During the financial portion of the @NFL league meetings, teams were given a 2018 salary cap projection of $174.2-178.1M, source says. It was $167M last year. The final number comes in the spring.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2017
This is good news for the Seahawks. They were projected to have around $8-9m in cap space in 2018 before this update. If the cap goes up by as much as $10m and they create room elsewhere (they’d gain an extra $12.5m if they cut Jeremy Lane and Cliff Avril retires) then they could have over $30m available.
We’ve talked a lot recently about some of they key future free agents on the roster. Here are some of the pro’s and con’s for re-signing each:
Jimmy Graham
The argument for…
For years the Seahawks were not a good redzone team, even when they had peak Marshawn Lynch. In 2017 they’ve been pretty automatic, thanks largely to the chemistry between Russell Wilson and Jimmy Graham.
Having finally worked it out with Graham to the tune of nine touchdowns (so far), it’d be quite something to move on and lose what has finally clicked. Redzone touchdowns are not to be sniffed at, especially with Seattle giving up more points defensively these days. They can’t keep things tight and win in the fourth quarter with defense and the run like they used to. Seven instead of three is important.
It’s also not as simple as just giving Graham’s targets to somebody else. There’s a reason the likes of Luke Willson, Zach Miller and Anthony McCoy didn’t rack up TD’s in previous seasons. Graham is a special player when it comes to operating in the end zone, with a unique frame and catching radius. It won’t be easy to simply move his scoring streak to somebody else.
As Graham has become so effective in the redzone it’s become increasingly difficult for teams to avoid focusing on him. That in turn can lead to opportunities for other receivers. For the first time in a long time the redzone doesn’t feel like a problem for Seattle — an incredible feat given how inept they’ve been rushing the ball.
Graham is also very close to Russell Wilson. If this is increasingly Wilson’s team, it would be interesting if they allowed his BFF and favourite redzone target to walk away.
The argument against…
Graham looks less effective these days when Seattle isn’t in the redzone. Although he’s been prolific as a touchdown scorer, between the 20’s he hasn’t been much of a factor. For the year he only has 473 yards — just over 36 per game. His career per-catch average is 12.3 yards. In 2017 he’s managing just 9.1.
Is he still the great athlete we once knew? He’ll turn 32 during the 2018 season. It has to be expected that he’s going to lose some speed. While he’s still clearly a difference maker in certain situations, he might never be pushing 1000 yards again. How much you want to commit to a 31-year-old tight end is a conversation they’ll likely have. Although Graham does seem to have a bit of a timeless quality in terms of his ability to box-out and make plays in the redzone.
There have been games where Graham has looked strikingly poor, such as the recent loss in Jacksonville. He had a bad drop on Seattle’s final, crucial drive. He received criticism from Pete Carroll for Wilson’s second interception. His body language was poor and without the redzone opportunities he was a non-factor.
Graham is very good at the things he does well. Arguably he hasn’t done enough to improve in other areas and fit into what this team wants from a star TE. Pete Carroll talked frequently in the past about how he could become the complete tight end. Now, he’s kind of just Jimmy Graham doing Jimmy Graham things. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but is it enough to consider paying out a big new contract?
Bradley McDougald
The argument for…
After a quiet start to the season McDougald has excelled since replacing Kam Chancellor at strong safety. He’s a different player to Kam but what he lacks in big hits and run defense he perhaps makes up for in quickness and the ability to cover ground.
It’ll be impossible for anyone to replace Kam’s stature, leadership and tone-setting presence. Yet McDougald’s play hasn’t made Chancellor’s absence a big factor in Seattle’s 8-5 record. Compare the way he’s performing to the relief safety’s a year ago when Chancellor and Earl Thomas both missed time. McDougald looks like a legit starter.
With Chancellor set to make a decision on whether he continues playing in 2017, retaining McDougald would buy him and the team some time. They did draft Delano Hill this year, spending a valuable third round pick to bring him in. Yet McDougald has played well enough to wonder whether they should automatically turn it over to the younger, cheaper player. In 2018 if Richard Sherman returns as expected and they get healthy — the Seahawks will not suffer a significant drop off at safety if McDougald is the full-time starter.
He’s not the biggest name set for free agency but he might be one of the most valuable to keep around, especially if Chancellor does retire. Replacing Kam once looked like a daunting task. They might’ve found the man for the job.
The argument against…
Cost could be an issue. The Seahawks admitted they were a bit surprised when they found McDougald was available in free agency. They weren’t necessarily looking to add a veteran safety but quickly signed him to a $2m contract. After a successful stint in Seattle and with McDougald at a good age (27) he might not be as cheap or be willing to sign another short term deal.
With cap space limited it comes down to priorities. Having drafted Hill in round three and with at least the possibility of Chancellor returning, this might not work out. Personally I think McDougald could and should be a priority, if not the priority. He’s at a good age and represents an opportunity to replace a key, ageing star with another high quality replacement. His attitude and playing style seems to fit the team.
Yet if they decide other players need to be the priority instead, they might not be able to make this work. And you have to believe other teams have noticed how well McDougald is playing this year.
Luke Joeckel
The argument for…
Seattle’s offensive line, after a rough season and a half, is finally taking shape. It’s still a work in progress but the recent improvement is obvious and substantial. Duane Brown has provided a major positive influence at left tackle and the five current starters look like a unit that could competently start for some time.
Brown, Justin Britt and Germain Ifedi appear relatively locked in. Yes, that includes Ifedi. Breno Giacomini had an issue with penalties too but once he addressed that he was a worthy starter. This is Ifedi’s first season at right tackle in the NFL and he has, overall, performed well enough to expect continued progression. Hopefully we’ll see similar progress from Ethan Pocic in time.
If Joeckel walks they have to fill the left guard spot again and go through more change. The alternatives in free agency are dreadful and with limited draft stock, they might have to look at the options already on the roster. Going back to Mark Glowinski, moving George Fant to guard or going with Jordan Roos or Rees Odhiambo are options. None are former #2 overall picks though and Joeckel, when healthy, has been competent. Not flawless, but competent.
Consistency is a big thing for an offensive line. Chemistry, turning five guys into one machine. There’s been too much churn for too long with this O-line. Now that they have five guys they can grow and build with, it might be time to roll with it.
The argument against…
The health of Joeckel’s knee is a question mark. He’s already had significant injuries in his career and he missed a number of games this season to have a minor repair. We have no idea about his medical situation. The team might actually be quite optimistic about the knee. It’s an issue that’s out there though and makes you wonder how the Seahawks might approach this one.
They clearly like Joeckel. At one point in the summer they were talking him up as one of the better guards in the NFL. Within minutes of free agency opening, Seattle’s first move was to sign Joeckel. Now they’ve had a year to work with him, check on his health, see how he fits. Yet if they’re concerned about his durability they almost have to continue to think short term again or move on.
The growing cost of offensive linemen also needs to be considered here. There’s been a recent explosion in O-line contracts with even middling players getting huge deals. Joeckel’s 2017 contract is described as expensive by some but it’s actually pretty good value all things considered.
If he has a market in the off-season he could receive some lucrative offers. That could make it hard for the Seahawks to compete with limited cap room.
They’re also paying significantly for two players on their O-line already. Duane Brown’s cap hit in 2018 is $9.75m. Justin Britt’s new average salary is $9m per year. This could be a factor — but they were willing to pay Brown, Joeckel and Britt this year so there’s nothing to suggest that’d be a road block.
Sheldon Richardson
The argument for…
They’ve already spent their 2018 second round pick on Richardson. If he walks and gets a huge contract, they’ll potentially get a comp pick in 2019. That’s a long way in the future though and depends on the deal he gets and Seattle not making any big free agent acquisitions themselves.
It would be quite the thing for the Seahawks to move on from Richardson and essentially get nothing more than one season out of their 2018 second rounder. When you consider they might not get anything out of their first pick from 2017 (Malik McDowell) they’d have wasted two high picks in the space of a year. That would be tolerable if the Seahawks were serious contenders to win the Super Bowl this season. Imagine if they don’t make the playoffs though, a stark possibility unfortunately, having been so wasteful with high draft picks?
It wouldn’t be a good look. And while saving face isn’t a good enough reason alone to give someone a massive new contract — they surely had to have a long term plan for Richardson? Unless they just believed he would help them win a title this year, thus limiting the negative reaction if he was to walk after one year?
On the field he hasn’t had the kind of impact many were hoping for, at least in terms of sacks. The minimum expectation was probably 5-6 sacks, similar to the production Clinton McDonald and Jordan Hill produced in 2013 and 2014. Instead Richardson has just one sack, albeit with a number of near misses.
