Author: Rob Staton (Page 72 of 428)

I wrote an article last week discussing the defensive tackle position and kind of dismissed the idea of a late, bold trade to bolster Seattle’s thinnest position.

So why, a week on, am I writing something different?

I think a few things have changed. Firstly, injuries. Cam Young is still out, Jarran Reed is receiving a rest day to limit his workload and Mike Morris has a concerning, lingering shoulder issue.

It’s one thing to be a bit green and small up front — it’s quite another to simply have a lack of bodies due to injuries.

I’ve also been watching with interest the developments in Kansas City. The Chris Jones holdout felt like a point-proving exercise for a while that would eventually get resolved without much fuss. Yet it’s now veering towards crisis point. He’s threatening to sit-out half a season. Andy Reid is having no time for it, stating, “Whatever happens, happens. The game goes on.”

It’s worth remembering that we’re only two weeks removed from Chiefs GM Brett Veach saying they had “no intention” of trading Jones. I suppose it’s also worth recalling that’s the exact same language the Seahawks used before the Russell Wilson trade. “No intention” stops short of a firm ‘no’ and sounds like a denial when it’s only sort of a rejection of the idea.

I did a bit of digging around Chiefs’ sites to gauge how they feel and was surprised to see some fairly open-minded articles.

This one points out they were willing to move Tyreek Hill. They were validated in doing so, winning a Super Bowl the next season. When you have Patrick Mahomes and a decorated Head Coach, it seems you can out-last anyone else.

An interesting dynamic is also noted regarding other players who will need to be paid in the future and how firm the Chiefs were in negotiations with Orlando Brown Jr:

Certainly, Chris Jones deserves to be paid more than what his current contract is set at. His play has dictated that he is arguably the best defensive tackle in the league, outside of Aaron Donald. Once again, Kansas City reportedly made him a significant offer. However, the Chiefs have been okay with moving on from star players that are seeking a noteworthy raise or are attempting to reset the market. Look no further than the aforementioned Hill or Orlando Brown Jr.

All told, recent history indicates that the Chiefs are unlikely to budge on sizable offers. The future salary cap outlook is always going to be crucial for a team with the best quarterback in the NFL. And while they would likely want to keep Jones for his entire career, other names like Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Nick Bolton and L’Jarius Sneed are in a contract year in either 2023 or 2024. Outside of Mahomes, it is going to be rare for a player to reset the market in Kansas City. The Chiefs have made that abundantly clear.

It’s still unclear why the Chiefs haven’t just sorted this out by now. They have over $47m in projected cap space next year, 10th most in the league despite the fact they’re paying their franchise quarterback big money. They can easily afford to give Jones a front-loaded pay-rise to secure the rest of his peak years.

It could be that Jones is simply being too unreasonable and therefore, he’s pricing himself out of an extension anywhere not just Kansas City. That would also seem an odd thing to do. He’s won the jackpot getting to play with Mahomes. He has two rings, a healthy bank balance and moving away will make him richer financially but probably not in the ring department.

Then again, Hill also sacrificed the chance to play with Mahomes to go to Miami. He’ll be productive but not as productive as he’d be with a quarterback seemingly destined to be the best to ever play the game.

Maybe there are cashflow problems surrounding a $477m commitment to Mahomes over 10-years that are not abundantly obvious? It helps the cap hit but maybe hammers the spending money. Who knows? That’s speculative, it’s just a bit weird how the team and player haven’t found common ground. Jones is a rare talent.

One other reason why I dismissed a trade last week was the potential cost of a deal. Why wouldn’t the Chiefs ask for a Jamal Adams-esque haul?

Yet in this article, from another Chiefs fan-site, the suggested price is a lot less extreme:

As I’ve said before, wide receivers are a hot commodity, but pass rushers are worth their weight in gold. Which is why I think the Chiefs could easily get at least two first-round picks for Chris Jones. However, his age could absolutely play a factor in that outcome.

At the absolute least, it seems reasonable that a team would give up one first round pick, a second, and then a few late round picks similar to the Hill trade. Anything less would feel like a net loss for the Chiefs.

Jones has just turned 29 so this is likely to be a one-contract trade. You’d be making a deal for his remaining peak years — age 29-33.

It’s tricky to project how a defensive tackle will hold-up. It’s not easy being 310lbs and retaining speed, agility and quickness into your 30’s. Joints have taken a beating by that point. Yet Jones isn’t a typical defensive lineman. He had 15.5 sacks last season. That’s insane. He has 65 sacks in six years as a featured player.

If he produced 40 sacks in four years, that would easily — in my opinion — be worth a first and second rounder plus change. It can be the difference between a good and great team, especially when you have decent overall depth but lack a generational quarterback like the Chiefs.

He also wouldn’t necessarily need to have massive-sack numbers. His impact in crucial games could be defining. Many consider the Frank Clark trade a bit of a miss for the Chiefs but ultimately, his sack production in the playoffs was a major contributing factor in Kansas City playing in three Super Bowls.

I genuinely thought ‘never again’ on trades like this and I’d say that for probably any DT not named Aaron Donald or Chris Jones. Yet his talent combined with team need makes it intriguing. I don’t think you’ll find anyone in the draft next year like Jones. I’m tempted to say it’d be worth the outlay to see if he can take you to the pinnacle.

It would be a huge move but then they’ve already invested a handsome sum in Dre’Mont Jones. Perhaps he’s their one splash and makes a big trade highly unlikely? I’d say that’s probably right. There is something quite exciting though about the two Jones’ teaming up inside with Seattle’s exciting young edge rushers (and perhaps even a blitzing Jamal Adams) attacking a key third down.

Josina Anderson loves a cryptic tweet almost as much as a mention that she can phone or text many players for breaking news — but I couldn’t help but be drawn to this bait:

There is an NFC team being real quiet at the moment…that has me thinking a bit. We’ll see though.

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 12, 2023

The Seahawks have been kind of quiet, right? And that isn’t typical for them.

