, Luke Joeckel, Barkevious Mingo, D.J. Fluker. Now they’ve added Chance Warmack, Cedric Ogbuehi and Dorsett.

None of these signings have really amounted to anything so far, with the possible exception of Fluker.

And this brings me back to the rather confusing nature of this off-season.

Seattle needed stars. Russell Wilson made that very clear at the Pro Bowl:

“I think we need a couple more,’’ Wilson said in an interview with ESPN. “I think we need a couple more. Jadeveon (Clowney) is a big-time guy that we would love to get back on our football team. He was so good in the locker room. He brought so many just havoc plays to the field. Hopefully, we can get a few other players there on the defense. Then also on offense, we have a great offense, but I think we can always add more pieces. I think that’s going to be the part that’s going to be great with John Schneider and Pete Carroll, as well, in terms of this offseason’s free agency. Free agency is very, very key to getting those superstars on your team and try to get great players that can fill the space.”

Instead of adding star power, the Seahawks have filled out their middle class with unproven players. For the last couple of years Seattle hasn’t had enough quality and their second tier talent has been poor. They’ve been left with a team carried by the quarterback, a small collection of others and a terrific culture. In order to become a proper contender they needed an injection of real talent.

With so many draft picks they had a chance to fill out their depth with younger prospects. That would allow them to potentially zone in on 2-3 big additions in free agency. Instead, they seem to be adding veteran depth players while also failing to address the biggest position of need.

The cap space is now reducing at a rapid rate and yet can anyone say for any certainty that the Seahawks are any better for it?

There’s a real danger here that at best the likes of Brandon Shell and B.J. Finney will be as good as the players they’re replacing. The likes of Warmack and Dorsett might not even make the roster. And then there’s this from Sheil Kapadia earlier today:

“Last season, the Seahawks produced a sack or QB hit on just 14.4 percent of opponents’ pass plays — the worst rate of any defense.”

Just throw that stat onto the pile with how lowly they ranked for pressures, sacks, hurries, missed tackles and run defense.

Whatever the plan is, it’s not obvious.

I’m starting to fear they’ve decided they feel they can coach up another rag-tag cast of characters and turn water into wine. They’ve done it with other players before. More recently though, they haven’t. This re-set hasn’t been as painful because of the likes of Russell Wilson, Duane Brown, Chris Carson, Bobby Wagner, Tyler Lockett, Frank Clark and Jadeveon Clowney. Not because of the middle class. The depth hasn’t been good enough.

This needed to be an off-season where a big step forward took place. The third year of a re-set with cap room and picks to work with.

We’re nine days into the new league year and a lot of the cap space is gone. Obvious cap casualties strangely remain on the roster. They’ve only added Bruce Irvin to the pass rush and they might lose Clowney. The alternative D-line options are thin with a weak pass rush draft class on the horizon.

I’ll say it again. I’m struggling to work it all out.

You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.

Become a Patron!

452 Comments

  1. Sea Mode

    Well, the trade from yesterday and this signing today give me some hope that they will somehow manage to put the pass rush together, even if it’s not in the prettiest of ways.

    They’re doing everything else right, at least…

    • LAHawk

      These moves give me some hope that the front office is still savvy. They’ve been improving the pass D and the pass O all offseason, not taking on any obviously bad contracts, hunting for bargains on the O line instead of trying to retain their own more expensive (and also not great) players… obviously the catch is they still need to address the D line, but I don’t think they’re ignoring it so much as working a lot behind the scenes on trades, offers, and draft evaluations. Is it frustrating for fans? For sure. Would it suck if we just ended up with Griffin and Irvin and we lost Clowney? Yeah I would be bummed! But these moves make sense to me.

    • Sean Vernon

      It’s a bit too much building a team with band aids and duct tape. I’d rather get 3 quality free agents and draft better than sign a plethora of question marks. There is a lot of wasted cap space on this roster. Not sure why we spent $7mm on Greg Olsen, still have Britt at $11mm, KJ at $10mm, Dickson, TT. I didn’t like the Reed signing for a $10mm cap hit. Go AShawn Robinson as a run stuffer to help keep Wags clean for the run D and get 2 pass rushers. Reed doesn’t do anything very well. Dunbar trade was solid but that’s another band aid as he’s on a 1 yr deal.

      Too much bargain hunting at the Goodwill for my tastes and signing guys that don’t elevate this team except Dunbar & that’s only guaranteed for 1 season.

      This isn’t rocket science. There are no elaborate formulas or algorithms that the common man just accepts. This is budgetary management and filling a football in today’s NFL, not the 1970’s that PC seems to be living in. The base D needs to be scrapped as it gets torched by pedestrian QB’s and unleash our HOF QB who is the only reason we win football games. The D has gotten worse DVOA, yds allowed, pts allowed for the past 5 years.

      Fortunately, the off season isn’t over, so I need to keep the faith we can get Clowney which I’d already have done first before Reed and trade for Yannick. Everson Griffen is another band aid. The options have dwindled and my hope has too.

  2. cha

    Interesting

    Adam Schefter

    @AdamSchefter

    Cam Newton had a physical in Atlanta yesterday coordinated by the Panthers and his agency team, per sources. Newton passed the physical and is healthy, per source, with both his shoulder and foot “checking out well and he is hungrier than ever and eager for the next opportunity.”
    11:50 AM · Mar 24, 2020

    • Sea Mode

      Yeah, just like Clowney’s agent has informed us multiple times via Rapoport that JD is “healthy and working out in Houston, ready to go for any team.” And nobody is buying without first looking for themselves.

  3. charlietheunicorn

    The #3 WR is in the building.

  4. Justin Mullikin

    Not a “superstar” but I like him as a solid #3 receiver. Good signing, hopefully it is not for too much.

  5. Greg Haugsven

    Thats a good signing. He can come in and compete for the third WR spot without a lot of pressure. Once again it all depends on the money.

  6. HOUSE

    Good cheap signing for a #3 WR that can take the top off the defense. I see the ball flying a bit more this year.

    I know there is some uncertainty with the RBs coming back from injuries. There are quite a few RBs that fit the Seahawks mold.

    Hopefully the news continues to come in and we get some DL help sooner than later

  7. Jordan

    Solid pickup if this is a reasonable price. Hes better than David Moore. At least will keep Defenses honest. Makes me think we are going DL and RB in the draft.

  8. cha

    I’m not against this signing but this is like when you go to a restaurant, and you order a steak. You have a cocktail, maybe an appetizer, maybe a salad, maybe some bread, and your steak still hasn’t come out. So you have some more bread, another cocktail and WHERE IS MY STEAK?

    • tony

      I think its more like I want that steak more than anything, but let’s gorge on appetizers first. Oh and ill get a salad too, plus eat the free bread. Screw it, let’s have some dessert too. Meanwhile the steak is ready for last 20 minutes just sitting and getting cold. And at some point I’m so full I take 3 bites of it and it goes to waste.

      • Jordan

        And you have like $30 to spend in total

      • God of Thunder

        I try to think of building a team as getting nutritional components.

    • Cwagner

      Lol good analogy. Hopefully that steak doesn’t come out well done!

    • Volume12

      WHERE’S MUH BEEF?!?

      • cha

        The steak is holding out for a better plate.

        • Volume12

          ‘Member the Wendy’s commercial w/ the old lady?

          • STTBM

            Nice! +1!

  9. Ralphy

    I like it. 4.33 40 at the combine. Another WR to stretch the field. Now bring back Josh Gordon and we’re set.

  10. Tony

    funny that our most pressing need is being saved for very last. A bit backwards on a roster building standpoint.

    • Mark Souza

      Yeah, almost like it’s not going to get done.

  11. Volume12

    Oh this is a PC draft isn’t it? Defensive heavy, a RB early, and if an OT is there pull the trigger. If not, thats what the Shell signing was for.

  12. Denver Hawker

    Hawks appear to be shoring up depth on O-Line and WR- two strengths of the draft. Gives them a lot of flexibility to allow the draft to come to them.

    Now if they could just get that Clowney deal done, I’ll sleep better at night.

  13. SoCal12

    I like the signing but it is odd that we’ve shored up in 2 positions that are strong in the draft in OL and WR. Are we trying the ol’ “zig when everyone’s zagging’ or are we just expecting are guys to last to our pick?

    • SoCal12

      *our guys to not last to our pick

      I need coffee.

      • HawksGal

        I think some of it has to do with Veteran guys VS rookies who may not get the time they need to practice due to the Virus, I believe the Seahawks have made the necessary changes to cover their roster.

    • Denver Hawker

      My take is it gives them flexibility. Other teams may be relying on the draft for those positions and be stuck angling to trade up for their guys. Hawks can be rich sellers and grab value. These are all short term deals so if a great pick falls to them, they can make a cut.

    • Brett in AZ

      Or maybe (speculating here) they don’t love what they see at the top of the draft and are in the process of using those higher picks for some other purpose?

    • LAHawk

      You never want to go into the draft absolutely having to address a position of need with your first pick, you want the flexibility to get the best player available. I imagine if a WR or OL drops to them that they like, Moore/Dorsett and the collection of misfit toys they’ve signed won’t stop them from making that pick. A lot of these signings are probably hedges and/or depth.

    • Mr Intangibles

      If we as fans can see that the draft is strong at OL and WR, then it’s also likely that how bad GM’s are also perceiving it. There are a couple of advantages to their strategy.
      1) That Free Agency market has priced in draft strength meaning Veteran WR and OL are getting paid a lot less than they would in year with a bad OL + WR draft. It also may mean that desperate teams are over paying DL and whatever else.
      2) Athleticism is efficiently priced in the draft because every is looking at the same recent data. Seahawks are scooping up better athletes than they could draft for cheap with the idea that if they can get them to fit their system, their upside is potentially a lot higher than a mediocre athlete in the draft. Also a bunch of small bets probably get players to compete harder for their jobs.
      3) Teams have less insight this year into who other teams will draft because less prodays, visits etc. If you don’t know who’s gonna be available when, getting flexibility to take the best player available is even more important.
      4) Even though it’s a bad draft, there are often a ton of DL gone by the Seahawks usually pick. Getting a top 5 DE in this class might be comparable to a top 10 DE in a different year. But at the Seahawks draft position it may not matter string or weak because the good ones may already be taken.
      5) Since teams have less measurements this year, maybe the Seahawks have a draft edge we don’t know about. They have gone way beyond the tape or combine measurables in their due diligence in past years.

      • fransgeraedts

        !!!!!!!!!

  14. Kenny Sloth

    That’s fine I guess. Go get a DL chrissakes

  15. BobbyK

    Probably no P-Rich reunion now, which is fine. Like the speed but he doesn’t necessarily play as fast as he was timed.

    • Volume12

      Yeah, I agree. It’s an ok move. Probably a case of familiarity since Brennan Carroll recruited him to Miami.

  16. Dan

    Honestly, I’m not a fan. This felt like the perfect offseason to load up on defense in FA to offset a weak defensive draft, then use the draft to build depth on the OL and at RB and add a playmaker at WR. This is where the depth of the draft is. Instead we’ve added a bunch of mediocre OL and a mediocre WR, and will likely draft defense to fill our needs there, while missing out on the strength of the draft. I just don’t see it working out well, but of course I hope I’m wrong.

    • TomLPDX

      Me either. first thought was meh…

      I honestly no longer have a clue what JS is doing

      • CaptainJack

        The Dunbar move was actually really good. And I also think bringing Irvin back will be viewed as a savvy move in a year (like Sweezy).

        But almost every other move? A bunch of mediocre depth signings clogging up cap space for pass rushers. The Cedric Ogbuehi signing was the most egregious. Just draft some o-line guys.

        • J

          Who is the backup LT then? For a non guaranteed deal Cedric isn’t that bad.

        • Jacob

          Don’t think this is the year to rely on rookies, I also don’t agree with all the signings being mediocre.

          Finney, in particular, looks like a steal, and Shell is a low-level signing that at the very worst is equivalent to what the Hawks would get out of Ifedi.

          Also, they can easily free up cap space to sign whatever pass rusher they want.

    • Davido

      Very reasonable assumption, I just believe it is not that easy. Imagine we trade our first round choice for a DLineman then there is very little chance to find a starting RT or serviceable backup LT as deep as the draft is. Drafting another depth WR is not off the board with the Dorsett signing. Those moves before the draft give us flexibility which John loves.

  17. Hawk Mock

    Most the reports are to the effect, “Dorsett to the Hawks on a 1-yr deal.”
    Josina’s is: “Phillip Dorsett just texted me he’s going to the Hawks on a one year deal.”

    • Rob Staton

      It’s reassuring to know Josina’s phone was well charged overnight ready for another big day of action.

    • Sea Mode

      You mean her device does texting too?

      Wow, she should be light-years ahead of all the other NFL Insiders, who are still relying on morse code and smoke signals to gather their intel.

  18. CaptainJack

    Mind-numbing move. In a loaded wide receiver draft make sure to sign a former first round bust wideout, and a former first round bust guard over literally any good pass rushers (besides Bruce Irvin).

    Our starting pass rushers, right now, would be Rasheem Green and Bruce Irvin. Nobody we can draft is good enough to fix this. Enough. sign Griffen. Get something done.

    Are we banking of Russell having to throw four touchdowns every game to give us a shot at beating anyone?

    • J

      What good pass rushers would’ve signed for what we paid Dorsett or Warmack?

      Hard to say we signed anyone over them. These are low cost depth moves.

      • cha

        It’s not like for like J. It’s that specifically that money that could have potentially closed the gap between them and signing Clowney and addressing a terrible, terrible hole on their roster is being spent on guys that may or may not even be ON the roster come September.

        • Jacob

          This is not accurate though, they have three or four guys (Britt, Thompson, and Dickson) who they can easily cut and have more than enough for whatever free agent signing they want.

          Not to mention there are ways to fudge the salary cap so the hit is not all in the first year. Signing a low-level IOL and a WR is not going to be the difference between them signing or not signing Clowney.

  19. Greg Haugsven

    Last year he made $2.6 million so hopefully its near that. I wonder if they would know pull David Moore’s tender basically making this a swap?

    • Greg Haugsven

      When you look at his stats though they are pretty underwhelming. His high in catches in 33, yards 528 and has a career catch % of 58.5

      • God of Thunder

        58%? Too coarse grained. He’s very low on deep throws but very good on short yardage throws.

        Useful signing at worst, potentially a very good signing.