That said, personally I think Richardson has been a good acquisition. He fits the personality of the defense, has provided an aggressive and physical presence for the interior and he’s a quality defender against the run. We know he can be more of a pass rush threat and this might just be ‘one of those years’ for him in terms of stats.
The simple fact is there aren’t many great interior defensive linemen in the league. Richardson isn’t Aaron Donald but he’s a cut above most of the other options out there. The Seahawks will either need a top-15 pick in the future or about $15-18m to spend in free agency if they want to find a player of this quality down the road. If anything, his lack of production in 2017 could lead to a discounted extension.
The argument against…
Teams are throwing money at the trenches. Offensive and defensive linemen are getting two or three times more than they were earning just a few years ago. Richardson could get a contract offer in the region of $13-16m a year. Lesser players have received big offers.
Malik Jackson for example is earning $14.25m a year in Jacksonville. Bad teams looking to make a big jump could look at the Jags’ and their big spending on the D-line and try to emulate their approach. It won’t be a big shock if Richardson gets an offer similar to Jackson’s. If that happens, Seattle will struggle to match and likely has to settle for a third round comp pick in 2019.
If they want to keep him at a big cost, it limits their ability to do much else. Unless Richardson is willing to take a discount or just doesn’t get the big offer because of a lack of 2017 production and some character concerns, they won’t have much money to retain the other names in this piece.
And consider this. If his average salary is more than $14m a year, he’d be the second highest paid player on the team behind only Russell Wilson. Are you comfortable with Sheldon Richardson being the second highest paid player on the roster? Currently the top five are Wilson, Sherman, Chancellor, Baldwin and Wagner (followed by Bennett and Thomas). That all makes perfect sense. Richardson at #2 ahead of some of those names? Not so much.
Paul Richardson
The argument for…
When Richardson has been healthy he’s looked really good. That goes back to his rookie season in 2014, the way he finished strongly in 2016 and this 2017 season where he’s scored six touchdowns and compiled 664 yards. After Doug Baldwin, he’s become the next most vital receiver — making explosive plays downfield and contributing in the short game too.
Richardson is capable of the spectacular. And for a team that loves exciting, dynamic, highlight reel plays from the skill positions — Richardson ticks that box.
He also looks like he’s really just getting started. It’s not unusual for a receiver to play his best football 3-4 years into a career. Golden Tate is a good example of that. Look at how Robert Woods has come on playing for the Rams. It’d be a shame to go this far with Richardson only to watch him go elsewhere and deliver on the major potential he’s started to show.
It’s also increasingly the Russell Wilson show in Seattle. They’ve started to invest more cap space into the offensive line. They kind of have a duty to keep Wilson’s receivers intact too. Especially the ones who are stepping up to make plays consistently.
The argument against…
They drafted Amara Darboh in round three a year ago and could potentially make a big saving by allowing Richardson to leave, putting their faith in a prospect they clearly liked a lot. It’d be a big risk to rely on a second year receiver but the Seahawks can’t pay everyone.
In many ways this is similar to the Bradley McDougald situation. The Seahawks began planning ahead with their 2017 draft. Darboh was a good hedge considering Jermaine Kearse and Richardson might be close to the end. Delano Hill could come in as a potential heir apparent to Kam Chancellor. Some of these younger draft picks are going to need an opportunity eventually.
Receiver contracts are also quite big at the moment. Alshon Jeffery just signed a deal worth $13m a year in Philadelphia. Jeffery has 732 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017 — so his numbers are quite similar to Richardson’s. Robert Woods was offered a $6.8m a year deal by the Rams despite a fairly underwhelming spell in Buffalo.
That $6-7m range might be the floor Richardson is looking at unless teams are put off by his injury history. In isolation that’s not an unreasonable sum of money for a good #2 receiver. Yet the Seahawks have multiple big decisions to make and are already paying a high number of players large salaries. Eventually they have to start making some tough decisions.
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Awesome write up Rob one of your best non-draft pieces to date! Certainly no easy decisions.
What is Justin Coleman’s status as a FA? Also what are your thoughts on him? I personally think he has been the best slot CB in the PC era and a must re-sign.
Coleman will be a restricted free agent so quite easy for them to retain him.
We could probably give Coleman an original round tender which would be about $2 million next season.
Coleman is a RFA and a must add. Move on from JLane (damn him wrecking that trade) and utilize Coleman to replace him. I imagine though we might draft a NCB this year and then let Coleman walk in ’19 to keep the secondary price down and let the 2nd year draftee take over.
I have to agree Trevor, Im a big salary cap free agent guy more so than a scout type guy so pieces like this get my motor running. I could go on for days commenting on posts like this but not sure I want to bore people. One thing to look at is do you have guys behind the guys you let walk. We have Darboh if Richardson walks. You mentioned some of the guys to take Joeckels spot, Odihambo could as well. Bradley McDougal will be interesting as Kam’s injury guarantee really muddles that situation as I see Kam coming back because of it. Probably cant pay a lot of money to three safeties. Sheldon is interesting as well. With the quality play of Nazir Jones that could make Sheldon expendable. You dont want to get a one year rental but the Seahawks will move on quickly and take there losses. Ok I guess that was long but I could keep going. All I know is that we play the Rams this week and we need to open up a can!
Don’t worry about “boring” people Greg. I’d like your thoughts. If it’s too boring there’s this new scroll feature… 😉
I always saw Darboh as the Kearse replacement; a possession receiver to go across the middle. I see Moore and Grayson as the eventual P.Rich replacements. I hate to lose Paul, but he’s going to be too expensive to keep. He could take a discount, but that’s not in his best interest.
Naz has been a great pick up. Between him and Reed, Sheldon might not be critical to sign. I think he’s a special player and would love to keep him, but we have young guys that aren’t a huge drop off. If Malik ever plays a snap, we might be in great shape.
RG is Odhimabo’s natural position. After his time at LT and with a good offseason program, he might make a decent LG starter.
Another factor w.r.t. the guys behind Joeckel is that playing next to Brown may elevate some of those backup guys that have not really shined to date. That said, while Brown/Joeckel aren’t going to be mistaken for Jones/Hutch, the combo has the potential to be quite good. It would be expensive though.
Jimmy: Man, the red zone contributions have been huge and hard to replace. The best friendship with Russ is real and it seems like the elite TE’s (Gates, Witten, Gonzalez, etc) can contribute well into their mid 30’s. But damn, what he did between the 20’s last year has not shown up this year. The effort he runs his routes and attacks the ball with is lacking, the body language isn’t good when he’s not involved and the drops/non-catches are killing us. This all depends on cost and availability of talent in the draft. If there’s a TE we really like somewhere in the draft and Jimmy wants star TE1 money…Hell, I’m for re-signing Luke, having Vannett and seeing if Swoopes is ready if need be.
Joeckel: This all comes down to his medicals and availability of talent in the draft (Tyrell Crosby?) who can contribute at LG right away? What’s the status of Roos’ development? What about Odhiambo at LG?
McDougald: Man, this is tough. Because I agree, I’d love to re-up him and roll with him for at least a bit while Hill develops more. Ideally Hill is ready to go in ’18 or at least Kam is healthy and Hill can wait behind Kam. The Kam extension screwed us if Kam can’t/won’t play in ’18. Then we’re either stuck with Hill (good or bad thing) or we have to pay Kam legit SS money, re-up McDougald for a pretty penny and have a R3 SS pick on our roster. That’s nasty.
I came across this idea and I’m curious what you think: If Kam is healthy and able, move him to OLB, re-up McDougald for SS and get Hill involved as a third safety on the field (big nickel).
Sheldon: Before the 9er and Eagles game I wasn’t high at all on re-signing him for the price he’ll demand. After those games he seemed like the Aaron Donald-esk linemen I thought we were getting. But then against the Jags it seems like no one on our DL did jack-all against their OL. If he’s surprisingly affordable then re-sign him because I doubt McDowell plays a snap for us and Bennett is old and always playing hurt past few seasons. Our DL is a mixture of awesome potential, a likely bust and old guys. Damn that stupid Malik draft pick. What I’d give to have drafted Cam Robinson.
PRich: I love how he has broken out but his lack of sustained play due to injuries scares the flipping hell out of me. Not to mention we’ll likely only get one (Lockett or PRich) and I lean more towards Lockett. If he’s as expensive as he likely projects to be then no way should we re-sign given his durability issues. Doug, Tyler, Darboh, rookie, Tanner, Moore/Cyril, etc. Hell, while he’s on a rookie deal maybe move Prosise to WR because his body can’t handle getting hit by linebackers.
