Could the Seahawks be active in the trade market?
OverTheCap says they’ve got $29m in effective cap space to play with — an unusually high amount for the Seahawks at this time of year. It makes you wonder if they could be active in the trade market down the line.
They’ve done this in the past. Jadeveon Clowney was added on the 31st August in 2019 just before the season started. The Jamal Adams trade was finalised on the 20th July a year later. Is it beyond the realms of possibility they make a similar move between now and the start of the new season?
The pass-rush could still use some X-factor. Trey Hendrickson’s situation warrants monitoring. The Bengals are notoriously difficult to do business with and are unlikely to be reasonable in any trade talks. However, Hendrickson’s contract runs out in less than a year and if there was a deal to be done on an extension, you’d think they would’ve done it by now. Furthermore, the drafting of Shemar Stewart at least hints at some forward planning by Cincinnati.
They may decide that simply keeping Hendrickson this year and running his contract down is the best option, rather than getting a draft pick now. The Bengals finished last season on fire and if they can pick up where they left off, would be a serious contender in the AFC.
Hendrickson turns 31 in December which is part of the issue. Any team acquiring him will be expected to give him a big extension, yet he’s coming to an age where his production could tail off. That said, he’s also been one of the few elite edge rushers in the league over the last few years. He has 35 sacks in the last two seasons alone. Since 2020, he’s recorded 70.5 sacks.
The Seahawks spent a second round pick on Leonard Williams when he was 29 and in a contract year. They then gave him a substantial extension. If they thought Hendrickson could guarantee his level of production for another three seasons, they might be willing to do a deal here. Particularly if he ends up being the finishing touch for the defense. They have the cap space to do it.
Even if it’s not him, the Seahawks have the financial flexibility to be buyers later in the year. They could easily be sniffing around struggling teams before the deadline who are willing to part with players to guarantee draft stock for 2026.
Other potential targets could include Zach Allen with the Broncos. There’s been no movement on a new contract in Denver and he’s a player the Seahawks reportedly showed interest in when he was a free agent. Apparently they at least touched base with Bryce Huff before he joined the Eagles a year ago. He’s seemingly available and could be quite cheap. The Browns also appear motivated to move cornerback Greg Newsome, who was described by one anonymous scout pre-draft as “a great kid” with “pro height/weight/speed, pro instincts (and a) pro mentality.”
Explosive traits matter
Since 2016 we’ve been using our TEF formula (explained here) to measure explosive traits for offensive linemen entering the league. It was illuminating to hear John Schneider speak openly about something similar the team uses. He referenced a ’30/30/30′ preference — where players achieve a vertical jump of +30 inches, deliver 30 reps on the bench press and score +30 on the wonderlic (or some other form of similar test).
Unfortunately we have no means of learning wonderlic data so we can’t do anything with this information specifically. However, it does show that they are paying attention to some of the testing features we’ve looked at for years.
In this draft class they added the fourth and fifth most explosive testers among the offensive linemen. The only players who performed better were Armand Membou (unavailable to Seattle as the #7 pick), Luke Kandra (undrafted) and Luke Newman (sixth rounder for the Bears). It certainly appears that explosive traits are very much part of Seattle’s approach and that should reassure fans because most of the top offensive linemen in the league are explosive testers (TEF scores in brackets):
Braden Smith — 3.52
Trey Smith — 3.49
Tristan Wirfs — 3.47
Armand Membou — 3.45
Lane Johnson — 3.44
Rashawn Slater — 3.40
Peter Skoronski — 3.37
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Quinn Meinerz — 3.34
Cam Jurgens — 3.34
Zach Tom — 3.33
Drew Dalman — 3.31
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Frank Ragnow — 3.29
Creed Humphrey — 3.25
Cesar Ruiz — 3.25
Bryce Cabeldue — 3.25
Grey Zabel — 3.23
Donovan Jackson — 3.19
Chris Lindstrom — 3.18
Alijah Vera-Tucker — 3.16
Trent Williams — 3.11
Tate Ratledge — 3.10
Will Fries — 3.10
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Will Campbell — 3.07
Tyler Linderbaum — 3.05
Erik McCoy — 3.05
Penei Sewell — 3.04
Joe Thuney — 3.04
Joe Alt — 3.02
Elgton Jenkins — 3.01
Cody Mauch — 3.01
Garrett Bolles — 3.00
This isn’t a coincidence. For all the talk of just getting someone based on good tape or whatever, the difference makers up front in the trenches are typically players with explosive traits.