Is something building behind the scenes?

I think the answer is ‘probably not’ but it’s August, the ideal time for a bit of ‘what if?’ talk among friends.

I’d prefer the Seahawks to keep building through the draft, find ways to be opportunistic and follow the plan that has worked so well in the last two off-seasons. Yet there comes a point where you’re close and the temptation to make that one big move to push you over the edge just grows exponentially. When it’s a truly world-class player you’re talking about, it becomes even more intriguing.

The Head Coach turns 72 in September. They have accelerated the build somewhat by paying top dollar to players. Would you be in favour of a big trade? Would you offer a first and second rounder for Chris Jones, plus some later round compensation?

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I’ll have some thoughts on a mini injury crisis for the Seahawks in a moment but first some notes on the draft…

The reality (again) of the 2024 QB class

I’ve tried to temper some of the OTT draft chatter about the 2024 quarterback class. People are projecting players in the first round who, currently, have no business being there. Caleb Williams at USC is the real deal and will almost certainly be the top pick next year, unless a team with a young QB earns the top selection and decides to stick and pick Marvin Harrison Jr. After that though, I can’t project any other QB to round one. Drake Maye gets a lot of love and he has some qualities but his play was too inconsistent last year and a fair amount of work is needed to justify the hype.

Today the Senior Bowl put out their extensive watch-list for 2023. There are 47 quarterbacks listed, including some big names. Several players on the list are being touted as top picks, even first round picks.

However, Jim Nagy provides a cautionary yet optimistic note. He says of the 47 quarterbacks named, Bo Nix is rated the highest. He currently has him as a day-two selection. That means, of all the names listed by the Senior Bowl, none are currently carrying first-round projections. This is despite draft media saying they are.

Nagy also notes that at this time in previous years Joe Burrow and Kenny Pickett weren’t considered high picks. Burrow went on to have one of the greatest seasons ever in college football history and became a deserved #1 overall pick. Pickett also found a home in round one (although I’d argue that was a reach).

There’s certainly a possibility some of these players will elevate over the coming months. However, this is what I suspect this class is going to be. It’ll be light on first round players and deep in the middle rounds. That’s a stark contrast to this year, where we had three (deserved, in my opinion) top-five quarterbacks. I think it’s a mistake that C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson are starting as rookies but they warranted consideration by the teams taking them.

From a Seahawks perspective, if they end up needing to draft a quarterback next year (either because Geno Smith performs below expectations and/or Drew Lock departs) then it’s quite possible we’ll be debating day-two players, not high draft picks.

Thoughts on how they approach the position

I do think it’s curious how conservative the Seahawks have been at quarterback, refusing to invest any picks apart from Russell Wilson and Alex McGough. For a GM like John Schneider, who clearly loves QB scouting, it’s interesting that they haven’t taken more shots.

The Wilson trade saga didn’t creep up on anyone. It was reported in 2017 they would’ve drafted Patrick Mahomes if available and a year later they were prepared to trade Wilson for the opportunity to draft Josh Allen. Yet they didn’t see anyone in the middle rounds to chuck into the mix and try to develop.

I do wonder if they’re almost trying too hard for perfection. They struck gold with Wilson and maybe Schneider takes so much pride in how he evaluates quarterbacks — thus, why it’s become well known publicly that he loved Mahomes and Allen — that he is almost ‘too safe’ and doesn’t want to take shots, he wants to draft the next star. In order to do that, he’ll need to have a conviction over a player that he arguably wouldn’t need at other positions.

That’s speculative on my behalf but I don’t think it’s out of the question. After all, plenty of teams roll the dice on draft picks at quarterback. To only use two in 13 years, one of which was a seventh rounder, suggests they are very careful at the position. Post-Wilson trade, they also had two loaded classes with multiple picks. Big name players fell. Yet at no point, in either draft, did they feel comfortable pulling the trigger on a QB.

To a degree I don’t mind that. I thought in 2021 they should’ve strongly considered taking either Kellen Mond or Davis Mills instead of Dee Eskridge. The Wilson chatter was building and it would’ve provided insurance. On reflection, the Mond suggestion was a poor one. He had the arm and his college tape improved over four years of progression. I wasn’t the only one who liked him either — Chris Simms was a big fan. However, in the pro’s his rigid throwing motion and mechanical stiffness has prevented him making an impact. Mills on the other hand has looked good, I’d say. He struggled last year in an impossible situation in Houston but I think he’s done well in pre-season this year (I watched him vs New England) and I still believe he could develop into a decent starter.

What I would say though, is I’m also happy the Seahawks don’t force us into indulging in misplaced hype. Raiders fans (and media) are getting all excited about fourth round pick Aidan O’Connell. I’ve watched his tape and he’s fair enough throwing on a short and intermediate level but his arm strength fades dramatically beyond that. He has limitations. The Josh McDaniels scheme has lived without a big-armed signal caller in the past so maybe O’Connell can still excel? I just personally find it difficult to get excited about a player who will most likely only ever be able to chip-away at opponents without much of a kill shot or improv-skill. You need a certain type of coach for this (McDaniels, Shanahan etc) and the Seahawks just play a different way.

Watching someone like O’Connell chew up third and fourth stringers, creating a bit of a false dawn, probably wouldn’t help much in the short or long term. Good look to him in Vegas but I’m happy to wait for more upside (as, evidently, the Seahawks are prepared to do).

Drew Lock has plenty of physical upside and I hope what he showed against Dallas was a player really starting to make the most of his talent. He was more settled, calm, controlled and he impressed. If he plays against Green Bay this weekend, it’ll be a good chance to finish with a flourish.

The injuries are piling up

It’s only a few days ago that Pete Carroll was singing Jarran Reed’s praises (rightly) and then mentioning how important Mike Morris was to the defensive rotation. Yesterday, Carroll used a concerned tone to mention a lingering shoulder problem for Morris with a distinct hint of ‘might need to get this sorted’ and ‘might not see him anytime soon as a consequence’.