If he is for real with his sobriety I am in favor of letting PRich walk and (for the right price) trying hard to get Josh Gordon. That’s how you replace PRich and Graham. Doug, Gordon, Lockett, Darboh, Willson, Vannett, and a legit run game filled with talented backs? (Damien Harris? Carson, McKissic, Davis, Prosise?). I’m down.
I’ve never really been on board with the Kam to LB suggestions that have cropped up over the years. Kam is a great SS, even at his older age. At LB I want mobility and more speed. A position change this late in the game just doesn’t make much sense IMO.
I think Kam at SAM might work well. He’s great at setting the edge and it limits the coverage duties. When he does have to sniff out a screen, he’s got the speed and power of a LB to close and tackle
I’ve never been a fan of this. For me if Kam is healthy, I want him at SS.
Kam has slowed down over the past few years and become a coverage liability. If you don’t think he’s fast enough for a LB spot, then it’s a huge problem, because if your safety is slower than your linebackers, you have a safety problem.
I don’t agree. I think speed is more important, much more important at LB than strong safety. Especially in this modern NFL.
Kam is getting hurt every year. If Kam is having health issues, a move to LB won’t help.
The content you pump out is world class. Best Seahawks analysis on the web. Such a privilege to read your stuff, Rob.
Thanks Nick appreciate those words
+10
Rob you have done it again. Truly I thank you, the gratitude I have for being able to come to this website. All the work you put into producing content does not go un appreciated my friend.
Thank you, that means a lot
You certainly have to prioritize – and if a few of these guys want to be reasonable there is a chance. PRich and Richardson of the list above are the two that may have to walk. I like both, but PRich is going to want a Kearse like contract and he hasn’t been able to stay healthy – he’s played well this season, but I’d rather re-up Lockett.
Sheldon is a beast! I’d love to keep him, and maybe after making a bunch of money on his old contract and playing for a bad team, the thought of playing for championships and take less money.
With Kam most likely done MacDougald seems like a must signing – Delano and Thompso aren’t ready to take on the role yet.
Jimmy – again – if he’ll take less money – maybe in the $7-8m year okay – more than that it will be hard to see the return.
The 2 guys we have to get new deals with IMO is Duane Brown and Jockel – we’ve struggled to draft and find guys on the O line and you have a cheapish center and Pocic – so keep that left side together and then go find a RT in free agency hopefully.
Sheldon did not make “a bunch of money” on his last contract. That was his rookie contract and it is peanuts compared to what he will get. He will want to get paid. Doubt he is offering a hometown discount. Now, he may not get a huge offer because he has had issues and suspensions with the Jets and he does not have impressive sack numbers. The Hawks have enough guys making big money that they are not in a position to over pay or match big offers on their free agents. Just the price of past success.
I don’t hold out a lot of hope that the Hawks can resign more than 1 of the top 3 or 4 free agents.
I would say if not oeverpriced, S. Richardson is the priority, with McDougald second. The others, save the money. The Hawks already have a lot of expensive veterans, it’s time to start getting younger and cheaper, with the priority on weapons and line for Wilson. He has shown he can score when needed, so if the Hawks D isn’t as good, it will be fine if Wilson is let loose and has a better line and running game.
I love this write up, Rob. Really appreciate the time and effort you took to weigh these things out. Thank a bunch.
It’s really quite amusing how the ebbs and flows of a football season can change your fews. I’ve felt all along the Sheldon Richardson had to be the absolute single most important priority. By weighing things out like this, I am able to see more clearly why. You kinda did it with this:
“When you consider they might not get anything out of their first pick from 2017 (Malik McDowell) they’d have wasted two high picks in the space of a year.. It wouldn’t be a good look.”
Vanity can be an absolute SOB, and nobody like to endure egg on the face. However, I think great organizations are willing to make the tough calls on players that on the surface will look bad, if they feel there is a solid plan in place for it. Also, I think you’ve illuminated something that could very realistically be at the source of the Sheldon trade that also may not make fans too happy with this:
“Unless they just believed he would help them win a title this year, thus limiting the negative reaction if he was to walk after one year?”
Sitting here today, I think this could really be it. I think there is a chance, pre Avril injury, pre-Sherman injury, pre-kam injury, the prevailing belief throughout the organization was that Sheldon was going to be the guy to put them over the top, defensively. I think there is probably an genuine want to extend, but probably only at a certain cost, even if Malik McDowell’s future looks dire.
I kinda thought a week or so ago Pete Carroll let a bit of a cat out of the bag when he was asked about the improved play of Jarran Reed from year one. He did his typical Pete praise on Reed, but then volunteered how well Naz Jones has been playing as a rookie, kinda how much he’s surprised, and that they are expecting him to make a similar week in year two. It kinda felt to me that he was signaling a real possibility of the starting DT combo being Reed and Jones moving forward.
Then it’s kind of come out by Sheldon himself this week that he’s perfectly willing to test that market. Honestly, I can’t blame him if he does. He wasn’t drafted by Seattle. He even claimed while he was with the Jets that Seattle attempted to trade for him earlier in the year, but wanted him to take a discount. As much as he has fit in well with the defense, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that still doesn’t sit well with him in terms of management. He might be perfectly willing to go to the highest bidder, and Seattle is kind of feeling that. Hence the Pete praise directed towards Jones regarding year two.
I think there’s still a relative chance he finds his market a bit on the chilly side, and could end back in Seattle maybe on a one year deal kinda like Poe got, but I’ve kinda finding myself coming to grips with the idea he might well be outy.
The really big surprise for me now, after week 13, is how much I’m starting to believe that it is actually Bradley McDougald and Luke Joeckel that could the team’s highest priorities, outside perhaps Jimmy Graham. A month ago, I would have considered them on the lowest side of priorities.
McDougald has taken to strong safety position for this team really well. He was a stud against the Eagles. It’s been my assumption that if they were to be looking to replace Kam, they’d probably be looking for another thumper. I’m starting to think now that could be an unwise choice. Kam is a generational talent on many levels, and might be really hard to replicate, especially with other needs. If there is mutual interest between the player and the organization, I think there could be a deal there, but again, if he thinks there is going to be a rich market, could be tough. I think the key might rest in where they feel Delano Hill is at.
Luke Joekel, in my mind, feels almost destined to be resigned. I don’t sense a wildly hot market for him. I think Seattle really likes him, and even more, I think there is a pretty legit exhaustion in the continual efforts to add new pieces to the OL. If for the next few years they roll out with Brown, Joekel, Britt, Pocic, Ifedi, I would personally be totally fine with that, and if they get a decent durable RB to complement RW, it could end up being a big time shot in the arm for the team and fans.
As for Graham, I think they are most likely going to get a deal done. At age 31, I don’t think he is going to find a ridiculously hot market. I can see a 4 year extension that is probably really two or three years with the way they load it. Unless he just simply wants out of Seattle. I don’t see him leaving.
PRich is tricky. They are going to have Lockett in a contract year, and they just drafted Darboh. Personally, I’d hate to see him leave and if they can have him to $6-7 mill, I say make it happen. It does sort of feel like he is just hitting his prime years. Would be nice to see that happen in Seattle. To a lesser degree from Sheldon, I kinda find myself not holding my breath to the idea it will happen.
If I had to rank them in terms of likelihood, I think I would go:
Joekel a definite.
Graham as close as you can to a definite.
McDougald is strong likelihood.
PRich a likihood.
Sheldon Richardson a maybe.
I feel like Prich goes. It just seems to be the way that Seattle will hang with a player and then they get better and go on a contract year.
I really like Sheldon Richardson, since Rob was writing him up during that draft time. However, I’ve been very bullish on Naz Jones and the limited action from Quinton Jefferson. I would truly like to see S. Richardson stay in Seattle but have kind of found peace if Malik never plays and Sheldon walks.
McDougald to me is the priority resigning over Graham. I have a lingering feeling that Graham is going to drop off quickly and the value of his Red Zone skills may evaporate IF his skills between the 20’s continue to diminish. In so much as bracketed coverage and different coverage looks as he moves into the role of the guy who only plays during redzone plays. Much like teams that telegraphic run/pass with certain kinds of RB’s.
I’d really like to see McDougald and Hill playing together next year on the field. Or some new combo. Seattle is getting gross on 3 and 10 (leading the league on first downs on third and long.)