A quick note — I wouldn’t assume Anthony Bradford won’t be part of the right guard competition in a serious way. His TEF score was a 3.17 and he comfortably fits the 30/30/30 approach in two of the segments (30 inch vertical, 34 bench press reps). Also, he surprisingly ran a brilliant 5.08 forty at 332lbs with a 1.73 10-yard split. Physically he fits the bill and perhaps with better coaching he can take a step in 2025?
Why the national coverage of the draft was worse than it’s ever been this year
It was a slog to get through the NFL Network’s coverage of the draft a year ago (I don’t have access to ESPN). Rich Eisen went to Michigan and is a big Wolverines fan. There’s nothing wrong with a playful nod to that during three long days of coverage. However, it took over the event — just as it did the combine. Coupled with Ian Rapoport tipping the stunning Michael Penix Jr pick seconds before it was announced, it was a rough experience.
This year things got worse and it extends beyond the NFL Network.
The Shedeur Sanders fall was the biggest story of the draft and rightly garnered a lot of attention. However, Eisen’s coverage of the story was incredibly frustrating. His constant questioning as to why it was happening — when multiple reporters had gone into great detail as to explain why — became torturous to watch. He started to resemble a sulking teenager. This, I can see from social media clips, was only surpassed by Mel Kiper’s similar reaction on ESPN.
Clearly in Eisen’s case it was at least partly influenced by his relationship with Deion Sanders. It became too personal though. Instead of a serious discussion about why he fell, it became a giant three-day whinge. Not enough time was spent discussing the actual players being selected, as they were robbed of their moment in the sun as the Sanders obsession continued. It got to a point where a player came off the board and you just knew in your head, ‘Eisen’s going to bring up Sanders again isn’t he?’ and low and behold, he would.
I’ve always argued that by day three of the draft you’re only clinging on to the true die-hards and it’s weird that neither network caters for those people. They barely discuss the players being taken, they often skip over 5-10 picks before a quick recap and it’s frustrating that following the online draft tracker is more useful than actually watching the TV broadcast.
Eisen’s sulking, surly disbelief made it worse this year. Particularly as he continued to ignore the now public reasons why Sanders had turned teams off. For a man who once felt like broadcasting perfection personified, he’s started to resemble an opinionated fan with a microphone — whether that’s discussing the Jets, Michigan or in this instance, the son of a friend.
There’s something else I want to mention. On the networks, podcasts and articles I’ve read about the draft, I wish we could end the auto-pilot response of praising the same GM’s and teams every year.
Take the Eagles. Their selection of Jihaad Campbell has been described as a masterstroke by Howie Roseman. I really like Campbell and thought he was one of the 10 best players in the draft based on talent. However, the reason he lasted to the end of round one is because he’s had labrum surgery on one shoulder and reportedly might need the other shoulder doing. There are also reportedly other concerns with a knee issue.
There’s nothing wrong with saying it’s worth a gamble given the state of the Eagles’ roster. They are the kind of team who can afford to take a shot to nothing. But let’s at least acknowledge that’s what this is rather than make out like the Eagles are playing 4D chess.
Roseman is an exceptional GM but it doesn’t mean we have to assume everything he does is great. Let’s not forget, he’s the same decision maker who took Jalen Reagor one pick ahead of Justin Jefferson.
It’s even worse in the case of the Ravens. There’s a reason Mike Green fell to the 59th pick after most considered him a top-20 lock. The allegations that led to his departure from Virginia, which he discussed openly at the combine, clearly took him off many boards. A not unfair assumption to make here, given how long he lasted, is teams were at the very least unconvinced by his explanation of that period in his life.
Baltimore ended his fall and I’ve seen the pick described as a ‘miraculous steal’ online in one article. I’m sure some questions have been asked about it but I’ve not seen much fuss on a broader scale. This is a team who later drafted a kicker because they might have to dump Justin Tucker for a number of serious allegations. Of all the teams to select Green, the Ravens were an eyebrow raiser.
I wonder what the reaction would’ve been had the Cleveland Browns made this pick instead? Would it have been called a great selection? Would they have been given any benefit of the doubt? Would they have been allowed, as Eric DeCosta and the Ravens have been, to just say ‘we fully researched Mike Green’ and basically that just be accepted?