It’s increasingly baffling to me why the Seahawks have found themselves in this position. They have no depth up front. When you bring it up, you’re often told ‘nah it’ll be fine’ (© Critical Drinker) by some fans.

The Seahawks basically have Reed as the only trusted +300lber on the roster. I hope Matthew Gotel is the man to end the ‘nose tackle musical chairs’ but that remains to be seen. It’s great that they have such a dynamic inside/out rusher like Dre’Mont Jones who can create issues in numerous spots (including, crucially, the interior). Yet how and why have they ended up with barely no competition on the D-line?

Who is actually competing in camp? It’s just been a bunch of injury absentees and a set (but limited) depth chart. An injury to Reed would be catastrophic.

People have mentioned that in 2013 they didn’t have the deepest, big-name D-line. I’ve made that point myself. However, I made that point right after the draft and still anticipated further moves (even on a low level). Plus in 2013 they had Red Bryant (326lbs), Tony McDaniel (305lbs), Clinton McDonald (297lbs), Jordan Hill (303lbs) and Brandon Mebane (311lbs). That’s a stark difference to the current roster, which is incredibly light in size and numbers.

I keep hearing that cut-down day will be vital for Seattle but what are we saying here, that there’s an abundance of cuttable defensive tackles in the league and the Seahawks are simply the only ones waiting to strike? I fear that actually, options are going to be limited or poor. Teams don’t give away good defensive linemen. They collect them.

Again, I don’t really understand why it’s come to this. We’re agonising over a potential Mike Morris absence and Cam Young is still out too. How did they not bring in a couple of extra veterans between March and now? They have $11.4m in cap space. They had levers to pull that have since been pulled, so there was no reason not to be more active in free agency.

Baltimore just added Ronald Darby and Jadeveon Clowney despite having barely any cap space. Couldn’t the Seahawks have done a bit more over the last five months to help the defensive line? Especially after giving up 150 yards a game last year against the run?

Someone like Greg Gaines, signed to a $3.5m one-year deal in Tampa Bay (structured so his cap hit is only $1.6m this year) would’ve been ideal. Instead, there’s a bit of a black hole at the position beyond Reed. If he gets hurt, it’ll be a crisis. If he takes on too many snaps, he’s more likely to get hurt.

Michael Bennett mentioned in the Dallas broadcast that they miss a Red Bryant type. He’s right. I also think, however, they also need two other bodies. Maybe Gotel can be one? Maybe they will find a cut from somewhere else who can contribute? It just feels like serious questions need to be asked about how exactly the Seahawks have ended up being so light in the trenches and whether it’ll be costly when the regular season begins.

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Before getting into the notes, a heads-up we’ll be doing a live stream at 3pm PT on Sunday discussing this game

— Boye Mafe has earned rave reviews during camp and has been touted by Pete Carroll as a player who’s taken a big jump in his second year. We saw further glimpses of that in this game. Mafe was incredibly active using a full range of skills to impress. I think the most satisfying play was a violent hand-jolt to contain the edge on a run play. We already know he has the explosive traits and quickness to rush, this was an example of a play that gets you on the field early and often.

— Jake Bobo just continues to be involved and active. He played with the starting offense and made a 28-yard chunk play with a fantastic double-move to destroy his opponent in coverage. He then coaxed a vital ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ flag out of a Dallas defender on a subsequent drive, following a failed third down conversion. That flag, subtly earned by Bobo, was followed by Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 48-yard completion and then a one-yard touchdown run. It was a great assist from Bobo who feels like a total lock to make the roster.

— We spent so much time on the blog discussing Bobo and Zach Charbonnet that it was good to see both combine on back-to-back plays to fire the offense. Charbonnet followed Bobo’s 28-yard completion with a dynamic, explosive run. He just looks so sharp, fierce and quick. How can you not be excited by the prospect of these running backs (health permitting, of course)?

— I thought Drew Lock was excellent in this game. He looked more relaxed than last week and on point. He appeared comfortable throwing on the run and looked like a proper player here. He’s needed to be more consistent and clean and there was real evidence of that today. His throw to Smith-Njigba was perfect for a big gain. His throw to Noah Fant with 4:44 left in the first half showed off what an athlete he is. Lock’s off-platform arm strength is genuinely great. This was an impressive display.

— I really like Tyreke Smith and think he should make the roster, even with a loaded EDGE group. He had a nice TFL with 7:48 left in the third quarter and he had the game ending sack with Will Grier scrambling for his life. He looks really agile and capable of skipping by blocks to penetrate. There’s definitely something to work with here. He ended the game leading the team for tackles and had two registered TFL’s.

— Several other players impacted the game positively. SaRodorick Thompson ran for a solid 50 yards on 11 carries including a touchdown. Tyjon Lindsey had 36 receiving yards and a nice 27-yard punt return. John Hall forced a safety with a wonderful shed to block a punt. Levi Bell finds ways to get involved and even got a block on the goal-line for a score when lining up at full-back. Tre Brown had a better game including an interception where he showed good recovery skills. Finally, it might’ve been against third and fourth stringers, but Derick Hall showed excellent power at the POA to strong-arm the tackle, disengage and finish for a sack.

— There were also some negatives. Firstly, the run defense continues to be suspect. At one point Michael Bennett on the broadcast stated: “More missed tackles. Attacking the interior. The Seahawks need a Red Bryant type of player. A big body who doesn’t care about making the play. He just wants to push a guy back. That’s what this defense needs.” Bennett was exasperated by the run defense for the second week in a row. Deuce Vaughan had a scoring run where Jerrick Reed and Coby Bryant whiffed opportunities to bring him down and the interior was pushed back too often, while gap-control was again a concern. The fundamentals of the defense are just off and as Bennett notes — without a bigger player content to just eat space and control, you wonder if this is going to be a serious problem when the real action starts.