Joeckel just feels like someone they resign. Hopefully Fant heals and just works his craft in a strange pathway to take over for Brown in a few seasons. Joeckel stays because as Rob stated I think Seattle is weary of this constant churn and relearning process that frankly puts Seattle’s chances of even getting into the playoffs at odds. Also I get Russel walks himself into his own sacks. FIne. But early in the year the Oline each season is getting him killed and that has to stop.
I think we are seeing a lot of the same things. I do see a lot of promise in Naz, though, but I just think Sheldon is such a special talent, and at a prime age, it would feel a shame if Seattle can’t work out a deal with him. I just see better depth behind him than I do Joekel, Graham and McDougald, and feel that the team probably sees that too. Therefore, I won’t be holding breath that he sticks around. I’ve been building cases for him, but I’m seeing some cons.
Good thoughts on Graham. I’m not as convinced that he will have a huge market because of a lot of what you mentioned. That’s kinda why I like the chances that Seattle can keep him on a team friendly deal that they could potentially get out of after a few seasons If skills diminish. Personally, I think he’s got stuff left in the tank. I’d like to see what he does between the 20s with a more balanced attack.
Thanks C-Dog. Some great thoughts here too, thanks for sharing.
Long time reader, first time poster. This is the best Seahawks site we have! I’m also not an X’s and O’s guy and therefore not a great scout.
As a diehard fan though my untrained eye says the Sheldon Richardson needs to be a priority resign. Along with that Bennet needs to move inside permanently on passing downs to dominate guards and centers; his work from the end position seems not as productive these days unless it is in run defense.
I could go either way on JG. What does the franchise tag cost?
Welcome! Got to say most of us on here arent any kind of X’s and O’s people (though we may pretend we area!) but you’ll be surprised in a few weeks how many clips of players on Youtube you’ll find yourself watching once draft season gets going.
Cheers.
Welcome! Franchise tag for TE costs $9.78m this year. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
Thanks Marty. I think there was a report a few weeks ago suggesting due to bonus money in Graham’s contract the franchise tag would be too expensive for Seattle. Something like $13m.
Here is an easy question. You can probably only keep two. Which two do you want? Just names only and well see what the consensus is:
Mcdougald and Richardson
Sheldon Richardson and Jimmy Graham.
Graham, SRichardson and Mcdougald
Sheldon has a higher ceiling than graham not to mention younger
Im more comfortable with Tanner Mcevoy Tyler Lockett and Luke Wilson getting targets than I am with Delano Hill and Tedric Thompson potentially being starting and backup safeties
so, for me the priority is Sheldon and Bradley McDougald
McDougald & Sheldon for me
Feels harsh on Joeckel though
Graham and McDougald
Runner-up would be Sheldon. I would love for him to stay, but I feel like price wise he might too expensive and I’m comfortable with our D-Line depth even if he walks.
It’s making more & more sense that we might see a “big” WR drafted earlier than later should opportunity knock. A red zone threat that effectively allows $17M worth of free agents to walk (JG & PRich).
Darboh David Moore Tanner McEvoy and Nick Vanett all are 6’2 and taller theres your “big” future redzone target
Rob, you have once again hit a grand slam of an article, this was something I wanted to read but didn’t even realize it until you wrote it. Bravo man A+.
As far as the free agents are concerned, I see it like this.
Graham is a must resign if you can get him for around 7-8 mil a year on a 4 year deal. His drops and play between the 20s doesn’t warrant any higher then that, but his red zone effectiveness makes him earn the above.
Mcdougald is a must resign for at least one year. However, given that they have Hill, and if he wants to sign a big contract with another team, well then it might just not be in the cards. Agree that he is a legit starting safety and it has been good for the Hawks to have him.
Sheldon Richardson hasn’t blown up the stat sheet but he has been a great run defender and has collapsed the pocket on passes creating pressures. He would be great to keep around to have a young core of Dline that would include Clark, Reed, Jones, Mcdowell, and Jefferson. If we can sign him to a multi year deal under 10 mil a year I saw thats a must sign, if you can’t get him for that then take the 3rd/4th round comp and move on.
PRich has done good things WHILE he has been healthy. However, that is the big problem, he is not reliable. With him it all comes down to contract, if he wants anything more than 5 mil a year I do not pay that as I don’t trust his health one bit. However, less then that and sure sign him up.
Joeckel is a no for me for 2 reasons, health and play. He is probably at best a league average LG. To me you don’t reward a long extension to someone of that caliber. The bigger reason I do not extend Luke however is his injury history, he was injured last year, injured this year, I don’t have faith in him being healthy. Let him move on and get a comp pick.
Thanks for the kind words Troy.
Some sound points too — but I sense they really like Joeckel.
I’m going to guess these guys are valued close to $10 mill for graham, $5mill for McDougald, $10 Mill Joeckel, $14 mill for Sheldon, and $10 mill for Paul. With $30 mill in cap, I think you sign Sheldon, McDougald, and Graham. Then $5mill for one other smaller deal in FA and save a few for other expenditures. A red zone playmaker, pass rusher up the middle, and a proven player in our system, are too difficult to find in FA or the draft of their caliber. Move Ifedi back to guard and move Fant to RT. Let Darboh and rookies compete for Paul’s spot. When you have an MVP quarterback, he should elevate the players around him. Two things that will help Russell win games, a run game, and a solid defense.
if you have $30 mil in cap space, you cannot spend $25 mil on 3 guys. Still need rookie salaries, injury list, plus other players. If you have $30 mil in cap space, you might be able to spend $15 mill on 2 guys. TOPS. Plus you have to extend Clark, Lockett, Earl. $30 mill is nothing when you start adding things up.
as I posted earlier, I doubt they can resign more than 1 of their top 4 free agents, they just don’t have the cap space
Another great article, Rob. I think the Hawks will have to go heavy again on running backs this draft, like they did in ’16. Of the backs they drafted, only Collins wound up being an NFL starter. The other running backs were injury prone, or simply washed out. They had better luck in the undrafted free agent market, but unfortunately both of the plums they picked up got injured. We don’t know about Carson, but Rawls may not be able to get past his injuries.
While Davis and McKissic are decent, they still need a solid running back; a banger. The draft may be their only option.
Thanks LouieLouie. Agree on the RB’s.
Chris Carson Mike Davis JD Mckissic CJ Prosise seems viable if you draft a RB which Im not opposed to doing so even if its a 1st or 2nd Rounder then 1 of the 4 above has to go unless you can practice squad one of them other wise that 1 last guy is gonna be inactive on game days anyway so it want matter. I think it will come down to JS and PC are past the point of wanting to be just “viable” so an early round draft prospect seems increasingly realistic.
I guess I am in the minority here . I think we let Graham go elsewhere. Not worth the money and roster spot. P Rich has been more productive, and worth keeping. It is hard to figure out whats going to happen with the roster next year.
I think it could go either way with Graham and the next three games could play a big part in determining what happens.
Offense plan
keep TE L Willson on a two year 6 mil contract
Keep PRich on something like a 4 year 30 mil deal.
Draft OG in Second, RB in 4TH and 5TH
Let JG go get the comp.
Let Jockel go get the comp.
Defense plan
Cut Avril and Lane
let Sheldon go and Mcdougal
get the comp picks
Sign a Bennie Logan, POE, or a combo of Kyle Williams and Clinton McDonald. for perhaps 9mil a year
Extend Coleman for maybe 4-5 mil a year.
Extend Earl and Frank Clark
Sign Shead or Maxwell on the cheap for perhaps 1 year 2mil.
Draft DE in third LBs in 5th and 7th after trading of the 1st for a 2nd and3RD and maybe a 6 or 7th
Draft a Punter or a PK later in the draft if we release Ryan we free up 2 mil.
Really like almost all your ideas. I would keep Mcdougald over PRich however.
if you sign a DT for $9 mil,, you lose your top comp pic, so they will not do that.
I doubt they draft a guard high, they already have 2 1st and 2 2nds, and a 3rd round pick on o line if Joeckel goes. They will expect Rees, Roos or Fant to be the 5th lineman and grab 1 or 2 with late picks
Coleman is not getting $4mil+ from Hawks, at best he gets 1 year deal
Shead still has some sort of exclusive rights for the Hawks next year, so pretty sure he stays on team friendly deal. I think they also pick another corner with top 4 picks this year.
I like P Rich, but I think it comes down to him or Lockett and the $$$ will decide it.
other than that, cannot argue too much with your plan.
The offensive line has looked better than last 2-3 weeks. Once they have the same starting 5 playing game after game together…. things are starting to gel. Wish this could have started week #1 or #6 or whatever…. but better late than never. Field Gulls had an article which talked about the left side of the line performing alot better…. something that is not stated enough is that now Seattle has 3x 1st round picks and 2x 2nd round picks starting now. That is a hell of a lot of draft capital on the OL…… and they are starting to show it in how they play.