Then there’s Les Snead of the Rams, another media darling. Their best move was to coax a first round pick out of the hapless Falcons who showed once again they don’t really know what they’re doing. Yet their draft class looks incredibly thin and low-impact. It’s hard to imagine, short of Davante Adams having a career resurgence as he approaches his 33rd birthday, how the Rams have actually improved this off-season. They still don’t have a future at quarterback, they didn’t address a need at cornerback or linebacker and they have other holes on the roster too. The reaction to their draft has been favourable though, almost with a ‘Les, you’ve done it again’ type reaction.
Their best move was to receive a call by the Falcons and say ‘yes’ to their offer.
It’d be nice to see a more critical eye placed on some of the usual suspects who seem to generate praise simply because of past successes.
What I think we’ll see with Seattle’s offense this year
It took things a little while to settle down on defense a year ago. There was a stretch after an easy three-game start for the Seahawks where the unit fell apart. After tweaking personnel we saw a rapid improvement. Seattle ended the season with Mike Macdonald’s group looking like a top-10 group.
I suspect we might see a similar journey with the offense. This is a very young offensive line transitioning to a new scheme. There might be some growing pains. That in turn could impact the running attack and the quarterback. However, things could similarly settle down after the first few weeks. My prediction is that by the final stretch, health permitting, we’ll see a unit that has made the same kind of strides as Macdonald was able to achieve with the defense.
They’ve appointed a really good offensive staff with proper NFL experience and everything appears aligned in a way it wasn’t a year ago. Klint Kubiak already feels like an ideal partner for Macdonald. It might be worth mentally preparing to witness those growing pains but patience could be rewarded down the line.
Closing thoughts
So there we go. My final thoughts (for now). The plan is to take a break but I don’t want anyone to think ‘that’s it’ until August. I’m not shutting the blog or the YouTube channel down until later in the year. I just want you to know that I’m going to play things by ear — respond to events that might occur, write when I feel like writing or jump on a stream when there’s something to get into.
I’ve committed more time than ever to the blog and the YouTube channel over the last year. We’re about to go into a down period for the NFL and I think this is a good opportunity to commit to some family time and recharge. If anything happens over the next few weeks relating to the Seahawks, I will definitely write something and/or do a video. I’m always open to podcast/streaming/radio requests and will let you know if I’m doing any of those. This won’t be a long break — but perhaps a needed one.
By the summer I’ll be digging deep into the tape for 2025 draft eligible players, sharing thoughts and preparing for the new season. I fully intend to travel to Seattle for a game this year. If the Seahawks are chosen to play Jacksonville in London, I would also plan to cover that extensively for the full week.
I want to take this opportunity to thank a few people. Firstly, to Curtis Allen who does such an exceptional job providing articles for the blog. His analysis on the cap, for me, is the best around. It’s been joyous to see him invited on to other shows to discuss the Seahawks. He’s a great guy and it’s a privilege to have him contribute to SDB.
To Robbie and Adam, who put up with me talking too much on the live streams and humour my long winded views. They are both so supportive and constantly raise my spirits. They have their own busy lives to deal with but still find time for SDB. Along with Curtis, I feel like I’ve made great friends through this website and I’m so grateful for that. They are also both really good at what they do and are so passionate about this team.
To the wider community — I still think this is the best place to talk Seahawks on the internet by far. That’s down to you. I’m not even sure how many blogs carry a significant comments section these days, with people instead turning to social media or Reddit forums. Yet here it’s so busy all of the time. Moderating the comments is nowhere near as difficult as it should be because of the people who contribute. You are all so supportive of what we do, you kept me going through the times where things were tough and the knives were out when I/we dared to challenge aspects of the franchise. If I didn’t write this blog, I’d still visit and comment because of the people in the community. Thank you.
To the Patrons and contributors via Super Chat on YouTube — I massively appreciate it. This is a commercial free website and I’m never going to plaster ads all over the place, making articles a chore to read. There are significant running costs though as the blog has grown and those of you assist are all heroes to me.
Finally to anyone who has helped promote SDB by having me on your shows or streams, I’m very grateful. The site and YouTube channel continue to grow and that’s in part due to the opportunities I’m given elsewhere.
Keep checking the blog because like I say, I’m not shutting things down. Things will slow for a while though as we head into the quiet period in the NFL. Yet by training camp, we’ll be back at it — providing constant analysis on everything Seahawks and draft. Although many people find the blog in the March/April months — I always think the best stuff we do is August to December when we’re studying the 2026 prospects long before mainstream media get involved. So please do join us for that and continue to be part of this great community.
If you’ve enjoyed the work we’ve done during this draft cycle and want to contribute to the blog, you can do so via Patreon by clicking here or email me at rob@seahawksdraftblog.com for alternative options.