— At times it felt like the defense was too easy to play against, another thing we’ve seen for several years. They gave up an 80-yard drive for Dallas’ first score which lasted 17 plays and took 7:48 minutes off the clock. This feels ominous because, whoever plays, this has been a characteristic of this team for too long.

— Charles Cross was dominated by Sam Williams for a sack. I had reservations about Cross in the 2021 draft and partly that was watching Ole Miss vs Mississippi State where Williams had him on toast. It’s not a great look that Cross was overpowered with a punch to the chest by a 261lbs rusher. You’ve got to be stronger there and be able to contain. I said a year ago he had to get stronger and be able to hold position better and this was an example of the same college problem rearing its head.

A thought occurred to me recently that I immediately dismissed but I thought I’d share with you anyway.

Are the Seahawks going to make one of ‘those’ trades?

The current roster is strong and deep in most areas. The offense looks practically loaded. Defensively, serious investment at linebacker and the secondary has created an intriguing looking collection of players.

Yet there’s no getting away from the fact that at the heart of the defense, there’s a lack of size, depth and arguably talent. There’s not even really much of a competition going on, unlike at several other spots on the roster.

That’s not to say they’ve been neglectful. They clearly haven’t. The signing of Dre’Mont Jones was a refreshing new approach to free agency. I think the Jarran Reed addition is worthy of praise too. Yet at the moment they’re banking on Jarran Reed to anchor the line and there’s a distinct lack of numbers and size waiting in the wings.

Thus, the fleeting thought on whether a big trade would be forthcoming.

I’m fascinated by how they’ll approach this. Will they stand pat, hope for the best and that some young players can mimic Abe Lucas a year ago and stand up to be crucial contributors in year one? Will they be aggressive to add? Will they be inactive and regret it if it ultimately costs the team when play begins?

In the past when there’s been a glaring weakness they’ve often been active buyers. The Sheldon Richardson, Duane Brown and Jadeveon Clowney trades are good examples. The most recent (and most expensive) deal was the move to acquire Jamal Adams.

On each occasion, a fix was sought to solve a problem. The Richardson trade was a direct response to Malik McDowell’s ATV crash. Brown was needed after an injury to the starter at left tackle. Clowney filled a Frank Clark-shaped hole.

In Adams’ case, we need to remember the off-season Seattle had in 2020. They failed to re-sign Clowney (a stated priority) and could only replace him with Benson Mayowa and Bruce Irvin. The quarterback (Russell Wilson, remember him?) had publicly called for the team to acquire ‘stars’. The defense was in serious danger of regressing and they made a very aggressive deal for a playmaker. Although Adams wasn’t a like-for-like replacement, in many ways he replaced Clowney as the ‘focal point’. Or at least that seemed to be the intention.

So what do they do in 2023? I’d argue talent and depth is required. However, I don’t think they’re going to make a significant trade this time for several reasons.

Firstly, they haven’t lost anyone. At least so far. If Dre’Mont Jones suddenly was ruled out for a long period of time this could change things. At the moment though they need to add and improve, not replace.

Secondly, I think this is a different Seahawks team these days. I think the flop of the Adams trade has left a mark. They’ve since gone about trying to acquire more draft stock, rather than trade it away, with a renewed focus on building through the draft. They’ve also had a lot of success in the last two drafts. Are they going to be more conservative in the trade market going forward? Possibly.

Thirdly, they have already invested in the defensive front with the Jones and Reed signings. How they go about creating depth is a question that probably won’t be answered with ‘big bold trade’.

I don’t imagine a blockbuster deal is forthcoming but I also don’t think we should ignore or limit how often we discuss what is clearly the weak point of the roster (especially on a blog that is ultimately designed to spend considerable time discussing roster construction).

Jones is very talented with a lot of potential to develop even further (thus, his price-tag) while Reed is a very capable trench performer with alpha qualities. It’s a little bit scary when you peak at the other players at Seattle’s disposal, though.

A pair of rookies and second-year Myles Adams fill the depth chart, alongside Mario Edwards Jr who’s on his seventh team in eight years. Bryan Mone is out indefinitely with no sign of a return any time soon.

I’m sure we’ll see plenty of different looks up front where they have two or three defensive tackles/five techniques on the field for early downs. At the moment though, whatever they roll with, they’ll be light up front.

Reed is listed at 306lbs by the Seahawks on their website. Jones is 281lbs and Mario Edwards Jr is 280lbs. That’s your starting D-line and it’s understating things to say it lacks size.

Depth is supplied by rookie Mike Morris (291lbs) and second-year Myles Adams (290lbs). Cameron Young (304lbs) is currently not practising with an injury.

I’m a little bit concerned looking at this group that Jarran Reed is going to be playing probably more snaps than he should. If he gets hurt, what do they do?

This is part of the problem when you feel like you need to completely revamp a unit. Adams and Mone are the only holdovers from last year. Everyone else is gone. When you then spend big money on Jones and reasonable money on Reed, you have limited money to play with.

Edwards Jr is here on a dirt-cheap deal and the Seahawks are seemingly banking on him playing beyond what he’s shown so far in his NFL career. They’re also relying a lot on Morris, Adams and eventually Young supplying adequate depth.

It feels paper thin with a huge emphasis on the two key off-season additions in free agency. Imagine if you lost either? Then you consider the run defense. Do they have enough good run defenders up front? Will their new additions learn quickly or is a slow start defensively inevitable for yet another year? Will they able to read plays, plug gaps and contain the edge better than last year, where they gave up 150-rushing yards a game? How will the investment at linebacker be impacted if the play up front is underwhelming? Are they too light on the D-line?

A few weeks ago I thought they might add to the depth by bringing back Shelby Harris and/or Al Woods yet neither happened. Now, in an attempt to fill the ‘Mone role’ while he remains unavailable, they’re continuing a game of ‘nose tackle musical chairs’. Every week a player is added to the roster and then a few days later, they’re off again. Some (Robert Cooper) have had a couple of goes as they search for a ‘good enough’ solution.