Now, if we can keep a RB healthy for more than 2-3 games… that would help. Mike Davis has shown up in limited duty. Really like his pop and his will when he rushes the ball. He also made the OL look better in the process. My favorite part of his game is within the passing offense…. very nice hands.
Scenario One
Seattle extends Sheldon Richardson to a lucrative deal, and they keep Jimmy Graham. They cannot afford Joekel, McDougald, PRich, but maybe hang onto Mike Wilhoite, and a couple other lower tiered free agents. The offseason priority is to fix the run game, namely running back, now they have to consider SS, along with depth at WR, LB, and filling a void at one of the guard spots.
20: R1P20
RB DAMIEN HARRIS
ALABAMA
122: R4P20
CB BRANDON FACYSON
VIRGINIA TECH
144: R5P5
WR DARREN CARRINGTON II
UTAH
151: R5P12
EDGE CHAD THOMAS
MIAMI
168: R5P29
S TREY MARSHALL
FLORIDA STATE
229: R7P10
LB KEISHAWN BIERRIA
WASHINGTON
249: R7P30
OT COLE MADISON
WASHINGTON STATE
250: R7P31
TE ETHAN WOLF
TENNESSEE
How good to you feel with an offense that while adding a talented RB, has some fairly unproven talent at WR beyond Baldwin and Lockett, and will have to hope someone emerges at one of the guard spots with Pocic playing the other?
How good do you feel about the defense? Depth at DL should be pretty impressive again, especially if Malik can come back and actually salvage his football career some. Another year of Sheldon getting used to playing with Bennett, Clark, and Reed will surely build chemistry.
Do you feel good about LB if they just plug whoever at SAM again?
Corner should be solid, but at safety, do you feel good about just giving the reins of SS to Delano Hill with maybe Thompson or a rookie batting? What happens if Earl is lost for a few games?
Scenario Two
The extend Luke Joekel, Bradley McDougald, Paul Richardson, and maybe Luke Willson, Wilhoite, or Marcus Smith to short deals again. Same priorities. Fix RB situation, add depth at DE, LB.
20: R1P20
RB DAMIEN HARRIS
ALABAMA
122: R4P20
TE DALLAS GOEDERT
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
144: R5P5
LB CAMERON SMITH
USC
151: R5P12
EDGE ADE ARUNA
TULANE
168: R5P29
DL JOSH FATU
USC
229: R7P10
CB KEVIN TOLIVER
LSU
249: R7P30
OT COLE MADISON
WASHINGTON STATE
250: R7P31
RB LAVON COLEMAN
WASHINGTON
Seattle targets RB heavily, looks for an athletic TE to develop, fines some depth at LB and DE that could turn into starters.
Do you feel better about this offense knowing all five positions are set and will be further playing together?
Do you like the fact that along with stronger depth at RB, depth at WR is maintained?
Are you worried about what the loss of a solid red zone target in Graham does, or do you feel that will be mitigated by a more balanced attack, and maybe one of Vannett, Darboh, Willson, McEvoy, or rookie TE emerges?
How do you feel about the defensive line without Sheldon? Do you think Naz is ready to take a big leap forward in his second year? Are you hopeful Malik comes back focused to redeem himself? Do you like the depth that maybe the mid rounds bring behind the starters?
Do you feel good about the LB situation if they return Wilhoite and spend a mid round pick on someone to groom?
Does the LOB feel pretty stable again with Sherm back, Griffin no longer a rookie, McDougald to play along with Earl, and maybe Hill to push McDougald?
Does this seem like a defense that can play the run and pass at an elite level?
Scenario Three
Team extends Graham, Joekel, and McDougald, keeps a few of it’s lesser tiered players. Drops out of R1, but picks up 2 second day picks.
R2 RB Royce Freeman Oregon
R3 WR Dante Pettis Wasington
R4 DE Duke Ejiofor Wake Forrest
R5 LB Cameron Smith USC
R5 CB Iman Marshall USC
R5 OT Casey Tucker Stanford
R7 DT BJ Hill South Carolina
R7 RB Lavon Coleman Washington
R7 OT Cole Madison Wash St.
Does dropping back that adds talent at RB and WR help bring balance back to the offense and mitigate the loss of PRich with more comfortable depth at WR? Do you feel more comfortable relying on Darboh and Pettis to be productive knowing JG is going to factor greatly in the red zone?
Does having Jimmy Graham allow the team to focus on the defense sooner in the mid portion of the draft not having to spend a R4 pick on a project TE but add an edge player sooner, maybe even go an a defense heavy run?
Is there that much of a drop off of talent between Damien Harris and Royce Freeman? Does mixing Freeman mixed with Carson sound appealing? Can Freeman be coached to run a bit more physical, if that is the one knock on him?
Feels to me that if the team can’t hold onto more than three of these players, Scenario Three might be the likely course they go. Continue building this team around Russell Wilson. Trust that your defensive staff can continue developing young talent around a few core vets, and just reload a bit.
I love that 3rd scenario, I’ve been watching a lot of Pettis and Would love if they could pick him on the second day. The pick of Royce freeman im not sure I’m very high on, would love them to pick up a linebacker somewhat early ( before round 4-5) we seen this past game our dept behind Wagner and Wright.
Personally, if Seattle came out of the draft with Royce Freeman and Dante Pettis, I would be doing cartwheels. I would love to see both in Seahawks blue.
One position that doesn’t get a much mention though you are starting to project it into your mocks is LB. I think it’s beyond obvious that the absence of Wagner is almost an immediate downgrade and a fairly precipitous drop off at that.
I love KJ but not doing any planning about the backups and future starters behind those two may prove to be detrimental this weekend and beyond if either of those two miss time, get reinjured, etc.
For the running back class it’s going to be really amazing to see combine results as that there are a lot of players that fit the 5’11” 220 lb wheelhouse unlike last year, and I personally think the players are more even than they may have been last year.
I can see them dropping back to get a day two pick where they target RB and LB early, for sure.
A projected mid-round OLB & a player to watch closely in the upcoming Camellia Bowl this Saturday, 12/16/17. Could he be a possible Rd-4/5 target for the Seahawks Maybe? thus allowing them to use their earlier picks for other needs like Edge/RB/CB or OL?
OLB-JaVon Rolland-Jones, Arkansas St., 6-15/231, 4.74/40 +/-, #153-overall, projected Rd-4/5
CAREER: 47-games, 175-tkls, 95-solo, 64-TFL, 42-Sacks, 3-PBU, 21-QBH, 10-FF
Note: Rolland-Jones is also near the all time NCAA career sack record. Will he break it?
cfbsports.com
Interesting, JimQ
Thanks for the tip!
Love the way this article also integrates in a balanced way a lot of the points we’ve all been discussing in the comments. Brilliant yet again, Rob.
I was pretty convinced we should let Joeckel and PRich walk in favor of retaining the others, but some of the pros you list for both of them are very real and perhaps I have been under-valuing them. Do we really want to break up something that is finally working on the OL after so many years of searching? Do we really want to miss out on PRich possibly exploding into his prime? With both of them, we have swallowed the cost of rehabbing them, are we so quick to give up the possible payoff for having done that? Especially with Joeckel, we very likely have yet to even see him at full strength and fully integrated next to Brown.
I think the next step is trying to go beyond just making these decisions from a cap perspective and tie this into our plan for the draft (idea for next article). Which of these positions are able to realistically be replaced in the draft, especially considering we need to address RB already besides all these positions?
Another consideration more to do with team-building philosophy is whether there is more value for us in having a defense playing together for an extended time or an offense. I would go even further and rank the value of continuity by position groups in this way from greatest to least:
OL
DB
QB-WR/TE
DL
LB
RB
ST
This is, of course, not to be taken as an absolute apart from talent, health, performance, etc. but it is something to take into account as we try to decide which players to retain.
Another aspect to weigh is the desire to force yourself to put young players on the field. We have been a team that has thrived in its ability to accelerate young players growth by giving them playing time early on. Signing more vets, while it gives a certain sense of security, means you are both paying the vets and not getting as much value out of your guys on their rookie contracts. Young guys also tend to be hungry to prove themselves, which gives the team a certain attitude both on the practice and game field.
I’ll be hoping to get everyone’s feedback and work towards a concrete proposal for the off-season, but for now I’ll just leave these questions here to contribute to the discussion.