    • Tony

      whats so frustrating is that I like almost all these moves as secondary moves. If they would had started out prioritizing the pass rush and got a leo/edge to pair with a clowney or griffin plus the resigning reed, then this an amazing offseason. Instead its a ton of nickel and diming with bit players. Depth and quality is great, but a a couple studs on DL was absolutely there biggest need.

      But, I like the Dorsett signing. I like finney and shell as low cost additions. Cedric I believe was too spendy as a depth, but I like the warmack hail mary. Dunbar was a great add. Olsen a great hedge. Irvin too as a cheap depth piece, I like it. All of this is good strategy and potential good fits.

      I just can’t understand the reasoning for ignoring the big draw, the big splash. The star power as u stated.

      • Jacob

        Free agency is not over yet, so while I do agree if at the start of the season they have not made any significant moves on the DL that I will be more than disappointed. I am a little confused on why there is so much concertation that it has not happened this exact second.

        I am wondering if they have come to an agreement with Clowney and the only thing holding it up is that the NFL has stopped all physical’s.

        • Rob Staton

          People keep making the same error when discussing the viewpoint.

          It’s nothing to do with it being ‘this exact second’.

          It’s the following:

          1. A lot of the pass rushers are off the board and the options are now limited.

          2. This is seemingly because they’re waiting out the player they called a ‘huge priority’ in the off-season and haven’t been able to get that across the line because they’re trying to win a value war that some in the media have suggested is as little as 18.5m vs 20m.

          3. Even if the numbers are different — they either need to get this sorted or move on. They’re running the risk of losing Clowney and there being nobody left. Then what? Mayowa and Bruce bookends???

          4. They’ve used up virtually all of their cap space on middle class players who are a collection of first round busts and backups. This also limits their ability to be aggressive to fix the pass rush. They’re also no better than they were in 2019 currently despite the use of cap space.

          5. The Seahawks need a major injection of talent, as the quarterback alluded to. People might get swayed by recency bias because of Clowney and Diggs but those big moves mostly happen at the start of the league year. And while others teams worked aggressively to fix their needs via trade or via signings — Seattle did neither.

          These are legitimate concerns. Not impatience.

          And if it was down to a physical it wouldn’t been announced. They know his medical report. They’re the only ones who have that info already.

  20. CaptainJack

    Whoever we draft first, I am almost certain it’s going to make most hawks fans scratch their heads. That is just how this offseason has played out so far.

    So expect them to draft someone projected to go round three first.

    • Simo

      That’s nothing new Cap’n! Pretty much every year their top pick is a head scratcher, to us fans and also the draft experts. Good news; sometimes it works out very well and the picks turn out to be very good players!

  21. SDHawk

    It feels a bit like the management is targeting 1-2 players heavily in the draft. Might all of these hedges and ‘lower talent’ moves may be made to allow JS to package up picks and “go get” their guy? They have addressed TE, WR depth, O line and now can move on one of the true first round graded rushers without needing to fill holes with the draft.

  22. Sea Mode

    Looks like we set off a little chain reaction on WRs:

    Bob Condotta
    @bcondotta
    ·2m

    So a big run on receivers today with Seahawks getting Dorsett and Anderson also going to the Panthers

    • Sea Mode

      And Travis Benjamin to the 9ers

  23. CaptainJack

    I think we could prioritize securing Raekwon Davis as early as round one. Notice they haven’t signed any interior guys and they let Jefferson go. Davis can be versatile like Jefferson but probably stronger and more powerful. I’d love to get a quality o-lineman in round one and pick up Davis in round 2 but there’s a strong possibility he doesn’t last too long.

  24. Paul Cook

    Personally speaking, I don;t give a crap about this Dorsett signing. Maybe I will down the line at some point, but not now.

    • RWIII

      Paul. Why don’t you tell us how you really feel.

  25. Murphy

    Trying to make sense of this off-season. I keep coming back to Rob’s article about Simmons. Maybe there are 1-2 players they’ve zoned in on. Guys that they think they can move up and get. Ultimately reducing their stock of picks. Maybe that’s why they are creating depth through the veteran market. Obviously Simmons doesn’t solve there DL issues and of course I’m speculating but I’m just trying to wrap my head around this. They poyltential feel that keeping Clowney and adding a top 10 draft pick on D will put them over the top.

    • Phil

      +1

  26. mishima

    If they were drafting well, these signings would make sense for depth and competition.

    As is, they’re treading water.

    • Jacob

      Disagree they have actually made improvements all over the roster:

      -Dorsett is better than Brown, Moore, Turner and any other #3 WR they had last year.
      -Shell is better than Ifedi.
      -Dunbar is a significant improvement over Flowers and allows for positional versatility in the secondary.
      -Irvin is better than Ansah.
      -Olsen is better than Willson
      -Significantly more depth in the IOL than what they had last year (Finney, Warmack, Haynes,)

      So they have actually made improvements all over the roster. Hopefully, they can finish it off by signing Clowney.

      • Rob Staton

        You’re going to assume Shell is better than Ifedi then.

        We’ll see.

        • Jacob

          He couldn’t possibly be any worst, at the very least he is penalized a hell of a lot less. Also, Ifedi not being signed as of yet kind of reinforces that Shell will be an improvement.

          • Rob Staton

            It doesn’t reinforce anything. And of course he can be worse — just as the Seahawks have had worse offensive tackles than Ifedi over the years.

            Shell is a question mark. There’s no guarantee at all he will be an upgrade.

      • mishima

        A slight improvement over ‘bad’ doesn’t make you good. If anything, they will be ‘less bad.’

        On a good team, most of these signings would be depth moves.

        They traded for Dunbar. I credit them with good trades for Brown, Clowney, Diggs, Dunbar.

        • God of Thunder

          Margins are a big thing … if there’s enough of them. Moving 4-5 positions from “generally baddish” to “mostly not bad” makes your team much better.

          • mishima

            I shouldn’t have replied; only invited a semantic argument. Point: IMO, they haven’t improved enough to compete in 2020, but get that others disagree.

  27. drewdawg11

    Yeah… I’m about done with having patience. I’ve been home for the better part of 3 weeks now. Every day I wake up waiting to hear about what they’re doing to help the DL. I have to say, I think that they’ve played this exactly how they wanted to. If it somehow works, we need to applaud. If it backfires, I think it’s time to consider that perhaps they are no longer in the upper-echelon or front offices. They had cap space, so no excuses. Clowney wants to wait this out? Really? Should have had more irons in the fire and thrown down a deadline. They played this all wrong.

    • God of Thunder

      “ They played this all wrong.”

      Who is they? Our Front Office? Or Clowney and his agents and advisors?

      We emphatically do NOT know the specifics.

      My guess is that the Seahawks have balked at paying 18 million plus to a guy they like but who had 3 sacks and whose agent is courting other teams (and who MAY have a groin issue).

      • Rob Staton

        I’m happy for them to balk at that.

        As long as they sign someone else!

  28. Paul Cook

    I’m starting to fall into the abyss again of my trade a boatload of picks to move up and get Chase Young. LOL

    • Ukhawk

      Not their style but I’d do it!

  29. BobbyK

    Maybe they’re going to go to a zero-man rush in long yardage situations? After all, why get DL when you’re not going to play them.

    • Simo

      So, the new 38 defense? 3 LB’s and 8 DB’s?

      • BobbyK

        Pretty much.

        Or they can rush Collier. He can do it alone he’s so good. No need for anyone else.

        • STTBM

          Tell us how you really feel! Im with you on that one though, Bobby!

        • God of Thunder

          If there’s a season, we should find out pretty quick hoe prepared Collier is. Let’s face it, we don’t know what we have there. Small sample size. Could be anything from a first round bust to a Pro bowler.

          Essentially on the field he’ll be a rookie.

  30. Ukhawk

    I love it, another low risk, potentially high value signing.

    Dorsett can catch, is fast, he’s a vet, can play in multiple spots and is great value for a #3.

    Real ‘Cliffhanger’ on watching how they solve the pass rush.

    But going to try to stop questioning JSPS. Kinda worried about all these short term deals but they’ve got lots of future cap to play with.

    Just win baby!

  31. Trevor

    I really think when JS went to the Combine and talked to other GMs and agents that he came away thinking correctly that the market for Clowney would be luke warm and that they would be able to sign him on their terms. So he and Reed were plan A and B with all other moves being based on those initial moves for the DL.

    He was right about Clowneys market but clearly he badly misjudged Clowney’s resolve and willingness to play the waiting game in order to get the deal he wants.

    Unlike most rookies looking for their first big deal Clowney has already made $50 million as the 1st overall pick. He can afford to wait as long as it takes to get the deal he wants. Sucks for us as Hawks fans but good for him.

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      Sure, Clowney can wait, but it’s obvious he’s not getting the deal he wants no matter what.

      • Justaguy

        My guess is Clowney gets more than the $18.5 he was offered. He is that good and someone will bite.

  32. Donovan

    Dorset’s a throw at a dart board – don’t really care.

    As for DL improvements, what about a trade for Carlos Dunlap? He was ranked #42 overall player in entire NFL by PFF in 2019 season. He’s a DE with two more years on his deal and a $10 m price tag next season.

    Because of his age, he likely wouldn’t cost much to acquire (assuming the Bengals are willing to trade). He may not be a Superstar, but he’d at least likely be a star.

    • Rob Staton

      Bengals though. They’d probably ask for #27. Terribly run org.

      • Donovan

        It does take two to tango.

        But as FA pool dries up for star DL and the draft is apparently fairly barren (even if it wasn’t, probably unwise to rely on draft producing immediate DL star), that sadly leaves trades – or salary cap cuts – as avenues to upgrades. And JS has never been shy to trades.

        I hope they’ve got some trade targets in mind. We’ve got the draft capital. Fingers crossed.

        • Rob Staton

          Well they need to do something.

  33. 80SLargent

    So this might not be a popular opinion around here, but here goes…
    I’m starting to think the Seahawks are higher on guys like Rasheem Green than the rest of us are.
    If we look at the main reason Seattle’s rush was bottom of the league, it’s because they didn’t have a real LEO. Ansah didn’t turn out to be the answer. They traded away Jacob Martin, which to me, was the crappiest part of the Clowney deal.
    The roster was, and still is, stacked with 5T type DE’s. Clowney is better than all of them, but at what cost? They have an entire team to build, and at some point, they’re going to have to count on the kids like Green, Collier, and Ford to man up. I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to think those guys aren’t going to get better.
    They signed Irvin, who was, and is, a prototype LEO. He’s not the long term answer we’d all love, but he’s definitely part of the solution for this coming season. I can see them doubling down and either signing/trading for another LEO type, or drafting one early.
    I think this FO has more than earned a little patience and levity from us fans. They came into last year’s off season with 4 draft picks and a franchise tagged Frank Clark. Those of us waiting for a big splash might be disappointed, but it seems to me like John and Pete do their best work taking “small swings” at value instead of swinging for the fences.
    We may or may not like what they’re doing, or some of the players they’re signing, but if one looks at this pragmatically, it’s pretty clear what they’re doing.
    Oh yeah, and adding another burner like Dorsett for arguably the best deep ball thrower in the game – I like it.

    • 80SLargent

      *I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to think those guys ARE going to get better.* (Green, Collier, Ford).

      • Rob Staton

        No, no, no.

        Whatever the Seahawks may or may not be doing behind the scenes — I GUARANTEE their inactivity isn’t because they are higher on Green, Collier and Ford than we are.

        That is not it. They are not it.

      • Simo

        I sure hope this isn’t the master plan for fixing the pass rush! Rely on an aging LEO in Irvin, a completely unproven player in Collier, and a year 3 third round pick in Green? There is no way that trio is going to cut it no matter how good the secondary is. Please say it aint so!!

  34. Tom

    I have been sitting back and reading this blog for years! I love it, Rob is awesome! Best analysis of the hawks by far, but I believe the impatient is poorly timed. The hawks are doing what the hawks always do. They play the market like a hedge fund manager. They are currently hedging the market. The D Line market was to rich for them. The hawks never over spend for any position, this is especially true for D line. if you keep track of the hawks moves, you will know this. They have always looked for the low cost / high value D line players. for example you had the Cliff Avril and Michael Bennet signings, as well as the low cost / high reward trades for Chris Clemmons and Clowney. Pete and John have been doing this same song and dance for years now. We shouldn’t be surprised. They have earned my faith. We have a lack of knowledge of the situation right now, we have to trust them. I am willing to bet good money that they are working on a couple of trades that will be similar to Clowney and Clemmons. We don’t know what is going on with Matt Judon or Yannick Nagkoue right now. There should be movement with a couple of decent DE’s. There is always a reason. The Hawks are always involved in most trades / bidding wars. have some patients and some faith!

    • Rob Staton

      This isn’t what the Seahawks always do.

      In 2011 they went after it. In 2013 they went after it. In 2015 they traded for Graham right off the bat.

      In the other seasons fitting in around that they usually had no cap space to work with and/or no picks.

      If people want to sit there and act like they’re the smartest guys in the room just waiting it out for the perfect off-season… feel free. I won’t stop you. But equally don’t tell me or others we’re impatient because they’ve done absolutely nothing to improve this team but have used nearly all the cap space on a bunch of questionable depth while doing nothing to improve a dreadful pass rush.

      • Tom

        I do think that Pete and John are always looking for bargains along the D line. They do not over spend on this position. it is something that this front office has always done. Which I am thankful for, in comparison to the Tim Ruskel years!

        • Rob Staton

          I’d rather have a pass rush that isn’t ranked #31 or #32 in the NFL.

          • Tom

            Oh, I agree, but I also am thankful that they are fiscally conservative, and don’t get into cap trouble like the Rams are in right now when they mortgaged their future a few years ago to win at that moment. I love the hawks approach where they are trying to be competitive every year. They don’t back end load contracts, it is awesome to see as a hawks fan. The hawks always seem to find an advantage and exploit it. I believe that this is what they are trying to do in this situation. we just don’t like it because we don’t see the finished piece of art. besides we have to be patient, we don’t have any control in this situation. like most of us during this pandemic, we can only sit back and wait. Thank goodness I have my hawks to distract me from reality!

            • Rob Staton

              Well, I never expected to see some describe the lack of backloaded contracts as ‘awesome to see’ as a Seahawks fan. But I’m glad you appreciate their effort their Tom.

              For me I just want them to give themselves the best chance to win a Super Bowl. Not bothered how they do it. I’m not interested in another year of finishing in the divisional or wildcard round, people talking about 2012 and then having another year where they add crap depth and but lack star power.