John Schneider has spoken about believing if you can play the nose in college you can do it in the NFL. It’s somewhat concerning, therefore, that they are basically looking for a passable warm body and can’t find someone suitable.

I also think this scheme more than any other is predicated on talent up front. We’ve seen a tentatively similar defense produce the #1 unit in the league with Aaron Donald blowing up the interior. We’ve also seen the same person who coached that defense move to the Chargers, inherit and acquire elite talent off the edge and struggle because he hasn’t got a serious interior threat.

Maybe Jones and Reed can be a ‘Coke Zero’ version of Donald and Greg Gaines in LA? I really hope so, although I’d feel a lot better if the actual Gaines had been signed to play next to them. Either that or they’d found someone to properly anchor the middle of the defense, to allow the key pair to disrupt. The entire D-line would feel so much stronger with a proper nose tackle, freeing Jones to play inside/out and Reed to essentially do a bit of everything.

I’m trying not to think about the Seahawks not having the #10 pick in 2022 because of the Adams trade — a selection that would’ve placed them to potentially draft man-mountain Jordan Davis.

It’s at a time like this that someone often flops into the comments section to accuse me of obsessing over Adams. I just think it’s impossible not to spend a lot of time reflecting on how damaging that trade was or to now question why he is still set to earn a team-high $18.1m this year despite an unclear timeline on his return.

As we’ve said a few times — it would’ve been perfectly reasonable to approach him about a pay-cut. Had he been cut, or if he was to be cut today, there’s no way he’d get close to $18.1m on the open market. Given the nature of his injury, a fair prediction is he’d either receive a lukewarm market or teams would wait until he was close to a full recovery before considering signing him.

Instead the Seahawks are paying an elite salary for a complete unknown. For all we know, he’ll start the year on the PUP list and miss at least six weeks. A conversation about a pay cut or at least converting some of his salary into incentives would be totally understandable. Frankly, if he rejected the idea, he probably should’ve been sent packing by now.

Either way, some of his money (on top of the $11m in cap space they currently have) could’ve gone towards a more experienced, deeper D-line and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

I fear it’s too late to do anything about it now. If there were any nose tackles out there, they’d probably already be in Seattle. There’s no Snacks Harrison waiting at the diner. The Seahawks haven’t ever really shown much interest in bringing Ndamukong Suh back to the PNW. Linval Joseph, approaching his 35th birthday, has the same age/endurance issues that presumably led to Al Woods’ departure.

One of the necessary features for a team in the modern NFL is a strong D-line. It feels like most contenders, even the ones who bank on the genius of Patrick Mahomes, have an elite level D-liner capable of wrecking games — or tremendous depth. For the Chiefs it’s Chris Jones. The Eagles have bodies galore, as do the 49ers. The Bills spent big on their defensive front. The Cowboys and Jets — among the top defensive units last year — also have strong talent and/or depth within their D-lines.

If the Seahawks are going to truly take the next step as a team, it’s not a stretch to believe they need more up front.

Thus, I think they’re another off-season away from being a legit Championship contender — even in a wide-open NFC. If they’re playing the long-game, that’s fine. I would understand and embrace that. Perhaps they believe they can lean on a D-line heavy draft next year and wait this out?

The thing is, they do feel quite close to having an ideally rounded roster (at least on paper) today, when the NFC looks particularly unthreatening (at least compared to the AFC). This is the one big question mark. D-line. That makes you want cake today, rather than in 2024.

Also, we don’t know what challenges next year will bring. It’ll be harder to focus on the D-line if Geno Smith doesn’t take his opportunity this year to justify a contract that’ll be worth between $31-40m next year. If he needs to be replaced, that will likely take precedence. I hope it doesn’t come to that but we don’t need to pretend it’s out of the question.

They also don’t have much cap space available next year and all signs point towards a draft focus rather than a free agency focus in 2024. Therefore, the later they pick the harder it’ll be to find D-line solutions (and while many are hailing the DT depth next year, the usual caveat of it being far too early to judge definitely applies here — I’ve started dipping into the group and would urge some caution).

If they did want to try and fix this now, who could they target?

There are no clear nose tackles so it’d have to be a different type of interior defender.

The two players that you could at least bring up in a conversation are Kansas City’s Jones and Miami’s Christian Wilkins. Both would cost an absolute fortune, firstly in picks and then in salary, making any potential deal appear fanciful at best.

The Chiefs would be mad to part with Jones, especially with $47m in effective cap space ready to play with next year. It’s unclear why they haven’t just paid him.

Jones has just turned 29 so it makes more sense for the Chiefs to keep/reward him than it would be for another team to trade a kings ransom for him and then pay him a record-breaking deal. A trade feels virtually impossible. What would it take? The starting price would have to be two firsts, you’d think. How many elite years would you get out of him though?

I’d say it’s a non-starter.

Wilkins is a slightly more realistic option. He is currently ‘holding-in’ for the Dolphins. Despite the fact he’s still on his rookie contract, he actually turns 28 in December so he’s not as young as you might think.

He’s a very good defensive tackle, he’s extremely athletic and he’s a great character. The problem is — and this is probably why Miami is finding it hard to reach common-ground on a contract — his general performance is better than his production.

In terms of consistency he’s excellent. He had an 85.1 PFF grade a year ago (ninth among DT’s) and he had plus marks as a pass rusher and run defender. In 2021, he recorded an 83.3 grade.

However, he’s never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season. It’s just not a huge part of his game. In comparison, Jones has two 15.5 sack seasons in his career and 63 sacks in six seasons as an established starter.

Wilkins is very good. Jones is a game-wrecker.

Trying to work out Jones’ salary worth is easy. You make him the highest paid DT in the game. Working out Wilkins’ value is far trickier.

The Dolphins would likely ask for premium trade compensation because it’d create a hole in the heart of their defense and the entire league is crying out for good, quality DT play. That would make it hard to work out exactly what is fair value for a player who might never get more than five sacks a year.