I absolutely agree with you, that we/JS should consider placing more youth into the defense, because they
a. need not that much of chemestry (except DB, which are mostly in place), as compared to OL&WR
b. rely more on speed/agrressivness/swagger/hunger, which can be found more in draft picks than proven vets
Thanks Sea Mode, and thanks for sharing your own take too.
One thing that gives me hope as a Hawks fan is that PC/JS completely rebuilt a roster into an SB team when they arrived. If they decide to go with a complete rebuild this time they are starting with a top 3 QB in Russ and a potential DPOY in Wags.
As a fan if they go that route I would prefer they go all youth next year and take their lumps. Trade vets and accumulate draft capital and cap space. I would sooner 1 season of 2-14 to multiple 8-8 seasons.
Totally agree. Said it on another article. Although, I said Wilson and Thomas. Wilson has shown he can score when given the green light. So if the defense isn’t as good, just let Wilson wing it more. Open it up. Which means get him better weapons RB (not just projects), WR (only Baldwin solid, PR and TL too streaky) and TE (NV has shown he can be an all around TE). As for line, I think bench Joeckel now and let the line be Brown/Pocic/Britt/Ifedi/RT so that next year Fant steps in at RT and I think your line is much better.
I love this idea and was going to make a comment of my own before seeing this. Sure they can re-sign a few of their free agents that would eat up the remaining cap space, but does that help the team improve? That is just keeping the status quo. The problem with this off season is that we are way behind in terms of draft capital and cap space. I think we should pick one free agent (Sheldon or Graham) and let the rest walk. Pick up those sweet comp picks while saving whatever cap room we have for extensions for some of the future foundation players like Clark. Figure out a way to unload some of the more expensive free agents, preferably through trades.
In this scenario, next year will be rough but that is OK. Next year’s off season will present Seattle with a ton of draft picks and a lot of cap room. Russell and the O line continue to improve. The following two years are the new championship window.
I should verify what I mean by a rough season. I don’t think the team is capable of ever going 2-14 with Russ at the helm. Rough is something like 7-9 or 8-8.
I agree! Build the OL this off season and add youth. Then Next off season with lots of draft capital and cap space complete the rebuild.
They have a few irreplaceable assets on this team:
Elite QB
Elite MLB
Elite FS
Elite CB, (if healthy)
Pro bowl LT
Pro Bowl WR
Pro Bowl DT, (needs to step up)
Everyone else is up for discussion. Moving forward, is they are going to part with veterans it will be most likely on the defensive side of the ball, and then the identity of the team changes immediately. Go young and hungry on defense. If they have to retool, that’s where you start moving guys. However, in the meantime, you have to equip Russell with the tools to dominate games on offense, and that includes never resigning Joeckel, taking premium available talent at guard, running back, and either resign Graham in a shorter deal, or draft his replacement. Good tight ends to be had in this draft outside of round one. I’m very worried about Cliff and Kam, but I think Sherman will bounce back. We definitley need to keep sheldon, but at what cost? Franchise and trade?
I would even say trade RS and MB if you can. Aging veterans with high contracts, get some 3rd (maybe a 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks)
A question regarding the SS “problem” (Kam,McDougald,Hill):
Would it be allowed (rule/cap wise) to let Kam retire, save cap and giving back that amount of money to Kam as a wage for being a trainer on the team?
If possible, it would accomplish:
-Kam can preserve his body/health for the rest of his life (most importantly) and he get’s his money nonethelss
-Seahawks get cap room and an highly appreciated/knowledgable locker room guy to teach the younger talent in the LOB
Nope. Would be nice for Hawks if you could, but not possible. I do see Kam becoming a coach.
sounds like a salary cap violation
Draft fans….now that Draft breakdown is doing pay service are you draft clips nerds among us still using the website. or are you viewing clips with another service.
I know Volume12 uses youtube but I hate how youtube only shows the highlights but I like to see the blocking skills, or how a WR finishes plays, etc……
Anyways still thinking about kicking DBD a few bucks since it’s to me the best site going.
I am already a patreon for the site. I come less and participate less, but I think it’s a fabulous website and like that Rob can get a few pounds a month from me to spend on his family. I wish there was a donate button where you can just throw a figure out, but it’s great we have the opportunity to give Rob.
I’m stoked Rob put up a Patreon. Just the basic fees of hosting a website can be tedious and I’ve long thought Rob deserves something for all this work.
I’ve just been a long time fan of Draft breakdown the site with hundreds of game breakdowns of players we talk about is currently using a small fee pay wall which again they do tons of work so I have no real problem with that. I was just curious if people are looking at players still using draft breakdown or some other platform.
Seriously? There’s tons of cut ups of actual games on YouTube. If you think I watch only highlights, you never knew me my man and I feel like me and u have had a good relationship on here for like 3 years now.
For example…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iFQCoRsCxrQ
Call me crazy, but what’s that logo down in the left corner? DBD?
I also know you record a ton of games and use a dvr like the “zapruder film,” I was just busting you…..honestly I thought you’d check a dude out on YouTube and pull up a full game on your own equipment.
fine, fine I’ll go use YouTube. should have known dbd stuff was there.
plus it’s pretty obvious who just looks at highlight clips in the next few months and you are definitely not one of the people.
let’s not let this become “.net,” where the same people beef with each other every post!!!
In before “Cut Malik McDowell, he’s lazy, entitled, and a criminal”.
ahh, the video is out!
for what it is worth, I did not see someone who was out of control.
I saw someone who was rude and immature, acted a bit spoiled, maybe the first 20 year old millionaire with nothing to do to ever act that way.
the good news is, I did not see someone who appeared to have any major physical damage. No idea on the full extent of his concussion, but he “looks like” someone who can play next year.
I am not worried about him being a jerk on the video. Mildly concerned, yes. But would you take Lawrence Taylor if he walked through the door? You can’t expect 53 young millionaires to never be jerks, or feel entitled, etc. They have been treated differently since they were teenagers, many have had rough backgrounds. Just get enough good vets around him, and keep reminding him he is lucky to be there.
If you are willing to pay Sheldon $12-14 mil per year, why not pay Malik $6 mill for 4 years and see what he does??
I thought it was pretty weird behavior, honestly. If they deal him, or cut him in the offseason, it wouldn’t upset me at all.
I think between the vibes he was giving out during the combine, the questions of him shutting it down his last year at Michigan St, the ATV accident, and now this.. yeah, I’ve seen all that I’ve needed to see. I got zero faith in the guy.
A thougth to consider in all of this who to sing/not sign is also, that the hawks probably won’t get active on the free agent market this year (to look for replacements for the ones that leave). I think they value the draft picks (a 3 or a 4 for each) in 2019 too much, because it’s supposed to be a better draft, they have given up their 2 already and they will have to fill a lot more roster spots after 2018 (Sherm, Kam, Bobby, Avril, Benett, KJ, TL)
Yes they will. They’ll hedge what position they’re after through FA. Happens every year.
Thanks Rob you so clearly articulated the tough choices facing JS.
Agree SwissHawk kam should stay involved however possible BUT we all need to face the sad reality that his contribution will need to come off the field.
McDougal priority 1 because of this + he can fill in for Earl which no one else can do. Earl is THE key to our D is a truly irreplaceable player The other is Bobby (we need to draft LB this year to build depth) Sherman will be back and Griffin was such a good pick … makes me believe LOB can thrive moving forward
For Russell’s sake Keep OL together so Joekel (draft the coug to develop and bruiser RB) + resign JG
If Sheldon too expensive we may have to let him walk. I agree with. PC that Jones is the stud we all think he is. Naz -along with Reed and Clark are the core DL moving forward. ( Jefferson also doing well)
Redirect some of the S Richardson $s to send Malik on “outward bound” or some other get yourself together program. If we loose Sheldon may have Enough $ to keep PRich or extend Lockett.
SeaMode like the continuity stack rank!!
Thanks, SheHawk!
Agree McDougald is priority #1 for exactly those reasons you mention. And I don’t want TEs to start burning us again constantly up the middle!
I’m starting to come around a bit too on the idea of letting Sheldon walk. It was obvious they absolutely wanted to nail that role down, and they went at it aggresively twice in the draft (McDowell, Naz) and when Malik failed, went and got S. Richardson. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if, like Rob suggested, he was just meant to be the final piece of a legit Super Bowl run, a 1-year rental. He’s fit in well, but is he valuable enough to be the 2nd-highest paid player behind Russ?
In the end, I think they will do what they have always done: not overpay for anyone. They will make Sheldon a decent offer, maybe $12m/apy or so, and if he wants to take a higher offer elsewhere, they will fall back on Reed, Jones, Jefferson, Bennett on 3rd down, and at this point Malik is just a bonus if he ever makes it back.