              I want to be the contender we can be.

              • Tom

                I want to see them be contenders as well, I want another super bowl. I want to beat the snot out of the patriots and have the rest of the world recognize that the hawks are the best team in the NFL, not the patriots! I want Russell to dethrone Brady as the G.O.A.T! but for that to happen, the hawks have to compete every year and win multiple super bowls. I want a dynasty for years. for that to happen they have to be conservative with their contracts. that is why I like the way they handle their business.

                • Rob Staton

                  1. A dynasty is highly unrealistic.

                  2. Never adding the quality to win a Super Bowl does not make you a contender for years and years.

            • mishima

              How is wasting money on Ziggy Ansah being ‘fiscally conservative?’

              I credit Schneider for managing the cap, making some brilliant trades, but if they don’t start hitting in the draft and/or being aggressive in free agency for top talent, they’re going to be looking up at Arizona, LAR, SF, if they don’t already.

              They need to secure talent this season and next because they might lose Carson, Griffin, Wright, McDougald, Fluker.

              Creating holes faster than they can fill them.

              • Rob Staton

                Even the QB was calling for superstars.

                When has that ever happened with RW?

                He knew. We knew.

                We got backups and depth and no pass rushers.

                • mishima

                  He probably cried when Kyler Murray got DeAndre Hopkins, but Greg Olsen and Phillip Dorsett will dry those tears.

                  • Rob Staton

                    Will they?

                  • mishima

                    Reply to Rob (not myself): God no.

      • Jordan

        Just gotta add that going for it with Jimmy Graham and Percy Harvin did not lead to us winning a superbowl. Graham experiment def failed. Harvin was a non-factor when we won. It is a risk putting all “chips” in for this year without overpaying and putting our franchise back like the Rams or Falcons.

        I think the Hawks will go for Judon/YN if the Clowney signing falls through. Still hoping for a Clowney signing though for good sized salary.

        Maybe Hawks are making these moves so that they are in a position to make a trade instead

        • Rob Staton

          None of this matters Jordan.

          The point wasn’t about whether those trades worked out. It was to prove that the Seahawks have been very active at the start of free agency when possible.

          And just because those trades didn’t work out — it’s not an argument for never being bold. A year ago KC made a big trade and won a Super Bowl.

          • 80SLargent

            NE won the Super Bowl the year before last with an adjusted sack rate that was 30th in the NFL.
            There’s more than one way to win in this league.

            • Rob Staton

              Yep, you can have Brady and Belichick.

              • 80SLargent

                Yep, and Belichick has a pretty long track record of either letting pass rushers walk in free agency, or trading them away for picks before they get that far. Doing that and having an elite QB seems to have worked out pretty well.

                • Rob Staton

                  You’ve missed the point.

      • Jacob

        Hey Rob,

        Big fan, I don’t agree with your sentiment that the team has not improved. Trading for Dunbar alone is a huge improvement in the secondary, Dorsett seems like a perfect fit at a #3/4 WR, and Olsen is the first down maker that the Seahawks did not have last year after Dissly went down. All of these are solid improvements over what they had last year.

        Now you are right it is time that they look at the DL, but before this year JS/PC never paid any player on the DL more than $10 million and they have reportedly gone up to $18.5 on Clowney. I might be overly confident about Clowney coming back, but I do feel he will and that would leave me feeling fairly confident about the team going into the draft.

        • Rob Staton

          Dorsett might not make the team. And while I appreciate the additions of Dunbar and Olsen — my point isn’t that the Seahawks are worse at every position. Overall though — they have not done anything to fix one of the worst pass rush’s in the league and if that area is not addressed properly — trust me they will be worse.

          I’m also over all this, ‘JS has never paid a DL more than whatever cost’. It means nothing to me. The price structure for top positions has changed. A year ago they’d never paid a QB $35m a year until they did. They hadn’t paid a linebacker $18m a year until they did. The game has changed and will continue to change.

          • Jacob

            I do agree that the DL is the huge red flag in all of this, I just highly doubt that they will go into next season without significantly addressing it. Which is what is holding off on me going into a full-on panic.

            Maybe this is based on that I feel they have an agreement with Clowney and what is holding it up is that teams are not allowed to give physicals right now. I will be right there with you if he ends up with the Titans, DL is for me the one piece of the puzzle that is really missing the boat hopefully that changes.

            • Rob Staton

              A polite request.

              Critiquing the Seahawks’ start to free agency is not ‘full blown panic’.

              Let’s stop using this kind of language to undermine fair and justified opinions.

              I said earlier — if they had an agreement it would be announced. Seattle is the only team in the league with intimate knowledge of Clowney’s medical situation.

    • Tom

      I forgot to mention that John and Pete may have forseen that Clowney’s market value wouldn’t be that high due to the core injury, and are trying to take advantage of it. Now they have the Covid-19 situation playing into their hands as well since Clowney isn’t able to get a physical right now, so other teams are timid to pay him what he is looking for. John and Pete have built up trust with Clowney by not tagging him this off season, I am sure Pete and John are talking to Clowney and reassuring him that they will match most offers for his services, but if they just give him what he wants, they may not be able to afford another pass rusher, like Griffin, or Judon, or Nagkoue. If John and Pete are able to get Clowney at a cheaper price that we expected, and then pull off a steal for Griffin, Judon, or Nagkoue, you will all sing their praises and realize that you were panicked for no reason.

      • Rob Staton

        It’s all working so perfectly… apart from the fact he isn’t signed and nobody else is either for the pass rush.

        • Tom

          True! I agree. The funny part is that I am preaching patients, but I am checking my phone every ten minutes for updates about the pass rush!

    • WALL UP

      The good thing about the FA off season is that it has a time period that ends before the draft, or when all FAs have found new homes.

      If all things had been reversed, whereas they were able to sign, perhaps Clowney and Griffen initially, followed by the order of signings that have transpired thus far. Would our opinion of how they’re doing be higher?

      The sequence really doesn’t matter if the same outcome is achieved. Actually, securing Finney, Shell, Warmack, Dunbar, Dorsett and others is best done prior, in order to figure out the direction to go for the best DE selections.

      Making these selections lessens the need for the positions they play during the Draft, which tells me that JS & Co may be paving the way to use early draft picks, to trade for players that are tagged. Ngakoue and Judon are possibilities for such a trade. We all can agree that JS & Co are active on most ever trade possibility, and I’m sure they have a feeler of what is needed to obtain such players.

      None of us know what transpired in the meeting between Clowney & JS before leaving the VMAC. (Would’ve been nice to be a fly on the wall to hear it though.) But, I’m sure there was some sort of agreement between the two to connect before going a different direction. Ultimately, there will be a direct communication between the two, and hopefully that will bring about a conclusion to this saga by Clowney signing.

      I have a feeling though, that the DE answers will come, Trade wise, during the Draft. I hope all of us are prepared to wait that long.

      • Rob Staton

        Nope.

        It just means they have to focus on DL in the draft instead.

  35. Sea Mode

    I’m still thinking maybe we should try to blow the Browns away with a trade offer for Myles Garrett. 2020 R1, R2, R4 + 2021 R1, R3.

    • Tom

      Would you really want that PR nightmare after last season?

    • CL

      After your answer a couple of days ago, that thought is really stuck in my head.

      I think our team is really good IF we can fix the pass rush.

      Bring in Griffen and throw our picks at Garrett. Don’t think JS will do it, but I’d love it

      • Rob Staton

        Cleveland’s front office would miss their evening meal, they’d be laughing so much at the idea of trading Garrett.

    • Rob Staton

      They’ll never accept it.

      • CL

        Even if they would be willing to trade him, JS wouldn’t do it haha

        But… but a man can dream 😀

    • EranUngar

      Hmmmm……

      Since we signed enough OL player so we do not “have to” pick one high in draft and…

      Since we just sign a reasonable WR3 so we do not “have to” pick one high in the draft…

      Maybe we can use some or all of those beautiful picks to make a very aggressive trade UP in the draft for a top 10 DLiner?

      • Rob Staton

        There’s not a defensive lineman worth trading up for.

    • Michigan

      If we are going to shoot the moon for a specific player like that, I would rather make a call to San Diego or Pittsburgh

      • Rob Staton

        Let’s be clear…

        The Chargers aren’t trading Joey Bosa.

        The Browns aren’t trading Myles Garrett.

  36. CaptainJack

    Perpetual 10-6

    • God of Thunder

      Ahem, sir, I beg to differ. The seasons will be 17 games.

      So, perpetual 11-6? Would you take 11-6 every year for 5 years? I would. What teams have averaged 10 wins for 5 straight years in recent decades?

  37. Bayahawk

    The frustration has gotten to me so I’m blowing up the franchise. Focus on drafting to replace high cost starters (Duane Brown, Quill Griffin, Bobby Wagner) and build depth.

    Start with the following trade:

    Russell Wilson
    2-27 (2020)

    to the Miami Dolphins for:

    1:5 (2020)
    1:18 (2020)
    2:39 (2020)
    Miami’s native 1st (2021)
    Houston’s 1st (2021 – received in the trade for Tunsil)

    Leaves Seahawks with 1:5, 1:18, 1:27, 2:39, 2:59: 2:64

    Unsure but I think this clears up $18M in cap space for 2020 with $13M in dead money.

    Draft nets us:

    1:5 – I Simmons (LB)
    1:18 – J Jones (OT)
    1:27 – J Taylor (RB)
    2:39 – C Ruiz (C)
    2:54 – R Davis or J Madubuike (DT)
    2:64 – J Zuniga (DE)

    2021 draft starts with three first round picks with the possibility of all three being top 15 picks. Trade up to #1 and grab Trevor Lawrence (QB).

    Team gets a huge drop in salary cap numbers in 2022 and younger at key positions.

    Alternately, go sign Clowney and Griffen and cut as much salary as possible to compete in 2020.

    Apologies for going stir crazy.

    • Rob Staton

      No

    • 12th chuck

      Wilson has a no trade clause, thank goodness

  38. EmperorMA

    I like the move. He’s a burner that can take the top off the defense. Safeties will have to stay home with him and Metcalf on the field, giving Lockett, Olsen and Hollister more room to operate underneath.

    He is also good on sidelines catches … both over the shoulder and laying out. He can help move the chains.

    He likes to run the end-around. With the way our WRs block, this could result in some nice big plays.

    Now just get a DE already.

  39. Sean

    Been trying to figure out anyway how this is logical.

    This is something I just ran into which MIGHT be a factor in why the pass rush has not been prioritized as much as we believed.

    According to this website, https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/sack-pct.

    The Seahawks had the 5th worst sack percentage in the NFL. Obviously that is very bad.

    However in the last 3 games last year they had the #1 sack rate in the NFL. Obviously this is a small sample size, but maybe based on this info and the stuff that was going on in practice behind closed doors, they believed that they made significant strides in development to where the it is not as much of a necessity as we all assumed.

    • Rob Staton

      There’s no way they looked at three games in isolation and thought, ‘we’re good’. Besides, they’ve spent all off-season saying what a huge priority the pass rush is.

    • Tom

      I did hear a small rumor on 710 ESPN radio that one of the hawks made a comment about the coaches being very conservative in their playing calling on the Defense last year until the last few games. In the small clip I heard this was due to a lack of confidence in the back half of the Defense, but after the Diggs trade the coaches got more confidence, and unleashed the D line to attach more. I haven’t watched the film my self, but this makes sense. Now that they have added Dunbar, and have Diggs as well, we might see the D line be more aggressive next season.

      • Scot04

        The problem with that is, they haven’t addressed the D-Line players they need to be aggressive.

        • Tom

          Agree they need better plays on the D-line, but we also may be judging the quality of the players they do have inappropriately because we didn’t realize that the coaching staff was asking them to be more concerned about their gap assignments, than getting after the quarterback, but in practice they may have been showing the coaches that they have potential to be good pass rushers if allowed to be within the scheme. it is an interesting thought. with that being said, I still want them to add Clowney and either Griffin, Ngokoue or Judon.

          • GoHawksDani

            To me that wouldn’t make sense. You help the secondary by put as much pressure on the QB as you can. If they don’t trust their LBs that might make sense but I doubt they don’t value KJ and BWagz

          • Rob Staton

            ‘Gap assignments’ were not the reason for Seattle’s crappy pass rush.

            • Tom

              No, but being overly conservative could be a cause. Not the main cause, but a contributing cause potentially.

            • betaparticle

              Asking the secondary to play 10 yards off the LoS will significantly exaggerate poor pass rush statistics.

              • Rob Staton

                So will a distinct lack of pass rush talent.

      • Kingdome1976

        If we don’t get Clowney at the very least we will have to be more aggressive. I am befuddled at this point but it’s not like the FO don’t and haven’t had a plan. All we can do is see how these pieces fit together in the end. There is ZERO chance that we don’t in some way address the pass rush, this I am positively assure of. Now if the pass rush is adequate is another story.

      • drewdawg11

        If that was the DL unleashed, that’s a horrible indictment on their talent level.

    • dcd2

      This is based on two playoff games. One of which we had 7 sack VS Philly with 6 on Josh McCown. Those went to:

      Clowney (1) – unsigned
      MacDougald (1) – a safety
      QJeff (2) – no longer a Hawk
      KJ (1) – A LB
      Barton (1) – A LB
      Green (1) – Heyo, an active DL!

      They got 2 VS SF in week 17, which were one each of Flowers and QJeff. They got 2 VS GB, with one for Shaquem and 0.5 for Clowney & KJ.

      So, in our #1 ranked sack-fest of the last 3 games, we actually had 2 total sacks from our existing DL. One each from Green and Quem.

      Not that I don’t appreciate the search for answers.

  40. Edgar

    I wish they would just do away with comp picks. Some Seahawk fans get more excited over the possible comp pick scenarios a year out than the actual up coming year football itself….like how I used to buy the monthly Beckett magazine and price out my 5,000 common cards at 5 cents a piece and think I had 250$ I could cash out at anytime at the local card shop.