I can’t think of any other obvious trade candidates to discuss. Vita Vea’s contract restructure means that’s a no-go as it’d be far too expensive for the Buccs to deal him. Quinnen Williams and Jeffery Simmons both just got paid. Ditto Daron Payne and Dexter Lawrence. Even in the second and third tier talent-lists it’s not clear who you could move for apart from someone like Johnathan Hankins, given Dallas spent a high pick on Mazi Smith.

I suspect the Seahawks will end up bringing someone in who is cut by another team and perhaps the game of ‘nose tackle musical chairs’ will simply continue until someone sticks?

I hope the likes of Mike Morris and Cameron Young can settle in quickly, stay healthy and provide good rotational options. Young in particular feels like a more integral player than he probably should be as a rookie. They need him to get back on the field, take a chunk of reps and excel in the way the likes of Abe Lucas did as a rookie, albeit in a rotational role rather than a full-time starter. I think he’s got the skills to do it but that’s a lot of pressure on young shoulders.

There are a lot of exciting aspects of Seattle’s roster. I think we can all agree that, should everyone stay healthy, the offense looks about as exciting as I can remember since I started following the Seahawks. Never before have they had this many explosive, dynamic weapons.

There are positives about the defense too. Yet if they get pushed around up front and if they simply can’t plug gaps, defend the run properly and contain off the edge — a lot of good work on the roster elsewhere will be undone.

That’s a frustrating thought made all the more frustrating by a lack of an obvious fix. When we need a Snacks Harrison-level option to cling to, there’s not even a crumbs Harrison out there.

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This is a guest post from Curtis Allen…

The last day of Seahawks’ training camp available to the public was a bit more relaxed, with players not working in their pads in preparation for Saturday’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

It was also a welcome sight because the team (and more specifically the defense) has been really banged up with injuries recently.

Devon Witherspoon and Jamal Adams have been hurt. They were joined today by Tre Brown sitting practice out with an unspecified injury. In the linebacker group, Jordyn Brooks was dressed but not practicing after coming off the PUP. Up front, Mike Morris and Darrell Taylor have had shoulder injuries and Bryan Mone’s status is anybody’s guess at this point.

A lighter practicing day was warranted whether it was part of the schedule or not.

Usually, a practice of this nature gives an advantage to the offense. Without the rough and tumble work happening in the trenches and the receivers running routes without fear of taking hard shots over the middle, opportunities to score are far easier to come by.

That was true of today’s practice with the offense putting together several very effective plays.

That does not mean that the defense was taking it easy. The defensive backfield provided tight coverage and were very competitive.

The best play of the day defensively came from Julian Love. He’s having a pretty quiet camp by all accounts but here he was hand fighting with Metcalf on an in-breaking route to the end zone:

Julian vs. DK #GoHawks x @Boeing pic.twitter.com/kng9g6eTnc

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2023

Even so, offense ruled the day. Of note though — several of the catches and plays were of the variety you would actually see in live game play – tightly covered with the quarterback’s accuracy and the receiver’s ability to adjust and make the play the difference. Have a look at this fade to Metcalf from Geno Smith:

Extending for the @dkm14 touchdown. #GoHawks x @Boeing pic.twitter.com/iFpEuD8Iin

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 17, 2023

The coverage by Artie Burns may not be absolutely perfect but that ball was a great example of what we saw. The quarterbacks and receivers nicely synching to make it a rough day for the defenders.

It was not all about Metcalf, though. Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had touchdown catches in the scrimmages. Smith-Njigba’s was a particular beauty — a toe-tapping corner of the end zone grab that showcased his body control and Geno Smith’s accuracy.

One receiver garnered a lot of my attention today though — Jake Bobo. With Dee Eskridge’s problems, Cody Thompson’s ascension cooling due to an injury and Dareke Young just now being able to practice, Bobo has taken full advantage of the opportunity presented to him.

After an impressive performance in last week’s game, it appears the Seahawks want to see what they have in him. He was literally all over the field today. Bobo took his standard snaps on the kicking coverage but also frequently worked with both Geno Smith and Drew Lock in the offensive drills and scrimmages:

Jake Bobo targeted by Geno Smith several different routes in scrimmage drills. Developing timing and chemistry? #Seahawks

— Curtis Allen (@curtis93969) August 16, 2023

The Seahawks had him running all kinds of routes — slants, crossers, simple ‘find the soft spot in the zone and sit downs’ and timing routes down the sideline and he produced results on every play:

Battling with Bobo.#GoHawks x @Boeing pic.twitter.com/YfBtAmQRMs

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 17, 2023

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves though. This rep is a good example. You can see Bobo lumbering a little bit in his run and Lance Boykin (he of the 4.73 40-yard time) is not exactly prime competition.

This ball is placed perfectly by Geno Smith and Bobo is able to go up and get it and come down in bounds. It appears as if Boykin bails on the play at the end, perhaps reasoning the ball is sailing out of bounds. Yet Bobo reels it in.

That is the kind of day he had – everything the Seahawks asked him to do, he did and did well. It is possible that today was a designed ‘development day’ to give the coaches some practice film to review in order to further their evaluations.

Do not be surprised if he gets reps with the top offense Saturday to see him against better competition in a game setting. Or, the exact opposite — very little action because the Seahawks have seen enough to make their decision and want to give the other receivers some reps.

Other Practice Notes

— Drew Lock had several more impressive throws today, including a bomb to Matt Landers for a touchdown. He is quickly reaching the point where he is calm and in command in practice and now needs to translate that to game play. Look for him to get plenty of work on Saturday.

— Coby Bryant seems to be settling on being a backup safety and the starting nickel that can transition to safety when the defense wants to change up their looks. It feels like we should count on that as the plan until Devon Witherspoon can get back on the field.