Thanks SheHawk, my pleasure!
In my opinion, the free agent priorities are as follows, including target cost range (above which range it’s not feasible/worthwhile to resign):
1. Bradley McDougald – $3-6 million per year
2a. Sheldon Richardson – $9-12 million per year
2b. Jimmy Graham – $7-9 million per year
3. Paul Richardson – $6-9 million per year
4. Luke Joeckel – $5-7 million per year
McDougald seems an easy first priority, given the uncertainty surrounding Kam, and his versatility to competently operate as both a SS and a backup to Earl at FS.
Sheldon would be great to have back, as his ceiling is known to be higher than what he’s shown this year, and this has been a solid, if unspectacular year for him (with several splash plays here and there). If he does get offers above $12 million per year elsewhere, I’m not overly bummed about the prospect of letting him walk, getting a 2019 3rd round compensatory pick, and essentially having traded down from the late 2nd in 2018 to the late 3rd in 2019 for having had Sheldon for one year to try and push for a Super Bowl (current standings and hindsight of 2017 season excluded).
Graham, at this point, is what he is going to be for us, an average at best blocker and elite red-zone target. I see his future as a red-zone role player (much, much more valuable than a typical role player, and so worth the salary I proposed), with alternative TE options used between the 20’s. In that role, he should be able to produce consistently for years to come, as it would not rely on speed/athleticism, but rather his continued ability to box out defenders with his frame.
Paul Richardson, while having been a revelation this year and showing exactly what was desired from him as a WR, just happens to be behind other FA priorities this year, and likely won’t be affordable if we manage to resign those with higher priority. I also do have slight reservations about prioritizing a player with his injury history, who could easily revert back to the mean after signing a new contract. In this case, I foresee Lockett moving into the #2 role, with Darboh playing outside with Baldin or Lockett moving to the slot in 3-receiver sets. If, however, a possible scenario of Sheldon Richardson following a large market value offer elsewhere comes to pass, I do think Paul becomes part of the long-term plan on offense (assuming the FA market doesn’t price him out of the range above).
Lastly, I’ve designated Joeckel as the smallest priority of big-name FA’s, for a couple of reasons. Uncertainty surrounding his durability (specifically his knee) is a concern, and his play while healthy, while competent, has not been to a level that outweighs that risk. With the amount of cap and other FA players more critical to the teams success, Joeckel seems the odd-man out to me. In 2018, I foresee the following starting offensive line to get the 5 best players on the field:
Brown – Pocic – Britt – Ifedi – Fant
With regard to the above projected 2018 line:
1. I don’t see Carroll moving on from his confidence in Fant. With Brown the no-brainer starter at LT, and Fant strictly being a tackle, the logical plan would be to have him compete/start at RT, continuing to develop until ultimately taking over for Brown at LT when he leaves/retires down the road.
2. Pocic, with a full offseason with the team strength and conditioning coaches, should be able to produce at least at the level of Joeckel next year, in my opinion.
3. Ifedi, while having struggled in 2016 at guard a majority of the year, had begun to look competent towards the end of the year before getting injured in the Atlanta playoff game. I had always expected him to struggle through his rookie season, given his extremely raw technique coming out of college. A lot of his penalty issues in 2017 have been caused by his struggles to play in space (false starting when trying to get a head-start on the defender, holding when Russell leaves the pocket). There is a decent likelihood that given his physical abilities/limitations, and going into his third season, he will have a higher floor and ceiling as a guard than at tackle.
4. As far as consistency on the left side of the line, Brown and Pocic at least a few games this year having worked together, and I don’t foresee a significant difference in the impact of consistency in keeping Joeckel at LG over Pocic.
P.S. I did not anticipate writing this much, but once I started, it all started tumbling out!
OK Cameron, I’m going to pay devils advocate. Tim Jernigan just signed a 4 year $48 million deal so I would expect that Sheldon floor. Can we pay 3 safeties big money as Kam will be on this roster next year due to his injury guarantee. Last Jockey will make way more than that. Offensive lineman are getting paid a ton these days. What’s your thoughts on moving Ifedi to LG and get him between Brown and Britt? 3rd position in 3 years worked for Britt. Just some thoughts.
The line could maybe look like this.
Brown-Ifedi-Britt-Pocic-Fant…could be good?
That seems like the best use of talent in appropriate positions.
.
Ifedi strikes me as a right side only player, having never played on the left side. The move to RG makes much more sense, having played there before, and having Pocic slide into LG, having experience there this year.
I wouldn’t call $3-6 milion for McDouglad big money, more like moderate, and increasingly necessary with uncertainty surrounding Kam’s health, and a high likelihood of injury even if he does come back (he hasn’t had a year without injury since 2013).
It may not be Ifedi’s natural position but:
1- Brown and Britt can keep Ifedi’s head straight (wouldn’t that be nice!)
2. Ifedi is stronger than Pocic and can potentially join with Brown with a strong run push.
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Interesting ideas and never apologize I like a well thought out post regardless of length and think most people here do.
I prefer grooming Fant to replace Brown at LT and as a backup for both OT spots next year.
Thanks for the thoughts. I think you are right on point when you talk about setting a limit past which the Seahawks will not pay. We can sit here all day prioritizing whom we would like to keep in a vacuum, but the reality is that most of these decisions just might make themselves for the Hawks as guys seek better offers from other teams.
As for the numbers, I would say Joeckel up to $8m/apy and PRich only $6m. Don’t think we will get McDougald for less than $6m per year either. Maybe it can be backloaded until Kam comes off the books so we are not paying 2 SS big money.
“If his average salary is more than $14m a year, he’d be the second highest paid player on the team behind only Russell Wilson. Are you comfortable with Sheldon Richardson being the second highest paid player on the roster?”
I just want to understand this a little more. What’s your biggest issue with this? Overall use of payroll resource? The perception from the public? The effect in the locker room?
How is that working out for Mia and TB where a DT is the highest paid non QB.
Correlation =/= causation.
It’s working fine in Philly and Jacksonville.
Fair but do you think Richardson is a fair comp to Fletcher Cox. The Jags are a totally different case as they had almost unlimited Cap Space.
I love Richardson and think he is one of the best run defenders in the league. He also collapses the pocket.
To me with one sack a far better comp is Brandon Mebane rather than Cox or Campbell.
I can see it being a little bit of both.
How is that going to set with the home grown talent that Sheldon plays one season, solid, but likely not at a pro bowl level, and he is now the second highest player?
If you give $14 mill or more to him, how do you extend Clark, Lockett, Earl, possibly Sherm if he comes back strong?
Also, you are going to be looking at another RW extension and Wagner extension shortly enough down the road. Could present a significant challenge. Is he a core enough player to pay him like that?
Personally, if his asking price gets to that, I’d just as soon see JS let him test the market, and hope that he finds it a bit chilly, and I’m a big Sheldon fan.
for me it’s the locker room effect. that an “outsider,” may be paid higher than a long time veteran. I’m stoked Richardson is here but to be a bit of a contrarian is he really bringing 14 mil per year of play? when 14 mil per year could go Mcdougald, p-rich, and maybe a better than 75% kicker?
Kam – 2nd year of contract in 2018
Baldwin – 3rd year of contract in 2018
RW/Wagner – 4th year of contract in 2018
Sherman – 5th year of contract in 2018
The salary cap has risen about 30% in the last 4 seasons, since everyone on that list except Kam have signed their contracts. The guys in the locker room know the deal.
Richardson currently makes about 8x what Frank Clark makes. Is he 8x the player? Of course not. It’s timing, contract positioning and maximizing your earning power.
I don’t see anyone having a problem with that.
Hell no he ain’t. He’s helped the run defense considerably and had 2 huge TO’s.
He’s been good, his personality fits, but let me ask this. Is this the Sheldon Richardson everyone thought we were getting?
To me he is Brandon Mebane not Fletcher Cox. Great run defender with ability to collapse the pocket. He is not an elite interior pass rusher.
With Pete’s obsession w/ DT gap control I am not sure any DT would have big sack #s with the Hawks.
I have to admit I really struggle with that. I saw more of an interior disruptor in addition to the great run defending. I know Sheldon’s had his moments, and I also know sacks isn’t the best gauge of pass rush effectiveness, but like most I thought we’d see at least 5-8 sacks.
For the first few games, it seemed like he made Reed a better player. You could see Reed doing some great things lined up next to him. I haven’t studied the tape the last few games but that doesn’t appear to be the case lately.
Is it a case of ‘he needs a year in the system’ to be most effective?