    • BobbyK

      Hahaha

  41. GoHawksDani

    I have a theory:
    These signings completely free up their draft board.
    They can wait on Clowney until draft and if he doesn’t sign they can use the picks to make something happen (trade, draft)
    With signing a WR, CB, bunch of OL, TE they don’t need to sign WR in first 2 rounds, TE in first 2 rounds (Bryant), CB in R3-R4, OL in first 2 rounds.
    They can trade their early pick(s) for a player. They can use R1, R2, R3 and maybe next year pick(s) to trade up for Simmons or with less ammo Kinlaw. They can use their first 3 picks for DL.
    Pretty risky approach but if they can trade the pick(s) and get someone better than Clowney or trade up and hit the jackpot or draft a couple of guys and they win with at least one of them it’s alright.
    And they can still sign Clowney but they don’t want to give him huge contract.
    But I’m pretty sure they won’t add 2 FAs and unlikely to add an FA and make a trade for a player. That wouldn’t be too logical with how things played out.

    My money is right now they won’t resign Clowney but trade for someone OR they trade up in R1

    • Rob Staton

      Ignoring your biggest need by far doesn’t free up the draft board.

      It handcuffs you into having to pick defensive linemen.

      In the worst D-line draft for years.

      • dcd2

        Ya, I’ve seen this theory floated a few times. How these signings will allow them to take BPA, and let the board come to them. I agree that all it does is force DL.

        If the DL was addressed, then we could take the best option of OL, WR, etc. As it is, we pretty much need to go DL with 2 of our first 3 picks. Hopefully that won’t be the case by then.

        • Rob Staton

          They’ve actually done the opposite to what people are suggesting. They’ve done the opposite of opening up the board. They’ve forced themselves into a corner as things stand.

      • GoHawksDani

        Maybe I wrote it wrong. Not BPA, but using the draftpicks for DL however they want.
        Not agreeing with them as I’m not a fan of big trades (either for a player or just up), it seems too risky…

  42. Aaron

    Maybe PC and JS are content with a good not great team, a playoff team but not a championship team. Hate to say that becuase that goes against everything about the nature of PC and JS, the culture they brought in 2010, and the players they’ve chosen for years. This is all beyond baffling. I’m at the point that I wonder when Russ will fire back and demand this organization field a team that can truly compete for a title.

    • mishima

      Deshaun Watson just clapped back at the Houston org.

      Wilson is too professional and has a great relationship with Carroll, but I’m sure he’s frustrated.

      • God of Thunder

        RW is a guy who knows ain’t nothing is over until it’s over. He’s a R3 draft pick who knew that it’s who is calling the signals at the conclusion of training camp that’s won the job not the consensus pick on day one of camp.

  43. Alex Higgins

    Love this blog and the community here. Many good, well-informed opinions here. JS/PC are professionals who have spent their working lives doing this. We can be confused and frustrated. Can we really judge without knowing everything going on from their viewpoint. They have access to about a million more data points than we do. So, let’s wait until they take the field in September. I’m sure there will be plenty to criticize then — things we can see with our two eyes. Right now, it’s like watching a football game with blindfolds on. We can hear the crowd noise, but don’t have a clue what’s actually going on in the game.
    Just like this coronavirus thing, be patient and watch it unfold. Have opinions but hold them lightly and be prepared to adjust to the facts as they come out!
    Long windup to this: I really like what they’ve done so far. They are holding firm on their offer to Clowney, which I also like. He’s not a “must have” player. He’s very talented and disruptive. Not irreplaceable.

    • Rob Staton

      I’m sorry Alex — but I’ve said this a few times already now and I’ll say it again.

      Just because we’re not all NFL GM’s doesn’t mean we’re not able to critique what they’re doing and discuss it. We can. And we can be right too and they can be wrong.

      We don’t have to wait until September. We can have an opinion now. And an appeal to their authority isn’t a counter.

    • mishima

      “Can we really judge without knowing everything going on from their viewpoint [?]”

      “I really like what they’ve done so far. They are holding firm on their offer to Clowney, which I also like. He’s not a “must have” player. He’s very talented and disruptive. Not irreplaceable.”

      Um…

      • Tom

        Clowney isn’t a “Must have” player? I think that your slighting him a little. He was by far the best DE we had last year. If we loose him, then we will have a worse pass rush. We need to resign him, and add additional good pass rushers around him. He was double teamed for most of the year. If we had Judon, Griffin on the other side, with Reed and Poona in the middle, then Clowney will be less likely to be double teamed. He could have double digit sacks, plus be one of the better run stuffers in the league.

        • 80SLargent

          It’s pretty clear the team doesn’t see Clowney and his production as irreplaceable. It’s also clear the market sees him the same way. Otherwise, he’d already be under contract with the Seahawks or another team.
          Seattle certainly didn’t let the likes of Wilson, Wagner, and D. Brown to walk out the door. Those guys are irreplaceable.

          • Rob Staton

            Sign someone else then.

      • Alex Higgins

        Thanks for calling me out! Honestly, I intended to write: “We all have opinions, which makes it fun, but let’s not get carried away with our ability to know as much as they do.”
        Forgot to type that so my post was quite hypocritical. Whoops.

        • mishima

          LOL. No worries. I’m guilty of far worse.

        • Tom

          I totally agree with you. I have posted a few times on here, that it isn’t fair to be to critical if you don’t know all of the details of the situation. and in the NFL we won’t ever know what the context is. My hope is that they are giving Clowney time to find his true value, which hopefully for us, is a great value, and then use the savings to add an additional pass rusher. I don’t think that we are going to see that additional pass rusher until the draft though, given the way this free agency has played out so far. I am hoping the rumor of a 1st rounder and a swapping of 2nd rounder’s for Yannick comes true.

          https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2020/3/4/21165583/2020-nfl-trade-rumors-could-seahawks-landing-spot-jaguars-de-yannick-ngakoue

          • Group Captain Mandrake

            You wrote ” I have posted a few times on here, that it isn’t fair to be to critical if you don’t know all of the details of the situation. and in the NFL we won’t ever know what the context is.”

            So what you are basically saying is that we cannot speculate on anything because in the NFL you never know the full story. Seems like this would be a pretty boring site if we couldn’t speculate/armchair GM.

            • Rob Staton

              For some reason today we’ve had an influx of people telling us we’re not allowed an opinion because we’re either not qualified or don’t work for the Seahawks front office.

              Could be a long lockdown this.

              • Group Captain Mandrake

                Indeed.

    • Edgar

      Alex, that’s what blogs and team chat sites are for. A team that hasn’t made it out of the divisional round in 5 years and just recently lost a very winnable playoff game to the Cowboys because of a vanilla game plan along with the following that up with another road playoff letdown where they were down 21-3 at the half(barely beating a decimated 9-7 Eagles team doesn’t count for much) really allows for plenty of discussion and second guessing.

      • Alex Higgins

        Totally agree. That’s what I meant by plenty to criticize on the field. I hated that Dallas game and thought the play-calling was ridiculous. I think this stage of the season is really, really hard to judge without knowing a lot more. We could see that stupid Dallas game plan in all of its disgusting glory.

        • Rob Staton

          Again…

          You don’t need to be a front office executive to see cap space gone, nothing done to fix the pass rush, middle class again filled with a collection of questionable players, continued inability to take the next step…

          And make a judgement.

          It’s up to them to prove us wrong. Not up to us to not have an opinion until the night before the season starts.

          • Alex Higgins

            So, you would have…? Paid 19M/year to Clowney on a massive deal even though nobody else wanted to pay him. How do you know what Clowney wants or what the Hawks offered him? How do you know how the coaching staff feels about Everson Griffen as a possible replacement? Do you know if they’re close to a deal for Yannick Ngokue? Does any of us?

            • Rob Staton

              How do you know?

              You’re just arguing for the sake of it.

    • BobbyK

      Can I keep criticizing them for taking Malik McDowell over TJ Watt then?

      • mishima

        LOL. Hall pass for the duration of the pandemic, then never again.

  44. BoiseSeahawk

    Still hoping that they trade up for Isaiah Simmons.
    With all this hedging against needs that are this draft class’ strengths (OL/WR).

    But also not holding my breath for it…
    I’ve given up on understanding PCJS because I don’t operate on their genius level.

  45. Logan Lynch

    It’s obvious what they’re doing. Reed was re-signed to be the only down lineman and they’re going to be implementing a new defensive scheme with 10 other guys standing up with Reed head up on the center. Zigging while others are zagging.

    • mishima

      Ansah while others question.

      OK, I’m done.

    • Tom

      and we could have Russell running the Opty Oop on Offense! Maybe get coach Kilmer to help out Schotty!

  46. steele

    Dorsett is a middling talent. Consistency suspect. A guy useful in a rotation, nothing more. I don’t think it was a useful move. Especially with a draft deep in WRs.

    • Alex Higgins

      If he’s better than David Moore, then it was useful. Moore is our #3 receiver right now. And I think he’s pretty bad. I don’t know enough about Dorsett to say if he’s better.

      • Rob Staton

        They just paid Moore $2.13m to keep him.

        • Alex Higgins

          I think you’re wrong. They tendered him with an original round offer. If another team pays him 2.2M and we don’t match, then we only get a 7th Rounder in return. Seems like it’s 50/50 that he returns. Also, don’t be so crabby about everything. Enjoy this blog! It’s an awesome thing you’ve created!

          • Rob Staton

            It’s 100/0 he returns unless they cut him (which they won’t until camp — if at all).

            I’m not crabby. Just bored of being told my opinion and others’ opinions aren’t worth voicing because we’re not GM’s and it’s not September.

            • Alex Higgins

              Don’t be offended that we don’t all agree with you. I’m bored with your complaining abou the pass rush every day for two weeks. But I still come back for more because I don’t watch much college football so I learn a lot from you about college players. But if you don’t want honest criticism of your views because it bores you, I’m okay with that. I understand my place in your world. I’ll read your opinions and keep mine to myself. Carry on.

              • Rob Staton

                So you’ve come on today to tell me you’re bored of the content and that none of us can have an opinion other than the one you have because we’re not NFL GM’s.

                Have you heard yourself?

        • Tom

          Rob, do you know why they are spending so much on WR’s when Carrol has always preached about running the ball? I don’t know the details of the Dorsett signing, but I would assume it is for 1-2 million a year, now they are paying Moore 2.13$, they have locket and DK. not to mention the rumors of Josh Gordon wanting to play this year, and loving Seattle. Plus this draft is deep at WR, and the hawks usually tap into the strength of a draft. Seems like a lot of resources being put towards WR, when we aren’t as pass heavy as other teams in the league. what gives? have you heard anything?

          • SoCal12

            Lockett’s on a reasonably modest contract, DKs on his rookie deal, and Dorsett and Moore are making basically making vet minimum. I wouldn’t really call that a heavy investment in WR. They just like to have lots of depth and competition like they do in every position.

            • Tom

              2.13$ million a year is like 3 times more than Vet minimum, and Moore isn’t even a starter.

              • Tom

                From Sporttracker.com minimum salaries for the NFL based on years played in 2019.

                •Rookie: $495,000
                •1 year: $570,000
                •2 years: $645,000
                •3 years: $720,000
                •4-6 years: $806,000
                •7-9 years: $930,000
                •10+ years: $1,030,000

              • SoCal12

                Sorry, vet minimum wasn’t the correct term. Meant more to say it’s a just a relatively small tender amount. My point is that I dont really think its enough to be considered a heavy investment in WR.

          • Rob Staton

            Just because you want to run the ball doesn’t mean you don’t need talent at WR.

            • God of Thunder

              This. In fact talent at WR will push safeties back and lighten the box pressure, which (obviously) improves the run game.

  47. Awsi Dooger

    As a Canes season ticket holder I expected Dorsett to be far more effective in the NFL. I don’t think he’s been used properly and for whatever reason he doesn’t play with the same swagger he had in college. Maybe Pete and Brennan Carroll can recharge the athletic arrogance, like when he was toying with Florida State defenders early in that 2014 game.

    Dorsett is superb while adjusting to the deep ball. Best Canes receiver in ages in that regard, far superior to guys like Travis Benjamin or Jeff Thomas in this year’s draft. Dorsett immediately senses the depth and proper angle, then will either shorten or accelerate smoothly. I thought that would be a staple in the NFL, deep crossing routes with Dorsett enabled to run under things like he did with Brad Kaaya. Russell Wilson should be able to identify that trait and insist on plenty of opportunities.

    Dorsett is not as effective on midrange stuff. The Seahawks need to go back and watch clips of how Miami used him, equating to first round draft status. It was lots of short plays with option to pivot and go, blended with deeper sideline material, and those cross country routes into open space. Metcalf will go up and get it while Dorsett can track under it.

    • SoCal12

      Thanks for the insight. Makes me excited to see him work with Russ’s patented deep ball.

    • CaptainJack

      The greatest coach ever who turned Wes Welker into a super star couldn’t figure out how to use him.

      My hopes just aren’t very high. If he didn’t run a 4.33 I don’t think the Seahawks would have signed him, which is a red flag to me.

      • Jacob

        @CaptainJack

        My hope is that since the Hawks have the best deep thrower in the NFL that will match better than the strengths that Dorsett has than what the Patriots could do. Especially since Brady’s deep passes are not where he has ever thrived.

  48. CaptainJack

    Thinking from the FO’s perspective….

    Dorsett may have very disappointing production so far in his career for a first round pick

    But consider this. The wide receivers at the combine just didn’t run super fast this year, and the Seahawks love speed at receiver.

    In fact only two players this year made a better time than Dorsett did at his combine. Henry Ruggs who the Seahawks would have to trade up for, and Javelin Guidry, who plays defensive back. There were other receivers who ran in the 4.3s, but besides Mims, who the Seahawks would also likely have to trade up for, most of those names don’t really stand out in terms of college production.

    I’m sure they’ll draft another receiver but Dorsett provides blazing speed as well as some actual nfl production and experience. A smaller amount than you’d like to see considering the qbs throwing him the ball, but he might be a surer bet than the other speedsters available who are either out of the Seahawks’ draft reach or are almost unknown names. Still take an unknown name later on and see what you have.

    • CaptainJack

      One of the lesser known names we could try drafting later on is Quez Watkins. Not sure where he’ll go in the draft but he’s about 6 feet tall, runs a 4.35, and had 1,178 yards along with 6 tds at southern miss last season. Worth a big round pick.

      • Pugs1

        I live in Mississippi and I’ve seen Quez play a bunch. I definitely think he’s a sleeper who will last due to the depth @ WR. He was a true playmaker who felt with inconsistent QB play. He’s a 5-7 rounder to me.

  49. BobbyK

    With Lockett and DK… I like having a guy like Dorsett in the mix. He can fly in an offense that has a chance for some big plays. Now, if Dorsett were expected to be a starter – I’d hate it. But if these guys roll out burners like Lockett and DK and have a couple TEs on the field like Olsen and Dissly… if you can get Dorsett matched up on some slow defensive player… boom… exploit matchups! It’s fine.