— Speaking of Witherspoon, Pete Carroll offered a weak assurance that he is on the road to recovery with his ‘he can run in a straight line’ statement. It is not a death knell but you should know he said that of Darrell Taylor several times in his rookie season. The point being — do not hold your breath waiting for Witherspoon to get on the field again soon.

— It still seems strange to me to see Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu dropping in coverage at times. This feels like something that good offensive teams will exploit in order to try to nullify their speed off the edge. Or put another way, make them play the game they want to play. Is Bryant enough to either cover a tight end or occasionally set the edge in place of those guys?

— It does appear that Jamal Adams is progressing. He dressed today in his jersey but is obviously still in recovery and did not participate. To his credit, he is doing everything he can to pump up his teammates. He also stayed after practice again to sign autographs.

— Seeing Woolen take full reps today after a full practice yesterday was extremely encouraging. He still needs a lot of development time for all of his talent. It also helps the coaches sort out the other side cornerback. There’s no better timing than now, with Tre Brown out today.

— Speaking of that, Woolen vs Metcalf is worth the price of admission. Even in practice for a handful of reps. We are talking about two of the most physically impressive human beings in the game locking horns.

— Tyreke Smith appears to have been classed by Pete Carroll as ‘he is going to have to make an impact on special teams’ rather than being in competition for an OLB spot with the other top four players. He took several reps on the punt squad and was the first guy to really break downfield from the front line group, for what it’s worth.

— Noah Fant says he is fully recovered from his knee injury. I am not convinced. He seemed to labor today. More than once he split off from the offense on the sidelines to take a few steps and sort of collect himself.

— BT Jordan’s pass rush drills are a blast to watch. I do not know if they will yield results but from just watching them work you can see their skills showing up. Hall has a strength and build that is exciting. Nwosu has real quickness. Mafe? He’s got both of those things.

— A lot was made about a run Deejay Dallas had for a touchdown today. They are always nice to see but this was a ‘manufactured’ play by the offense. They lined him up as a wide receiver but close to the line, had him run across the formation at the snap and had an upback leading the way in a sort of jet sweep. It is a formation type practice rep that may work in a live game but is not very repeatable. Running backs need to find their holes and create yards to succeed when the games count and this play was not that.

— Zach Charbonnet also had a touchdown run and looks very competitive out there. Ken Walker had his helmet and did some light drill work and Pete Carroll assured us he will be ready for Week One. Kenny McIntosh dressed but did not have his helmet or participate in drills but appears close also. So, the running back group may yet be at full strength soon.

— Speaking of Dallas, he got most of the punt return reps today. Jaxon Smith-Njigba got a few as well but not nearly as many. I would think the Seahawks like Dallas’ reliability and will look to have him be the main returner Week One with a mandate of ‘just don’t cough up the ball.’ They likely are tempted to have Smith-Njigba back there but will do the math between his tender hamstring and the drop-off between the third and fourth wide receiver and take the safe route for now and stick with Dallas.

— I still think Charles Cross’ physical transformation is not being talked about enough. Standing with the backup left tackles he looks trimmer, more muscular and far more athletic. A physically stronger approach could really fuel a second-year jump, which would be just what the doctor ordered for this offense.

Charles Cross is in terrific shape #seahawks pic.twitter.com/H7uDecLOm4

— Curtis Allen (@curtis93969) August 16, 2023

Firstly, I made an appearance on VSiN to talk Seahawks yesterday, please check out the video below (and like it on YouTube). The more views for these the better!

Here are my quick notes on the Vikings game…

— I’m glad the starters didn’t play. The NFL has become increasingly attritional, even as some of the physicality is taken out of the game. Losing a key player in a meaningless contest would be incredibly frustrating. I’d happily not see any of the main starters in these three games (and I’d rather do away with pre-season altogether frankly).

— Derrick Hall made a really nice first impression. Stunts are a bit overrated for impact and praise but he did them well. He flashed quickness and energy plus some power. He drew a penalty on a hold. This was a great start and suggested he should be able to work into the rotation quickly for some rush impact. Pete Carroll spoke glowingly about him after the game and rightly so. He’s a terrific talent with a great attitude.

— Boye Mafe was also really active off the edge. He missed a key tackle (as did Tre Brown) which led to YAC but other than that he looks quick and busy. You could see the athleticism both Hall and Mafe possess and that’s a good sign.

— Generally I thought the defense was too easy to play against and we saw a repeat of the same issues from last season. Gap discipline was poor. They couldn’t set the edge consistently. They were getting moved up the middle and the linebackers couldn’t key into gaps. For a stretch it felt like the running game was always there for Minnesota. Seattle also gave up the frustrating ‘check down for a first down’ on 3rd and long. I think they’d added talent to their defensive personnel but I continue to have major reservations about the D-line depth and coaching staff.

— Coby Bryant made an impression at safety with a nice big hit, speed across the secondary and he showed he’s able to come up to the LOS and lay a hit to set the edge. Tre Brown, though, still looks rusty. It’s a shame but his serious injury seems to have stalled the really encouraging progress he displayed in year one. He was beat for the Vikings touchdown, mistiming his attempted PBU.

— It was great to see blog favourite Jake Bobo making plays. We said it all throughout last year, the guy just finds ways to get open and get things done. I would protect him on this roster, he just has ‘it’. He scored a nice touchdown, made other key receptions and almost had a brilliant play in kick-coverage on the goal-line. He ended the day as Seattle’s leading receiver. He has a future in the league.

— I liked Seattle’s physicality. There were some solid hits, runners like Zach Charbonnet delivered some punishment on contact and overall this felt like a performance with some juice.

— Levi Bell made some plays on defense and I also thought Tyreke Smith was busy enough. Jordan Ferguson had a nice sack. I still think there’s a glaring issue up the middle on this defense though.

