In possibly the grumpiest podcast I’ve ever done (apologies, I’ve had a 12-hour and an eight-hour round-trip with the day job since Saturday) — I discuss below the Seahawks’ inactivity in the O-line market and why I’m OK with it.
Below the video I also give my thoughts on the DeMarcus Lawrence & Marquez Valdez-Scantling signings:
On Lawrence, I’m eager to see actual contract numbers. It’s been suggested it’ll be something like two-years for $18m which is palatable. However, he turns 33 in April and hasn’t had more than 6.5 sacks since 2018 — despite having the benefit of playing across from Micah Parsons.
I’m told by a Cowboys fan I know that his run defense and leadership remain big positives, though his pass-rush now lacks juice. Mike Macdonald managed to coax a late-career renaissance out of Kyle Van Noy so maybe he can do the same here.
Clearly they want a rich rotation. This might be more to replace Dre’Mont Jones’ snaps rather than say anything about the pure EDGE players, or their likelihood to draft a pass rusher early.
They had money to spend and they’ve used some of it here. Aden Durde knows Lawrence well. It’s not an electrifying signing but an understandable one.
On Valdez-Scantling, we’ve discussed him for a while, after a decent spell last season with the Saints where he had 347 yards in five games and four touchdowns. He did a great job making plays downfield and he still has the speed to threaten opponents.
The Seahawks have no depth at receiver so this made perfect sense. They will add other players, with this being a rich draft again at the position in the middle rounds.
A final point, all signs currently point to the Seahawks being comfortable focusing on the draft for offensive line additions. I think that’s OK, as discussed in the video above and my article earlier. It’s a good class with high upside players. Having five picks in the top-100 will enable them to address multiple positions.