    • Greg Haugsven

      Well said Bobby and my thoughts exactly. He hasnt panned out being a 1 or a 2 but I think he could be a very good 3.

      • Lewis

        Any experience as a returner?

  50. CaptainJack

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3pIs_iI8U3I

    Quez Watkins

    This guy is now on my radar for sure.

    Round three maybe?

    • CojackTX

      Looks pretty good to me. Good speed (4.35 at combine) and high points well given his average size. The criticisms I have seen focus primarily on his ability to get off the jam and some drops in traffic. Looks like he is being graded more as a round 5 guy, but I would be happy to get him in that range (notwithstanding the lack of a 5th round pick) if a WR is not selected in the earlier rounds.

  51. no frickin clue

    Well, we’re shaping up to return to 2013 form.
    Denver Broncos 2013 form!

    • DC

      That’s great as long as we don’t run into the 2013 Seahawks.

  52. clbradley17

    Al Woods just signed with the Jaguars.

  53. Rob Staton

    Local media still doing a good impression of this guy https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/004/130/bagdad-bob.jpg

    • cha

      “Illusion, Michael! A trick is something a whore does for money. (kids gasp) Or candy!”

      • Rob Staton

        But everything is OK because the Seahawks never go big in the first week of free agency apart from 2011, 2013 and 2015 and the other years when they had no cap space or picks but apart from that this is what they do every year and who needs a pass rush anyway?

        • cha

          And the entire defensive draft class will fall to them at #27

  54. tulsadawg

    This off-season has been pretty exciting. I don’t understand what they are doing. It’s their plan and I have to trust that they know what they’re doing because they have a track record to prove it. My guess is they already know what J.C. is going to do. Nobody else seems to want him. What they have done so far tells me they’re taking defensive linemen with their top picks. All we can do is wait and see.

    • Rob Staton

      Worst D-line draft class in years.

  55. Rob Staton

    Word of caution to the community.

    I’ve just decided to stop the user ‘Alex Higgins’ from posting for a while. He compared the commentary on here to the Coronavirus.

    If you don’t agree with me or others on this site, that’s perfectly fine. What won’t be tolerated is a comparison between a worldwide pandemic that is going to kill thousands and me thinking the Seahawks have not had a good start to free agency.

    There’s the warning. Heed it.

    • Lewis

      Thanks for keeping this place free of that.

    • Davido

      Are you refering to: “Just like this coronavirus thing, be patient and watch it unfold. Have opinions but hold them lightly and be prepared to adjust to the facts as they come out!” ?
      If so, this is not comparing your opinion to a pandemic Rob.

      • Rob Staton

        No, I’m not.

        And I don’t need help moderating thanks.

  56. tulsadawg

    Rob, I agree with you 100% about the draft. But. how can they not be players in free agency unless they have something planned to remedy that D/L problem?

  57. Greg Haugsven

    Updated Cap Space at $15.5 million. This doesnt include Warmack and Willson which will be very minimal if any at all and it doesnt include Shell, Irvin, Ogbuehi and Dorsett. Will update when I can find them.

  58. Greg Haugsven

    Also 3 more days until Season 3 of Ozarks comes out!

    • Kenny Sloth

      +1

    • mishima

      + Team Ruth

  59. Geoff Martens

    Here is my draft sim, I did a trade with Detroit for 35 and 85 for 27. I like the first 3 picks
    SEA 35.
    Javon Kinlaw
    DT South Carolina
    trade icon
    SEA 59.
    Jabari Zuniga
    DE Florida
    SEA 64.
    Raekwon Davis
    DT Alabama
    SEA 85.
    J.K. Dobbins
    RB Ohio State
    trade icon
    SEA 101.
    Logan Stenberg
    G Kentucky
    SEA 133.
    Quintez Cephus
    WR Wisconsin
    SEA 144.
    Lamar Jackson
    CB Nebraska
    SEA 214.
    Trevis Gipson

    • Greg Haugsven

      Kinlaw at 35…lol

    • Ky Swift

      Really like all of those picks and in an ideal world we would take all of them. However I don’t see Kinlaw, Davis, Dobbins, or Stenberg being available where you have us picking them.

      • All I see is 12s

        That’s simulator is fun and all but some of the players that drop is just crazy. Yesterday I grabbed Simmons at 27.

  60. drewdawg11

    Sheesh. Good call, Rob. What I am finding fascinating about all of these little moves is wondering if they are sitting in the offices there in Renton scrolling through social media, laughing and joke with each other about how bent out of shape the fans are about this Clowney deal. They haven’t even released the guys we knew they would like Dickson and Tedric for crying out loud. John, I love ya man… But we need some answers asap. If they end up screwing up the draft because they were forced to trade picks for a player, I’m not sure this roster will sustain its wining ways going into the very near future.

    QB: Top 5 stud, but his clock is starting to tick.
    OL: All veterans or retreads and a small possibility that Haynes could start someday and be a fixture
    RB: Carson’s contract is almost up, Penny is injured, and Homer is a roster filler type
    WR: One solid veteran in Lockett who may or may not be slowing down since the injuries, DK has future star potential, nothing else long-term
    TE: One really good one who can’t stay healthy, one aging veteran, and after that no real excitement
    DL: Green is average and he was a former 2nd, Poona is solid but unspectacular, Reed is there for two more years and hopefully shows more, Collier is…God, who knows?
    LB: Bobby had a lesser season for him, but he’s still Bobby, KJ has maybe one more in the tank, Kendricks is pretty meh, and the young guys are special teamers/depth guys with no potential star power.
    DB: The trade yesterday gives me a little hope for next season, but he’s on a his final contract year, Shaq is solid but needs a new contract, and Flowers is pretty brutal to watch play man coverage. Diggs is a keeper, McDougald is a solid vet with a limited ceiling, and Blair has all the talent in the world, but he has yet to get his shot.

    Who are the players on this roster who are going to carry them on through the next phase of great football? If this were a keeper league in fantasy, who would you keep and expect to be the next generation of stars?

    DK
    Dissly, (assuming health)
    Shaq
    Blair

    That’s it? How does this roster expect to make a title run without star players? Russ, Bobby, Tyler, Duane, Bradley Mac aren’t going to be around forever. Hey, maybe they’ll all retire soon and we can have $100 million cap space so we can watch them sign Xavier McKinney in 3 years when he washes out of whichever city made the mistake of drafting him in the first round…

    • Rob Staton

      A very honest and fair review of the situation.

    • Hawk Mock

      Kind of making me think, what’s the point signing Clowney or anyone else moving forward with how bad we are set-up for the future. Should probably just give up and start the abhorrence for Lawrence instead.

      • BobbyK

        If Russell somehow missed the 2020 season – there’s a realistic chance they end up with the #1 overall pick in 2021.

        • TomLPDX

          Bobby, stop! I love you man but c’mon. You have been pretty down on the hawks for the past few days…let it go, man.

          • BobbyK

            I understand the frustration and I wish I didn’t feel they were that bad outside of Wilson.

            • God of Thunder

              I’m more confident than most about this season and the next one because of stuff Rob said. PC and JS managed to turn a potential full on rebuild into a reset. That is, we were a solid second tier team last year, which exceeded expectations, and the younger players will hopefully get better.

              But yes we need Clowney and most likely another DL, though, or it’ll be second tier again.

    • BobbyK

      I agree. Blair and DK are really the only two players I can see exploding onto the scene this upcoming year. I’m not saying Blair will, but he and DK are the only two with legit potential that I see.

      Like you say, there’s nothing special about any OL aside from Brown. At least that position is set. I really love Dissly – but the health, man. You just can’t count on him.

      I view them as only having Carson at RB in 2020. And he’s never ever healthy for a full year. This is why I see one of their picks in the first two rounds being used on Taylor (at 27) or Dobbins (somewhere in the early-mid second with some type of trade down/up). I think that would provide 1 superstar to the roster and make the RB position a strength (which any team who wants to run the ball better have).

      Then there’s that defense. Reed is solid but not spectacular. And Wagz is a stud. Then what? I love KJ but can we count on him to play a full season moving forward. Speed was never a strength and he’s at a LB age where they slow down in a hurry.

      I like the trade yesterday from a DB perspective. That did bolster the CB position quite a bit in my eyes. I’m much more optimistic with Flowers being quality depth, rather than a questionable starter. But… if they go RB early, they still have two defensive players they can take in the first two rounds. Perhaps Davis and then an EDGE? But if we’re searching for superstars, I don’t see Davis being a superstar DT as a rookie – nor do I see any second round EDGE being a star in ’20 either. Heck, even if they somehow got Griffen AND Clowney, I’d be okay with an EGDE… that’s how bad the pass rush is/was…

    • Bmseattle

      That’s why Pete’s “it feels just like 2012” comment is so frustrating.
      Clearly we were at the beginning of an exciting run with so many young, talented players, then.
      This feels nothing like that, and either Pete is deluded (worrisome thought), or its just spin.

      • BobbyK

        Definitely! You hit the nail on the head.

        The 2012 team had oodles of good/great young stud talent on first contracts. That’s the recipe for definite success. Young and hungry.

        The only legit young stud (potential) talent is Blair and DK. Young studs not coming into the final year of their rookie deal (excludes Grif/Carson). I would include Dissly if he could stay healthy, but I’ll leave him off for now.

        That’s it for legit Pro Bowl type of talent at a young age, while the ’12 team had guys like ET, Kam, Sherman, KJ, Wagz, Okung, Wilson, Baldwin, etc. all working as legit young stud talent working on rookie contracts without being in the last year of their rookie deals. Granted, that’s amazing and the bar is/was set high there, but this core group/team has nothing like that in terms of talent (outside of DK).

        So this is, really, nothing like 2012 right now.

        • fransgeraedts

          I think they do aim for a dynasty.
          Russel’s and therefore the team sb window is open for the next ten years. Compare it with Brady, Manning.
          Biggest difference between then and now: Russel’s salary.
          Comparing the teams. Difference makers.
          Then:On defense: kam, sherman, earl…wagner…bennet ? On offense: marshawn, baldwin?
          Now: clowney, wagner, griffin, dunbar, blair? Rb committee (carson, penny, dp), locket, DK, dissley, brown, willson.
          Defense better then, offense better now?

  61. BobbyK

    I think I figured out the Leo position (at least on obvious passing downs). Dorsett is going to use his 4.3 speed and 5’10 height to run under and around OTs. Boom! 15 sacks for Dorsett this year. I’m calling it!

    • Greg Haugsven

      15 sacks or 15 pancakes for the opposing tackle…lol

      • Hawk Mock

        I’ll take the over per game on one of those outcomes.

        • BobbyK

          Or both… lol

  62. Rob Staton

    Off to bed. Night all.

    • Hawk Mock

      Rest easy, I’m pretty sure tomorrow will be the day we finally get things done and bring Ifedi back home!

      • TomLPDX

        HaHaHa! Made my day!

    • TomLPDX

      Night Rob. Don’t let this get you too down…today we had lots of new posters and lots of new opinions. We are still Hawk believers and haven’t given up hope.

      • Rob Staton

        I’m not down at all. Happy to discuss. Just frustrated by the lack of action on the pass rush.

    • Aaron

      Good night Rob! Let’s all hope the Hawks wake up to the fact that they must improve their pass rush apart from adding Bruce Irvin and hoping for better production from Green and Collier.

  63. CaptainJack

    Here is an honest projection of who our starters would be if the season started today.

    Hawks fan should look at this as a wake-up call about the moves we need to make on defense and in the draft.

    QB: Russell Wilson (Duh)
    RB: Chris Carson?? (Coming off broken hip) or Travis Homer
    TE: Greg Olsen
    Left Tackle: Duane Brown
    Left Guard: Phil Haynes? or BJ Finney?
    Center: Justin Britt? (cut candidate coming off injury) or Joey Hunt
    Right Guard: DJ Fluker
    Right Tackle: Brandon Shell? or Jamarco Jones?
    Wr1: Tyler Lockett
    Wr2: Dk Metcalf
    Wr3: Phillip Dorsett

    DE: Rasheem Green
    DT: Jarran Reed
    DT: Poona Ford
    DE: Bruce Irvin
    MIKE: Bobby Wagner
    WILL: KJ Wright
    SAM: Cody Barton
    Strong Safety: Bradley McDougald
    Free Safety: Quandre Diggs
    Nickel: Ugo Amadi? Or Quinton Dunbar
    Right Corner: Shaquill Griffin
    Left Corner: Quinton Dunbar or Trey Flowers

    • Justin Mullikin

      Nice projection. The glaring need is still the D line. Maybe just maybe Green or Collier develop into a decent DE on base downs and they bring in Irvin for passing situations. That still is missing a DE on the other side (Clowney or whoever). Even then, that is not a fearsome D line group. Maybe they have their eyes on someone in the draft or a trade or whatever. I do not know anymore.

    • Tony

      concerning, but just adding a couple pass rushers changes it a bunch. Plus early season additions of dissly, penny. Full season of diggs, moving McDougald to a more natural position, full season of reed, expanded growth of poona, green, Barton, tre. I see lots of positives. Add a couple decent prospects and I’m happy, AS LONG AS THEY ADD SOME PASS RUSH.

    • Michigan 12th

      I think their plan is to draft a RB early. I think all the moves they have made lead to this happening. I still have hope that they will get the Dline sorted out, but I think this is a RB early year.

  64. Coleslaw

    I don’t see an end to this saga before the draft, I’m just trying to keep my blind faith.

    Part of me wishes we would just sign Griffen, trade for Von Miller and trade up for one of the stud DTs. DE wouldn’t be completely solved, but DT would be looking very nice with Reed, Poona and Brown/Kinlaw. If you cant get the big fish DE, add more guys who demand double teams. If Reed/Brown are getting the doubles, Von and Griffen would be getting a lot of 1v1s. Wouldn’t hurt in the run game, either.

    • Coleslaw

      Nascar package of Von, Griffen, Reed/Brown, Irvin

    • Kenny Sloth

      Dont think you can trade for a stud and trade up.

      Davis + an elite trade target would be a home run for me.

      • Coleslaw

        I’d take it!

  65. Bigten

    Scary thought. We are signing these supposedly “hedges” but what is really happening is, PCJS plan to trade our first for future firsts and a second for a future first 😳 they see this class being so weak, the inability to talk to prospects, and the potential for the next season to be impacted, and decide they are better off not drafting early this year!