— I find it difficult to assess Drew Lock. We all know he’s mobile and has an arm. However, he gives off a constant erratic vibe like he might make an error at any moment. Maybe he just needs reps? His interception was tipped so there’s not a huge portion of blame there (could his processing be quicker?). His first touchdown throw needed all of his arm to deliver into a tight window (it was well caught by Easop Winston) and he found Bobo for the second score. I’m in the ‘need to see more’ category with Lock and I hope he continues to play most of the next two pre-season games. Holton Ahlers, meanwhile, ran around well but he was incredibly fortunate that his touchdown (a lob and hope) wasn’t picked off.

— On the subject of QB’s I watched some of Houston vs New England and Davis Mills played very well. I still like the look of him and wonder if a smart team can do a deal with the Texans there.

— Really hope Cade Johnson is OK after a reported head/neck injury. A great guy who was a lot of fun to interview after the Senior Bowl and it was good to touch base with him again in Munich last year. Fingers crossed it’s nothing too serious and he makes a quick recovery. Carroll’s post-game report was relatively encouraging, suggesting it was a concussion and nothing more.

— Cam Young has a calf injury. The Seahawks are already thin up front and an injury like this only highlights it further. They are not deep enough on the D-line and it needs rectifying. I just don’t know what they can do at defensive tackle to solve this problem.

— Overall I think the way the team played with toughness and the flashes from several younger players made this a satisfying opening to the pre-season. Concerns about the defensive scheme and ability to defend the run, however, certainly linger.

I will have a write-up on the Vikings pre-season game on the blog on Friday (it’s a 3am kick-off over here) and on Sunday we’ll do a live stream debating what we saw. Feel free to use this as an open thread to discuss the game.

In the meantime here’s a video fleshing out my thoughts on the Seahawks D-line and why Jadeveon Clowney would be a positive (albeit unlikely) addition:

Let me be clear — I don’t think it’ll happen.

The Seahawks haven’t even been moderately connected to Jadeveon Clowney since he left in 2020. He was called ‘a priority’ to re-sign after a productive single 2019 season in Seattle. Clowney was inconsistent (as his career has shown) but at his best he also wrecked games — most notably the enthralling win in Santa Clara and the Eagles playoff game.

A breakdown in negotiations occurred and that was it. One and done. He rejected their offers early in free agency then sat out the entire summer. He eventually signed for the Titans days before the 2020 season began. Since then, he’s become a gun for hire — going through the same free agency slow dance every year.

I can’t help but feel he made a mistake not committing to Seattle when, presumably, a reasonable (albeit not record-setting) contract was offered. He’s ended up becoming quite nomadic and the Seahawks were left with a gaping hole on their defensive line. They’ve only just recovered from the way they handled the pass rush during a galling three-year period where the likes of Clowney and Frank Clark departed only to be replaced on the cheap by Benson Mayowa and Bruce Irvin.

After a couple of years in Cleveland, Clowney is now being linked to the Ravens as he prepares to reach the time of year when he suddenly starts considering his options.

I get the sense bridges have been burned in Seattle. They’ve always been willing to bring players back and yet Clowney doesn’t even get linked.

Regardless, I think it’d be a good move by the Seahawks for a number of reasons.

At the moment Mario Edwards Jr is listed as a starter on the depth chart with Myles Adams at #2. If I’m going to call Clowney nomadic, Edwards is on a different level. He’s had seven teams in eight years. He’s a perfectly adequate depth piece but I’d also argue he’s shown to be very replaceable as a starter.

His average PFF grade over the last five years is 66.2. This is inflated by one really good season he had in 2020, where he achieved an 88.6. Without that one season, his average grade would be 60.5.

In that same five-year span, Clowney’s average grade is 78.7.

It’s a similar story with run defense. Edwards Jr’s five-year average is graded at 63.8 while Clowney’s run-D is a superior 75.9.

If the two players were on the same roster, rotating in, you might be able to get a fair bit out of them. Clowney is 30-years-old now and not the same player he was at his peak in the late 20-teens. Yet he is still capable of producing flashes, wrecking plays and playing stoutly against the run. He’s also versatile enough to be able to play the edge or five-technique.

Teams like the Eagles have shown you can never have too many disruptive pass rushers. They’ve tended to collect them, even when a player is towards the end of his career. Whilst the Seahawks have added nicely to the outside-linebacker rush positions and the addition of Dre’Mont Jones is a major plus — it still feels like they need more to be a truly fearsome defensive unit. There’s no doubt the defensive line is the weakest area of an otherwise attractive looking defense on paper.

Clowney’s position isn’t the biggest need. That is clearly defensive tackle or more specifically, nose tackle. Yet as we’ve discussed recently, those players simply don’t appear to be available on the open market or via trade. Clowney actually is available.

For the last two years he has signed contracts worth $7m and $9.25m guaranteed. The Seahawks only have $11.3m in effective cap space but could incentivise the deal to push money ahead or, god forbid, they could still yet approach Jamal Adams about reducing his back-breaking $18.1m cap-hit when it still remains unclear when he’ll actually be able to take the field.

This isn’t about claiming the 2023 version of Clowney is a saviour, an elite player or someone who will solve every problem. What he is, though, is a player capable of disrupting up front and playing run defense. You’ll never have too many of those — and the Seahawks do still need depth and reinforcement for their defensive line.

It’s absolutely clear they are thin up front. Behind Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones and Mario Edwards Jr are two rookies (Cam Young, Mike Morris) and the second-year Myles Adams. Given how attritional the trenches are, the Seahawks are a couple of injuries away from being incredibly green up front. That could undermine all the work done at linebacker and safety.

Given how much the Seahawks have invested in trying to take the next step this year, I’m kind of left thinking ‘why not?’ when it comes to a Clowney move. There’d be no long-term commitment. It wouldn’t break the bank. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

Maybe bridges have been burned and there’s no going back? Either from Clowney’s perspective or Seattle’s (or both). Maybe they don’t trust his ability to stay healthy or be consistent? Perhaps he’s irked by the 2020 negotiation? This would all be easier to stomach if they had proper depth up front. They don’t. Sometimes, needs must.

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