    • Coleslaw

      Lol they better get a haul!

  66. Spencer

    Although I’m slightly frustrated it hasn’t been addressed yet, I don’t at all feel as concerned as everyone else seems to be. I understand the DL options are limited, but the Seahawks have that handshake deal with Clowney where they have the right to match any deal that he gets elsewhere. Maybe they aren’t panicking at all because they know that no matter what happens, they can get him back. I’m not reading into the reports of what’s been offered – I’m sure its about market value and nothing that would offend Clowney. Clowney will have had a full year with the defense, Reed will be back with a full training camp and a full year, they finally have a real Leo/pass rushing threat in Irvin, and there is always the draft to add some more talent. If (when) they bring back Clowney and add a young rotational guy like Weaver/Zuniga/Okwara as well as an additional piece in the middle in Davis/Madibuike and the DL looks undoubtedly better.

    They had 11 wins last year, and looked prime to have a real shot before Carson, Penny and Brown went down, how do you recover from that? Consider how much better they looked with Diggs, and also the addition of Dunbar to the secondary and I’m quite happy with the offseason .I really like Dorsett as a WR3, although I’m not too happy with the OL moves – would much rather have that money be put together for a plug and play guy rather than 3 guys that don’t make our OL any more objectively reliable.

    • Spencer

      Also addition by subtraction just by eliminating Ansahs snaps.

    • Coleslaw

      I’m actually somewhat ok with what they’ve done so far. Jadeveon is still right there, seems hes still on the hook and we’re just waiting to reel him in, or he gives up. Hes priority #1 until its reported otherwise (by a real reporter). But by that time we will likely have already signed Griffen or made a trade.

      We will do something. Whether its signing Clowney or Griffen, or trading for Ngakoue or Von Miller, or spending our top 2 picks on DL like Raekwon Davis and Jabari Zuniga, or a mix of these.we will do something. Clowney is the best option though so we wait, until we don’t.

      • Coleslaw

        That wasnt supposed to be a reply to your post

        • Spencer

          But it’s similar to what I said anyway. Davis, Zuniga and Clowney (and Griffen if its realistic) is a massive upgrade to last year.

  67. Coleslaw

    Lol, GMs want the draft to he pushed back but the NFL isnt gonna do it. A lot of players wont be tested. A lot of good players are gonna fall because of it. Its gonna be based off of tape for them too, and I trust them with that.

  68. Greg Haugsven

    When you actually go through the list of teams with a lot of cap space and teams that could be viewed as contenders and teams that need a guy like Clowney the only real threat is the Titans. I just dont see them blowing him away with an offer. I would be really surprised at this point if he didnt come back to Seattle.

  69. Rob W

    Rob- I wonder if all this inaction is setting us up for a big trade a month from now. Chris Jones?

    • Rob Staton

      I can’t see KC moving him

  70. CojackTX

    Anyone had a chance to look at Bryce Huff from Menphis? He’s being viewed primarily as a 3-4 OLB, but I’m getting Jacob Martin vibes from him. Any other late round LEO types anyone is high on?

  71. Kingdome1976

    I watched a bunch of games on R. Davis before the combine. Then after the combine which wasn’t very impressive to me I watched more games just to check because it seems it name has popped up so many times. My conclusion is that he is the most overrated player in this draft. Mark my words.

    • Von

      I’m with you on that. Looks good getting off the bus but really can’t play. I know they’ve been looking for an interior guy with his size, but he’s not the one to me. Underwhelming and a bit of a flake.

  72. Gaux Hawks

    Burning time…

    Add Clowney, Yannick and target these three in draft: OT Isaiah Wilson, DT (Davis), RB (CEH).

    Assume we keep a few of our guys, and depth chart looking pretty good.

    QB: Russell Wilson, Geno Smith
    RB1: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny
    RB2: CEH, Travis Homer
    LT: Duane Brown, Cedric Ogbuehi
    LG: Phil Haynes, Jamarco Jones
    C: B.J. Finney, Ethan Pocic
    RG: D.J. Fluker, Chance Warmack
    RT: Brandon Shell, Isaiah Wilson
    TE: Will Dissly, Greg Olsen, Jacob Hollister
    WR1: Tyler Lockett, Phillip Dorsett, John Ursua
    WR2: D.K. Metcalf, Josh Gordon, David Moore

    DE: Jadeveon Clowney, L.J. Collier
    DT: Jarran Reed, Raekwon Davis
    NT: Poona Ford, Bryan Mone
    LEO: Yannick Ngakoue, Rasheem Green
    SAM: Shaquem Griffin, Bruce Irvin
    MIKE: Bobby Wagner, Cody Barton
    WILL: K.J. Wright, Ben Burr-Kirven
    LCB: Shaquill Griffin, Ryan Neal
    RCB: Quinton Dunbar, Tre Flowers
    NCKL: Ugo Amadi, Akeem King
    FS: Quandre Diggs, Delano Hill
    SS: Bradley McDougald, Marquise Blair

    • Simo

      Like the look of that lineup! Seems doubtful though that they can get both Clowney and YN. We’ll see if things fall their way though and the waiting game pays off, or not.

      • Gaux Hawks

        Agree, John will need to pull that rabbit of Pete’s hat. But they still have some fat they can trim on the roster (Wright included, but then we’ll need to pick up an LB).

    • Hawktalker#1

      Love this!!

  73. Leo Pallanck

    Maybe wishful thinking, but I wonder if the Seahawks are making these moves to bolster positions of need (but not dire need) so that they can make some huge moves either before (a big trade for an established pass rusher) or during (e.g., trading up to get Isiah Simmons) the draft. These big moves would likely require giving up draft picks, so filling positions of non-dire need before giving up draft picks would make sense. Although I’m as confused as anyone right now, I do believe this will all make sense by the time the draft is finished.

    • Von

      I think you may be right! And considering that most think Schneider has no clue what he’s doing in the draft, it makes all the more sense.

      • Hawktalker#1

        I don’t know anyone that thinks JS doesn’t know what he is doing and is incompetent.

        That was over the top.

        • Sean

          You clearly do not visit Twitter.com.

  74. The Hawk's Nest

    Don’t quite get some of the push back Rob is receiving in the comments regarding his frustration with this off season. I’d go even further than he is. This is a mess. Draft is deep in offensive lineman, so let’s so go spend a good chunk of change on linemen in free agency. Your starters missed the most games due to injury in the entire NFL, and it cost you dearly at the end of the season. Let’s go bring in guy’s like Greg Olson or Dunbar, and rely on them to play vital snaps.

    Some of us out there think Tre Flowers could very well take that next step forward in his development this year, like Griffin did last year, but now Dunbar is on the field in his place. Maybe he will be vast improvement over Flowers, and certainly helps our depth, but if Flowers was ready to take that next step you’ve gone from paying the position cheap to potentially needing to give the guy a new deal to get him into camp, for what might amount to similar play. Now you bring in Dorsett to be your number 3 receiver, and it feels like Jaron Brown 2.0. The kind of deal no one is going to like when it’s signed or after it plays out.

    Meanwhile, Irvin is all you added to the defensive line, the most glaring weakness on the team last year. I do like Irvin signing and the Reed resigning, and more off season remains, but I’m not seeing a Super Bowl caliber team being constructed. Hope I’m wrong.

  75. Von

    Really? Over the top? More than just me thinks they will still get something meaningful done. It may not be the names we’ve been thinking, but I think they are already better next year.

    They obviously need more pass rushers, but to me, it’s not a doom situation yet.

  76. HOUSE

    I dozed off earlier and had a dream about THU and FRI.

    Thursday: SEA trades #27 & #64 to JAC for Y. Ngakoue & #42
    Friday: SEA signs E. Griffen to a 2-year deal worth up to $17-19M. We also signed a Backup QB, but I woke up and missed the name

    • Sean

      Lol, what if you are a fortune teller. That would be crazy.

  77. GerryG

    Remember in 2018 how worthless Bruce Irvin was as pass rusher on a terrible Raiders DL? As it stands now he is going to reprise that role. Nothing against Bruce, but he is a complimentary piece, and considering Clowney is not an elite pass rusher, he doesn’t fix it either.

    I’m sorry, but this is looking like a dumpster fire to me. Will gladly accept being wrong.

    • Kingdome1976

      So the Titans had an incredible pass rush last year?

  78. CD

    Or maybe JS/PC are holding out hope to sign him so haven’t made another bigger ($) DL move. And maybe Clowney hasn’t been honest and really doesn’t want to come back, doesn’t see Hawks as a contender or likes the vibe of the staff. If all things are relatively equally with his offers, and he knows cap space is dwindling, wouldn’t some of the Hawks recent signings concern him for his own contract and adding more help to pair with him on the DL? I’m concerned Seattle (and the staff) isn’t the destination we all like to think it is for free agents.

  79. EranUngar

    An interesting point:

    Why did the team add several vet OL players and now Dorsett when this draft class is heavy with OL and WR talent?

    A possible answer is classic draft hedge but this year it goes much deeper.

    CFB rookies need every second of teaching, coaching and training to be ready for what they will face on the field. The big jump between year 1 and year 2 in the NFL is mainly due to the difficult learning curve for those rookies.

    In 5 weeks rookie mini camps are due to start followed by OTAs etc. How likely is it that those will start on time in this new brave corona infested world? How will delays and canceled work days affect the level of rookie readiness on week 1 in September?

    Having a veteran on your depth chart to start on OL or WR3 could be more vital than ever. Call in a CORONA hedge.

    Not a bad call by JS.

    • Bankhawk

      Point well-taken!

  80. millhouse-serbia

    Here is how i see our draft needs after FA…(its 10th day of FA and we could say it ended and wont be huge addition before draft- unbelievable considering our pass rush options currently on the roster).

    1. I think LEO position will be first of the board via draft or via trade(YN only possible and obvious trade target)…
    Possible targets at draft are Okwara, Zuniga and maybe YGM( unfortunately we dont have his 40y dash)

    2. DT(3T)- We dont have pure 3T besides Reed who is on short term deal. Possible targets are Madubuike, Davis, Blacklock, Gallimore

    3. C- if Britt is gone we dont have C for future. Maybe they see BJ in that role but he is on two year deal. Possible targets are Ruiz, Cush,Hannesey and maybe Harris.

    4. S/Big Nickel-yes safety…only young safety on long term deal is Blair, and think Carroll wont play base defense as much as last year and could use hybrid S/LB … possible targets Dugger, Chinn

    5. OT- I am not so sure about this because I am not sure do they want young tackles at all. But if they want possible targets are Wilson, Niang, Peart and PTW.

    6. WR- they need to take one from this great and deep class…there are lot of possible targets but some of them are Edwards, Claypool, Van Jefferson, DPJ…

    7. SAM/Leo – this is only if Carroll sees those two as 3 down players (Sam at first down and pass rusher in sub packages). They will go
    to early to take them only for 3rd down role(Jacob Martin role). Possible targets are Baun and Uche.

    8. RB- Penny is injured and Carson on his final year. I will say only one name Zack Moss.

    All these names are first 3 round picks so if they dont trade for YN I think they will trade back and try to have at least 5,6 picks in that range.

    • Davido

      Very good comment! I think it is important to have some sort of ranking of priorties when having arguments about our moves. I can agree with many of your choices. LEO is the obvious one but also putting WR and RB relatively low on the list is a fair judgement of the roster to me.

      4. Is particularly interesting to me. I was also advocating for a guy like Dugger as our answer to the nickel problems last year. Will be very interesting to see how they deal with the nickel vs base analysis and what kind of package they will run next season.

      • Rob Staton

        They need a pure nickel. They’ve got guys who can play big nickel. It’s not just about speed at that position you need some quickness and change of direction. They need a natural nickel.

        • millhouse-serbia

          I agree with this. I spoke only about first 3 round players and dont see them taking nickel in first 3 rounds. So definitely could see them adding nickel in later rounds.

          And they allready have Amadi and maybe they allready added one more vet option for nickel in Dunbar. He played some nickel and also Dunbar and Tre could play outside while Quill at nickel.

          • Rob Staton

            I don’t have much faith in Amadi at nickel. I’m willing to give him a pass as a rookie but to me he didn’t feel like a fit. Coleman was so quick and dynamic and I think you need those 4.3/4.4 type runners in that area.

            • millhouse-serbia

              When we are speaking about speed and nickel…post from Jim Nagy:

              Pro-day workouts continue around the country by former NFL scouts. Here’s one player from today whose test numbers are going to get teams’ attention:

              @UMassFootball CB Isaiah Rodgers
              5107
              174 lbs
              32 7/8 arm
              8 7/8 hand
              76 wing
              40.0 VJ
              9’6” BJ
              4.31/4.28 40-yd
              6.90 3-cone
              4.25 SS

              • Rob Staton

                Yep — that’s the kind of profile they need.

                • dcd2

                  John Reid – penn state

                  5’10
                  187 lbs
                  20 reps
                  36.5 vert
                  129 broad
                  3.97 short shuttle
                  6.95 3 cone

                  Faced kJ hamler every day in practice.

                  • Rob Staton

                    That’s the sauce we need

                  • Sebastian

                    PFF sees him as a draft sleeper:“Reid has some of the best feet at the line of scrimmage in the entire draft class. The only problem is, Penn State rarely let him show it off. He spend the majority of his snaps moving out into a cover-3 or quarters look for the Nittany Lions. On 97 snaps in man coverage last year, though, Reid allowed receptions on only 6-of-18 targets for 58 yards while picking off a pass and forcing incompletions on five others. He may be a tad undersized (5-foot-10, 187 pounds), but he’s a terrific all-around athlete who had the fastest short-shuttle (3.97) of any player at the Combine.“

              • Trevor

                NIce find. Have to try and check him out.

              • Henry Taylor

                My guy for the Nickle is Louisiana Tech’s Amik Robertson. Super super fun player to watch and ultra productive, only issue is he couldnt do any testing at the combine so you have to trust the tape against weaker opposition.

                • WALL UP

                  Agreed

        • Davido

          As a guy on their roster for sure, it’s vital to have a real nickel for specific matchups.
          It remains unclear what their “base defense” will be next year.
          Last year they prefered the 3 LB set over the regular nickel back so maybe they will go with something unusual again. If they want to use the nickel set only rotationally I could totally understand if they just add a guy to compete with Amadi and hope for the best.

  81. millhouse-serbia

    But how much I think we need pure nickel is that I would change Mcdougald and his salary for pure nickel in a heart beat. I would play Balir at SS, Diggs at FS, draft one more S, and change Bradley for vet nickel. Just not sure thats something Pete and JS will do because of option I mentioned in previous post.

    • Davido

      Blair is one of the biggest wildcards on this roster for me. Does anyone know what we have in him? He checks the physical boxes and showed some flashes last year but our coaching staff was also not convinced by him and were giving playtime to T2 and Lano Hill over him.
      Do we even know what position he plays? After the draft people were saying that he is suited best close to the LOS and we also have a clear FS in Diggs now. But our coaching staff was seeing him as a FS at the beginning of last season and he is also way smaller than what they went with on SS.

      • Rob Staton

        Don’t read too much into him not starting immediately. Remember, Kam Chancellor was a redshirt. And they talked a lot about the way Earl Thomas struggled as a rookie — but they took the hit in year one of a rebuild given he was the most talented player on the team.

    • Rob Staton

      I think they’ll sign a veteran pure nickel before the draft.

      • Davido

        Very reasonable guess. Thats what they did for the last years. Good point on Kam and Blair too.

      • millhouse-serbia

        They are out of cap space and not sure how much they are will to spend on that position. If they want to spend big, Robey -Coleman would be great addition.

        • Rob Staton

          But we know they’re not out of cap space because there’s a collection of players they will cut.

          • millhouse-serbia

            Yes of course, I just allready counted that additional cap space will go on pass rusher. I just cant believe they would use another 5+mil(on one contract) on anything else besides pass rush.

            • Rob Staton

              $5m? I’m thinking more like veteran minimum. That’s usually what they spend on a nickel. They might even trade for one on a rookie contract.

              • millhouse-serbia

                I was thinkig more on a proven starter who will play 70% of snaps and make this team (secondary) better moment he signs. Thats why I said i would change Mcdougal(5mil) for that type of player in a heart beat.

  82. Rob Staton

    Seven round Seahawks mock being posted today.

    Unless something big happens.

    • GoHawksDani

      Yaaay!

    • Trevor

      Looking forward to it. Seems to be a draft class with strength on the offensive side of the ball but almost all the Hawks free agent signings have been on that side of the ball. Really curious to see your take on what they might have in mind.

      • DC

        To have an elite offense & a ‘good enough’ defense?

    • Henry Taylor

      Very interested to see your thoughts on finessing this situation with where the team is right now.

    • Georgia Hawk

      At this point in isolation, the reddish colored squirrel beating the dark brown one up the tree in a foot race qualifies as “something big.”

      Maybe a qualifier on that, eh?

      LOL, thanks for giving me daily entertainment and quality reading through all this, Rob!

    • AlaskaHawk

      Looking forward to it.

      Maybe a paragraph about a super trade up, consolidate all the draft picks into 1-2 picks in the first/second round.

      Could be the only way to get a pro worthy defensive linemen.

    • mishima

      Should we preface our comments with, “I’m not a scout or GM or anything, but…?”

      • Rob Staton

        I started every sentence with it.

        • mishima

          Where do I sign my comment liability waiver?

  83. Largent80

    While these acquisitions are noteworthy, the glaring elephant in the room is still glaring. And they so far have signed players that the draft is full of….It’s a typical JS, PC offseason…Hahahaha

  84. All I see is 12s

    On Denver radio, Ben Albright just put out there that Seattle and the 2 NY teams are in on Clowney. Top offer of 13m.

    • Dcd2

      Clowney 2019: my one demand is that you don’t franchise tag me

      Clowney 2020: you know I was kidding, right? Please tag me. Please?

    • Rob Staton

      Ben Allbright though.

  85. Rad Man

    A possible explanation of front office free agent behavior so far: They don’t think they’re as close to SB level talent as we do, and they see another year of adding depth and finding talent before adding big ticket items.

    It may be that they see it the same as some analysts have- that a number of their wins last year were lucky, close margin outcomes, and they’re not as good as their record showed. So the time to add superstars is next year, not this.

    Not saying I agree (or disagree). Just looking at ways to interpret their behavior so far, which, as rob notes, is hard to understand.

    Maybe they simply don’t see themselves as being ahead of schedule of their re-set like many do.

    • Rob Staton

      If they don’t think they’re good enough, being not good enough for another year isn’t the way to change that. It’s to add players!

  86. Eburgz

    Mock draft focusing on Toughness, Physicality and grit. This is assuming we at least sign Clowney:

    R1 RB Jonathan Taylor

    R2 EDGE Jonathan Greenard

    R2 WR Laviska Shenault

    R3 LB Malik Harrison

    R4 DL Rashard Lawrence

    R4 CB Madre Harper (Southern Illi.): 6-1, 196 lbs., 4.41 40 yard, 4.10 shuttle, 6.70 3-cone, 40″ vert, 134″ broad, 14 bench reps

    R6 OL Tyre Philips

    • UKHAWK

      Others like him but dont get the Rashard Lawrence hype

      • Rob Staton

        Depends what you’re expectations are.

        If you expect elite pass rushing difference maker Geno Atkins then no, that’s not him.

        If you want someone who plays his arse off on every down, is incredibly disciplined, strong and active, that can be an emotional leader on your team and will solidly tie down one spot on a four man front then he’s well worth a third round pick.

      • Eburgz

        Insert Devon Hamilton or Leki Fotu if you like one of them.

        I think Zierlein sums up the attraction to Lawrence well
        “ Plays with dog mentality and is ready to turn any rep into a street fight if he needs to. Lawrence’s leadership and toughness stand out on the defensive side of the ball. He plays with pain and never shortchanges teammates in the effort department.

        Wide through the hips with powerful upper body and proportional thickness
        Plays hurt and is a warrior on the field
        High football character, team leader and hard worker
        Team player willing to eat up blocks
        Good snap quickness and quick hands
        Power to punch and lift blocker
        Made plays on the other side of the line
        Twitchy shed quickness and spins out of blocks
        Excellent hustle down the field to chase
        Gets some pocket push with long-arm bull-rush technique

  87. cha

    Ian Rapoport
    @RapSheet
    The #Cowboys have agreed to basic terms on a deal for free agent DT Dontari Poe, source said. They are finalizing the language on the deal, but it will get done. Another big-name former #Panthers DT in free agency.
    9:06 AM · Mar 25, 2020

    • dcd2

      Sould be a good pickup for them. Was hoping we’d consider him back when I thought DL was a priority

  88. Lewis

    New Casserly mock has Seattle taking Curtis Weaver at 27.

    • Rob Staton

      Don’t laugh anyone they might need to

      • Nick

        Seems odd that they knew they were going to need DEs last year (in a historically deep DE draft) and they drafted only one. Yes, I realize that there weren’t many left that fit our criteria once we got to the back end of the first round, but still. Odd. I just wish they had a better plan!

        • Rob Staton

          I understand why they only ended up with one a year ago but I don’t understand why they didn’t anticipate the rush. Maybe they received bad info? I don’t know. But they were caught out a bit.

          They’ve not really learnt either. They lost their best pass rusher 12 months ago because they didn’t want to pay him. Now they’re in the same boat. Eventually they’re going to have to pay someone to do a really important job.

          • Nick

            It’s really bizarre. Paying Clowney 13 million a year is straight disrespectful. That game he played against SF alone should cost us 13 million!

            • Alex H

              Problem is that dominant performance against SF was the anomaly, not the norm. He’s asking to be paid as if he played like that every game.

              Ultimately, a player is worth what the market is willing to pay him. If no one is willing to go past 18.5 (rumored offer by Seahawks at one point), then you’re not worth that much. Unfortunately for him, this whole virus thing probably scared teams off even more because they can’t evaluate him. Like it or not, medical is a question. Yes, he didn’t miss as many games as you would think, but he rarely is at a 100%. All of those can drive down to his price. Don’t think it’s 13M low (that must be a 1 year prove it deal), but I can see it dropping down to 15M-18M. That’s honestly still a bit high, but pass rushers are worth a premium.

          • Eburgz

            I wish we still had Frank Clark (and Jacob Martin). We better turn that R2 pick into something special.

            • LLLOGOSSS

              We’ll never know how it would’ve affected our other negotiations, but one year out, and yeah, would’ve rather paid frank than have Collier and one year of clowney. We’ll see what that other 2nd brings…

      • Lewis

        The most interesting to me in mock drafts is usually who else is available at the spot. This was curious because there hasn’t been much talk about Weaver elsewhere. I haven’t looked at that many mocks yet, but don’t recall seeing his name in round 1

        • Greg Haugsven

          At least its not a CB. Hopefully the trade for Dunbar will get these people off the CB mock.

  89. Sea Mode

    Some advanced stats by route type for top WRs (scroll down in thread for more):

    https://twitter.com/PFF_AustinGayle/status/1238992206192611329

  90. millhouse-serbia

    Robey-Coleman to Eagles. He just texted it to Josina. 😂

  91. cha

    ig: josinaanderson
    @JosinaAnderson

    CB Nickell Robey-Coleman just text me he is going to the #Eagles on a 1-year deal.
    10:01 AM · Mar 25, 2020

    • Rob Staton

      Josina getting an early text. Bet there’s a follow up coming where he tells her it was the best move for him.

    • off.grid.iron

      Like the Dorsett trade. Love the Dunbar acquisition. But apart from those two…I’ve been out of the loop for a couple news cycles. Could someone catch me up on how many draft picks we got in that trade for Tedrick Thompson?

      Sorry. Not sorry. 😁

    • Volume12

      That’s a really good move for Philly. They’ve had a productive off-season so far

      • Rob Staton

        There is something reassuring about a team making a small number of clinical moves to fix their weaknesses, setting up the draft to go after the strong positional areas to create a complete team.

        Well done to the Eagles.

      • mishima

        Solid free agent signings esp. Hargrave + aggressive trade for Slay. I’m just as impressed by their willingness to drop Jenkins.

        They’re all set to take advantage of the strong WR class, get some weapons for Wentz.

        • Greg Haugsven

          Josina is unreal. Ive never seen a more self absorbed person. Its all look at me. She will announce the same signing like 5 different times.

  92. Brian

    Why is that the Hawks seem to be the only team that never has to release contract details of their signings?
    Is there a real number on Irvin or Dorsett yet?

      • Brian

        touche

    • Brian

      Rob a question for you.

      I know you have done so much research on the physical requirements that the seahawks have for draft picks. Could you drop an article with each position and general requirements like arm length or height/weight for each position that you know of. Please keep up the great work you do here. I just stumble across this a couple weeks ago and read it everyday, wish I would have found it a few years ago.

      • Rob Staton

        A lot of that info’s in here Brian: https://seahawksdraftblog.com/the-ultimate-seahawks-combine-preview-2020

        • Brian

          You rock!!!!!!!!!!!!

          • Lewis

            Welcome aboard!

            • Greg Haugsven

              Ive been asking everyone I can think of for these numbers but notta. Its not just us its other teams as well. I believe some teams cant make things official until they can get them under the cap. For example the Falcons only have about $2 million in cap space and that has even counted for Fowler of Gurley. They cant be official until they create more cap space.

  93. Rob Staton

    “The #Seahawks have done a fantastic job filling out their roster these last two weeks.”

    Joe Fann on Twitter.

    Deary me.

    • Rob Staton

      The conversation has now moved on to Collier improving.

      Apparently that’s where we are at. The season resting on Collier and Green.

      Fantastic.

      • cha

        If and when they get a deal done with Clowney, they’ll be in great shape heading into the draft.

        (The problem is that the anxiety will be there until they lock down that top pass rusher.)

        https://thedisorderofthings.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/nicholas-cage-you-dont-say.jpg

        • Rob Staton

          I’m just amazed to be honest.

          Of course Bruce Irvin is better than Ansah. Even Bruce Springsteen would be better than Ziggy Ansah at working the edge.

          The difference between a terrible pass rush in 2019 and a good one in 2020 is NOT Bruce. It isn’t. It really isn’t.

          • Rob Staton

            This is why I hate Twitter to be honest.

            If I voice an opinion — such as my review of the first week in free agency — I’ll write a long-form article explaining my position. If you disagree, that’s fine. We can talk about it. I’ll back up my points though and explain the thought process.

            On twitter someone just fires off a random comment — ‘they’ve done fantastic’ — with no context or explanation really. And then when an idiot like me can’t resist and decides to challenge it, the person will defend their position because — well — that’s what you do on twitter. Never concede. It should be twitter’s motto.

            I’d love to read a thorough breakdown of why Bruce Irvin is going to be the difference between a bad pass rush and a good pass rush. I’d love to know why frittering away cap space on a suspect middle class is a fantastic policy. Let us read the evidence for this, the breakdown of why Ogbuehi is worth $3.3m or why they’ve signed four offensive linemen ahead of a fantastic looking OL draft (that is weak on the DL) while the stated priority — the pass rush — is left relatively untouched and risks being weakened.

            I want to be proven wrong with a big breakdown.

            A 220 character tweet isn’t enough. A tweet can (should?) be dismissed.

            • Nick

              So true. I find it frustrating how on Twitter very few admit they were/are wrong on a given topic.

              • God of Thunder

                What’s this “twitter” people are talking about?

                Joking aside, I barely check it. So filled with short bursts of rage and inanity.

            • dcd2

              Absolutely. I understand that most of the ‘breaking’ news comes from twitter, but so does most of the incorrect info and the absolute worst commentary or lack of. I avoid it almost completely, unless it is linked via some other outlet/poster.

              Journalism is like spelling and punctuation: a dying art. And we largely have Twitter to thank.

              Can you imagine if people interacted with each other face to face in public, as they do on Twitter? Ugh.

              • mishima

                They’re starting to.

          • cha

            I think what bothers me is this whole offseason the label of ‘doom and gloom’ has been correctly applied to some (field gulls) and incorrectly applied to others (anyone who is perplexed by the inaction on pass rush).

            As if all of fandom is black or white, with no shades in between.

            • Rob Staton

              Completely agree.

    • TomLPDX

      Consider the source.

      • Rob Staton

        Yup

  94. Nick

    Justin Madubuike’s three cone time is soooooooo enticing. At 290 he ran 7.37. For reference, Quinton Jefferson’s three cone time was 7.95 at 291.

    I am starting to really like Madubuike as Seattle’s first pick. The dude’s tape pops at times—and his versatility along the line is a great fit. Plus, from what I can tell, his gap integrity is pretty sound.

    • Rob Staton

      Very decent time.

    • Nick

      For more reference, McDowell’s three cone time was 7.69 at 295.

      • Rob Staton

        The only issue is I don’t think three cone is a position they’ve really focused on at DL. It’s more short shuttle and he didn’t do that.

  95. Gaux Hawks

    day ten. please pinch me.

  96. MartinB

    After watching other teams add talent, genuine talent, to their roster, it almost appears the Hawks believe PC can simply out coach and out “culture” everyone else. He’s a very good coach…but not good enough to make up for pure talent. How much longer does this philosophy go on, Rob? Unless PC/JS have a HUGE surprise up their sleeve, this looks like a 9 win team at best.

    • Rob Staton

      Unless they fix the pass rush properly, next season might not be much fun.

      • Aaron

        An exercise in agony watching even mediocre QBs shred our defensive backend becuase they have all day to throw. Don’t even get me started with good to great QBs…sheesh, what a nightmare!

  97. Georgia Hawk

    Field Gulls gives week one an “A” grade.

    Man I would hate to see what an “F” would be.

    • Rob Staton

      That’s funny.

    • Lewis

      It’s like everything is incredible or awful. There’s no middle ground. No nuance. No examination. No substance.

    • cha

      But looking only at the new players added and the former players departed, this is a massive win for free agency Week 1 for the Seattle Seahawks. It’s unfair (to a point) to critique them for what they haven’t done, as it doesn’t matter whatsoever.

      Before you yell, yes, if the Seahawks come out of the offseason without Jadeveon Clowney it will be a bad thing.

      Sure. Let’s kiss and bandaid all the scrapes and boo boos. We can reset that separated shoulder later.

    • God of Thunder

      Hey I have my doubts about Field Gulls too, but I have to call BS on that “A” grade.

      The grade I saw at FG a minute ago is a B+

      B plus, not A

    • mishima

      FG is a weird place.

    • 80SLargent

      The pundits gave the Seahawks an F for their 2012 draft. How did that one turn out?
      Meanwhile, the Browns win free agency and the draft every year. How many times have they been to the playoffs this millenium?
      A magic 8 ball provides more meaningful feedback than free agency and draft grades.

      • Rob Staton

        And teams who don’t do enough to fill glaring holes don’t get A’s with hindsight.

    • Davido

      I mean those grades are worthless just like draft grades right after the draft. Remember, teams like the Browns win the offseason year after year and not even make the playoffs. I am happy with the moves we made, more happy than others here but still an A is extremely questionable. There is not one move outside of Dunbar that is a proven upgrade to what we were last season and even he has some question marks.

  98. millhouse-serbia

    #Bucs DL Ndamukong Suh is expected to re-sign on a 1-year deal worth $8M, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. He wanted to return to play for DC Todd Bowles, and it should be done soon.

  99. SoCal12

    Big news that I know we’ve all been waiting for. Germaine Ifedi is a Chicago Bear on a 1-year deal.

    • TomLPDX

      Its an end of an era! Good luck Germaine.

    • Aaron

      Ahh, what a relief!

    • dcd2

      FGer comment gave me a chuckle:

      Unfortunately, he started signing a split-second before they handed him the contract.
      They had to move back five yards so they could clean the ink off the table, then repeat the signing ceremony.

      Posted by Suburban Shocker on Mar 25, 2020 | 11:39 AM

      • Greg Haugsven

        Interested in how much.

      • WALL UP

        😁

  100. pdway

    I didn’t hate Ifedi as much as most – but I do think it’s fair to say that he never really improved. I guess we never offered him a deal?

    Too bad the price for Fant was so high – I don’t blame the Hawks for not paying him $10M/year – – but would be nice to slot him in at RT, and have him on-deck for Duane, who can’t play forever. The new guys we signed are unknowns to me, hopefully they can play.

    • Volume12

      Go get Matt Peart. Can play RT and can be groomed for LT when Duane hangs em up.

      If they want a pure RT, Isaiah Wilson or Lucas Niang.

    • Logan Lynch

      I agree. Ifedi didn’t play well enough to earn a long term deal with SEA, but he was far from a bust. 4 year starter who played adequately the last 2 seasons.

    • HawkfaninMT

      To me this shows the genius in trading for a proven LT whenever the opportunity arises. As soon as Brown is ready to retire O would be scouting the league for a LT to trade for even if it means getting raked over the coals a bit. I’m stunned that Trent Williams is still on the Redskins

  101. millhouse-serbia

    Rob is it true that deputy of british ambassador in Hungary who was 37 died from corona?

    • Rob Staton

      No idea, sorry

  102. charlietheunicorn

    Rob (and the gang), would it be irresponsible to go forward with the draft as scheduled?

    Every team is at the same disadvantage, unable to do further testing, medicals or interviews… the “gm/coach” recommendation committee voted 6-1 to postpone, but the head poohbah Goodell is wanting to hold everything as scheduled in April.

    • Gaux Hawks

      irresponsible, but ratings will be historic with everyone working from home.

    • Greg Haugsven

      I would say just move forward. If you dont when are you going to have it?

    • Rob Staton

      I think they might as well.

      Unless they want to push it back to late July this situation isn’t improving any time fast.

    • HawkfaninMT

      I’m not positive that’s entirely accurate. I feel like there are states that have more stringent shelter in place regulations than others. So while the bit about testing, and physicals being the same disadvantages across the board, some teams have a greater ability to meet and collaborate in person. I realize almost all of this “can” be done via Microsoft Team or Skype or what have you, but it’s a change. And it’s a change that is forced upon some teams (Seahawks) and not on others that are in states less affected by the virus

    • EmperorMA

      I think postponing the draft is akin to postponing the start of the season in Goodell’s eyes. I am not sure how it could be anything but.

      He will make every effort to avoid that from happening.

  103. charlietheunicorn

    Prince Charles is reported to have tested positive for Covid-19, just shows how far and wide this might go…..

    • Rob Staton

      In fairness though, Prince Charles does a lot of meeting with people from all over the world daily. So he was probably more likely to get it than most.

  104. Volume12

    Starting to wonder if Seattle goes RB 1st (Taylor or Dobbins) and then double dips on the D-line in round 2.

    • Rob Staton

      I doubt Taylor will be there. Akers more likely IMO unless they’ve fallen for CEH.

      • Volume12

        Personally, I hope they don’t go that route. I’d rather they added an Akers, CEH, Moss later on.

        Someone I’m intetested in if he were to last, don’t think he will, is Austin Jackson. I could see them liking his upside.

      • EmperorMA

        I am kind of hoping they’ve fallen for CEH.

  105. drewdawg11

    Dobbins isn’t bidding round one and isn’t a lock for early second. JT and D Swift are the only two with first round buzz at all.

  106. Ashish

    Sorry I’m back on Pass rush signings. Any theory why hawks are not signing Griffin? I know we all asking same question. Dang it can’t wait…..

    • Rob Staton

      Apparently it’s because they’re having a fantastic start to the off season and everything is great.

      • Hawktalker#1

        Exactly. I have been reading a lot recently and have confirmed from some informed sources that we are actually in a lot better shape than many think!! Also my previously unsettled mind has been set to rest after seeing we have received a B rating for our off-season work to date. I couldn’t be more proud. Wait. Grrrrrrr

    • Simo

      Have to believe they really want Clowney in the fold first, then they might be able to consider secondary options. So, they are having to play the waiting game for the time being. Hopefully they have held some conversations with Griffen though.

  107. Rob Staton

    You wouldn’t believe how much moderating I’ve had to do over the last 24 hours. All because I’ve dared to write about the Seahawks in a non flattering way.

    • TomLPDX

      I can believe it. Hopefully none of the regular crew but we’ve been know to fly off the handle on occasion!

    • LLLOGOSSS

      Are people being irate and offensive?

      • Rob Staton

        Sometimes.

      • TomLPDX

        Probably being irate and offensive because he hasn’t posted his 7-round mock yet. 🙂

        • LLLOGOSSS

          I can understand that.

    • One Bad Mata'afa

      It’s probably the Field Gulls crew trolling lol

      • Rob Staton

        Maybe.

  108. All I see is 12s

    Ridiculous. Most people posting here know better

  109. SemperFi Hawk

    Rob,
    I’ve been reading your columns for years and have never felt the need to comment because of the great information already being discussed. I’ve preferred to hang back. I can’t commend you enough on all your hard work that you put in on a daily basis covering the team in which I happen to have an addiction for. Your site is my go-to-multiple times a day as I’m sure it is for thousands of others, all because of your hard work and dedication — THANK YOU.

    You are 100% correct in calling out the Seahawks FO for lack of urgency in filling a clear and dire need…the DL. In the military we have a saying, Just make a decision, good or bad we can live with it, but indecision gets people killed. I’m not comparing the NFL to the military; however, the analogy still rings true. I too am growing more and more irritated by the day.

    • Rob Staton

      Thanks dude

  110. Gaux Hawks

    unfortunate. i come here for the elevated (and respectful) level of engagement from the community.

    • EmperorMA

      My blood pressure is elevated waiting on this Clowney stuff.

      • Hawk Mock

        Pretty perplexing as to why they haven’t gotten it done yet if he really was their top priority. If 18.5 offer is to be believed, that’s more than the other 2 top edges(Armstead and Fowler) got on their deals. Is it then on Clowney or are we required to bid against ourselves? If he’s holding out for the top bid regardless, maybe he isn’t the guy we want and should just move on. Idk.

  111. AlexG

    Rob, appreciate your excellent analysis ! Love the blog.

    After Clowney and Griffen, who’s your next best FA pass rushing target, if any ?

    • Rob Staton

      I think they’re all gone Alex. Would need to be a trade.

      • Hawktalker#1

        Ok Rob

        1. If trade was the next activity of value and you were the GM, who would you go after?
        (Let’s assume/hope they already have Clowney and another rusher like Griffen at this point)

        2. Also, Assuming we get Clowney but don’t have the second significant rusher we need yet, do you think it would be to our advantage to try and trade for YN, or should they just target Griffen?

        Thx

        • Rob Staton

          I don’t know who’s out there other than Ngakoue and Judon (I’m not a big Judon guy). I’m sure there are others. But I don’t know who.

          They need more than just Clowney. They need to get someone, either one of those two others or someone else.

  112. Awsi Dooger

    Wow did the Patriots and Brady age in a hurry as 2019 progressed. That was glaring from the Dorsett every-touch video. Early season they actually used Dorsett very well, similarly to what I remember from his college career. Then as Brady started to wear down it turned into a bunch of meaningless short throws to the sideline.

    Seattle does best in finding hidden value off other rosters like Dunbar and Dorsett. I’m not as impressed with the overly-cute trade down mentality. If anything it should be the opposite. Take advantage of teams desperate for extra picks and trade up into their slot. Don’t trade up for a specific player. Do it early enough to get some value, with an understanding of the fundamental realities, that their are distinct tiers within a draft and if you give your general manager a swing from let’s say the 15 slot instead of the 27 slot then his odds of success are considerably higher.

    Bottom line I’m just not impressed with the 3rd and 4th round mush as opposed to early opportunities within the top 40.

    Regarding free agency, my belief is always to try to go 2-0. Every season try to decisively go 2-0. That is a realistic goal and it will prevent the flings all over the place like the Dolphins did, or the wasted capital on guys who logically no longer make a difference like Bruce Irvin. If you start out with a goal to go 2-0 then you’ll realize you can’t devote many millions to those fringe types while rationalizing that it doesn’t matter. Also with a 2-0 goal you’ll recognize a need to get going. My only beef with the free agency coverage here was the insistence after a few days that it was only half over. That may have been true on the calendar but not the meaningful distribution.

    • Rob Staton

      You’ve lost me with the 2-0 stuff. What does that mean?

      I’m also confused by this bit:

      “My only beef with the free agency coverage here was the insistence after a few days that it was only half over. That may have been true on the calendar but not the meaningful distribution.”

      I don’t recall anyone saying anything about it being half over (not even sure what that means).

    • EmperorMA

      I think this is a VERY different year. It is doubtful the draft will help ANY team in 2020, except a couple who get very lucky near the top of the draft.

      If there are no training camps, the rookies will suffer most. Having a stable of veterans … even middling vets, just might be a good strategy for the coming season.

      Now the FO can just let the draft come to them and stock up for 2021 and beyond.

  113. Paul Cook

    Well, no surprise on Ifedi. When they didn’t extend him last year, the handwriting was on the wall outside of a real strong season this year. He actually had a decent season for himself this year, not missing a snap and cutting down some on his penalties.

    I just didn’t understand why they played him at tackle when he had such slow footwork. He should have been a guard. I was kind of hoping that Fant would take over for him when he in all probability left. But that contract was a bit rich for us. Leave it to the Jets.

    Beyond Olsen, the Dunbar signing is the only signing that really moved the needle much beyond ho-hum for me. It’s wait and see with the rest of the bunch.

    We need a difference maker. We need Clowney. And we need more rush. Beyond that, just go for BPA at a few different spots.

  114. Paul Cook

    I would definitely trade up for a difference maker in the draft if possible, but for me personally that would probably boil down to just a few names, Young, Brown, Simmons, or CeeDee Lamb. Young would cost more than they would part with, so it really boils down to the latter three for me. I might consider an OLman, but the draft is reasonably loaded there, and I’d probably see what could be done on day two or three of the draft there.

    It’s getting to the point where we’re probably going to have to reverse the Clark trade to get more rush, which of course would blow the trade up scenario.

    I guess it’s just wait and see what they do.

  115. Dee Fallen

    Why, in the world would we sign dorsett.. Why, why, why.. We could have used that $ somewhere else. We, need a game changer at RECEIVER that is what we are lacking.. ANTONIO BROWN, IS THE SEAHAWKS, ANSWER TO ADVANCING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. UNTIL, WE GET AN ELITE WEAPON ON OFFENSE, WE WILL JUST BE A 1ST ROUND PLAYOFF . The time, is now for the hawks to make, some serious moves.. Let’s, make some noise this 2020 season.. Defense, we need, a good pass rusher, a good corner, and a good safety. Go, HAWKS..

    • dcd2

      Gross. AB needs a boatload of professional help. He’s not right in the head. Why do you think zero teams are talking to a guy who has hall of fame talent?

      Look up his Facebook livestream where he’s screaming and cursing at the police who are trying to get his kids’ clothes, and tell me that he fits with Seattle’s culture.

© 2024 Seahawks Draft Blog

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