Are the Hawks intentionally deploying him mostly as a run stuffer? (and if so, why when you have dynamic interior pass rushing talent?)
He’s been pretty much what I expected. He didn’t have tremendous sack numbers in NY. So I wasn’t necessarily expecting that, but I was just expecting disruption and stout savvy play, which is what he has been bringing. However, I wasn’t expecting that he’d be looking at top end DL $. If that is what he wants, happy to let him test the market. I’ll take my chances with Naz Jones.
I think it’s a couple of things — how it will be perceived by other big name players (will they suddenly demand more money?) and whether Sheldon Richardson per his play deserves to be the second highest paid player on the roster behind only Wilson. Is he that valuable?
he is good, but not 2nd highest paid guy on the team good.
There is a pecking order in the locker room, and if he becomes 2nd highest guy on the team, JS will get some knocks on the door.
The whole process is not just about keeping your guys. It is about how they fit into the salary cap over the next 3 years and what the alternatives are. And who else does sign and who else leaves, where is the biggest hole to fill.
There will be issues to solve next year, probably different than this year.
I think health has to be an issue on resigning anyone. Too many injuries this year. Some just bad luck, others were bound to happen. Need to reduce that where possible, especially if they make a lot of money.
DT Garrison Smith back on 53, DT Rodney Coe waived.
Went and got a FB for practice squad: Jalston Fowler
“Fowler, a fourth-round pick out of Alabama in 2015, appeared in 42 games for the Tennessee Titans over the past three seasons, starting seven games. He has 20 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 career carries, as well as six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.”
Guess I’ll take advantage to go ahead and make my (almost) daily pitch for NC State FB/TE/OW Jaylen Samuels!
´Bama back on the PS is fun
What do we do with the OL next year with Fant coming back? Assuming we don’t re-sign Joeckel….
Fant & Ifedi compete for RT. If Fant loses, put him at LG next to Brown. If Ifedi loses, put him at RG and move Pocic to LG?
Just slide him right into LG?
Keep him on the bench as the swing tackle?
Bench swing Tackle and groom to replace Brown.
let him fight for LG and back up tackle. Would rather leave Ifedi at RT, and not keep changing guys. Ifedi is young, and has talent, just needs to mature and grow into the position.
Imagine having 5 guys on the o line that are competent with several being above average???!!!
I’d love to see Fant on the line, just because of his physical profile and what he brings to the run game, let alone any growth he’ll have as a pass blocker.
I like the idea of starting him on the left guard spot. That will give the rest of the line continuity. Hopefully he will be ready to move back to left tackle when he is needed.
I’ve bitched a little about this before. I really want the Seahawks to get rid of the guards they aren’t using. They have 16 offensive linemen on the roster. The Seahawks have already tried a number of them as starters and gave up. Just cut them and move on. The roster is overloaded with useless guards!!!
The question was posed to Tom Cable last week whether Fant would be looked at on the right side, and Cable essentially said “we already have a really good player on the right in Ifedi.”
Indicates a couple things to me. Germain Ifedi has solidified the RT spot, and they don’t likely few Fant as a guard, otherwise Cable would have indicated that. Who knows how that changes in the offseason, but if Fant is no more than a swing tackle, is that a bad thing?
although who they resign will affect who they draft, I think their top 4 picks will be CB, RB, Edge and LB, in no particular order. I think they lean heavy on D in this draft as they have older guys getting injured and near the end of their contracts.
I just hope they don’t spend the first 10 weeks of next season figuring out their offense. Hopeful that 4 of the 5 o lines spots are set and that will make for a better start. I think Joeckel gets more money somewhere else, or at least more than the Hawks can afford. You can live replacing 1 guy.
Not as fun when it’s an L, but still, enjoy:
http://www.seahawks.com/video/2017/12/12/seahawks-all-access-week-14-jaguars
Lol Ifedi talking to the ref on the sidelines. Like to see Brown next to him though looking out for him.
Steve Raible couldn’t believe the no call on PRich either…
Really sucks Mcdowell is such a bonehead. If you had him to Pencil in at DT then the signing of Richardson or initial trade in fact is not a priority. Picks like that really help or hurt a franchise.
I’m kinda done with him. Happy to see them cut bait.
Im going to take a stab at this Rob.
So for me, Sheldon hasn’t lived up to the “Sack” potential we thought we were getting. How many pressures does he have though? The guy is great. To get rid of your 2nd round pick for one year makes no sense to me. He is priority resign number 1 for me.
Mcdougald- He has come on strong in the absence of Kam, He is Priority resign number 2. He isn’t kam, but with the way Wagz is playing we don’t need him to be. I think solidifying him next to earl is a must.
Jimmy Graham- He is a monStar in the redzone but he does not fit this teams persona. He is lackluster anywhere but the redzone. Do we pay him to make russ happy? I say we give it the old college try at resign number 3 permitting salary. You just cant replace his production down there. Hopefully, with an extension he turns those brick hands into JMFG hands again outside the 20.
Prich- This dude is ballin out… this year. We all know he has the skills to be great. The speed to kill. But can you trust him to stay healthy? I wouldn’t. If we can get him for under 4mil I would do it. But anything above that and im scared we are wasting more cap space on unavailability. He would be my number 4 resign with salary cap considerations.
Luke J.- A lot of people have been pounding the table for him, but I can get behind them. I don’t see a dominate guard. I would rather throw roos the moose in there and see what he can do then pay Luke and lose him to injury a game later and 8 to 10mil salary down the drain.
I also believe that coaching changes need to happen. Whether thats just the coordinators or PC and all the crew. I can’t get behind tom cable, id rather bring in someone else with an easier scheme. I also like and hate DB, the guys scheme is to vanilla and doesn’t get people open quickly so it makes russ hold on and make sandlot style plays. KR is just to inconsistent for me, to give up a league leading 3 and longs is unacceptable. I feel the tides changing in Seattle within the next year or two. And if this is because of pete then unfortunately I say find someone else who is in it that will change their scheme.
It pains me to say that, and I hope im wrong about pete. I love his definition of good football. Excellent defense with a strong running game TOP style offense. That is my bread and butter. If you were to ask me who to replace them with, id be stunned. I have no clue who is ready to jump up and take those steps… I am not with the main crowd thinking fire them now and its all tom cable, but accountability needs to happen here. In the offseason their needs to be some hard thinking going on. I really feel that with a power man scheme that the titans/cowboys run we would have a lot more success running. It is what it is, but some hard decisions are coming up fast, hopefully we make the right calls.
Get the fire back, GO HAWKS!
Thanks for the thoughts! Interesting read.
I think the backlash against Bevell is often overblown, but I’m definitely in favor of replacing Cable and Richard. You cannot look me in the eye with a straight face and tell me that those two are the best available in the business for an OL coach and a DC. If Pete’s “Always Compete” mantra is truly what he believes in, then he has to be willing to hold his coaching staff to the same standards as he supposedly holds his players. He cannot let loyalty and optimism get in the way of actual results.
I think way too much time is spent/wasted by Seahawks fans talking about coordinators.
The truth is neither of us know who are the best in the business, or who is available. And whoever comes in is still going to have to run Pete’s defense or offense. This is the Pete Carroll show in Seattle. It isn’t an operation where the Head Coach is a glorified coordinator and he hands over the keys to another coach to run the other side of the ball.
Most fans couldn’t even name five offensive line coaches in the NFL, let alone come up with legit alternatives to Cable. And for what it’s worth, since the front office gave him a legitimate, veteran left tackle the O-line has played very well.
Might re-sign McDougald. That’s it.
Division might feature Gurley AND Barkley, so might need a return to form, namely a big run-stuffing DT who keeps Wagz and Wright clean. Take the 3rd round comp for S. Richardson.
Was opposed then and now to the Joeckel signing. FO needs to figure out How to draft or develop an OG. Let Glow, Odhi, Roos compete for Joeckel’s vacant spot. Take the late comp.
JFG has been a red zone savior, but too often gets bullied out of games. Address the run game and Vannett makes more sense. further, JFG should be priced out (> $8 million / year) of Seattle.
PRich started strong, stayed healthy, but has tapered. His production can easily be replaced for far cheaper by Prosise, McKissic, Darboh.
Draft: CB, Edge, RB
(Apologies for the tablet typing…geez.)
If you’re only signing McDougald, what are you doing with the approximately $25-30m in free cap space? If it’s to sign replacements for some of these names there are two risks:
1. Losing the comp picks
2. Paying as much or little bit less/more for a weaker talent
Not convinced you have to sign replacements.
Pocic, Roos, Glow, Odhi compete for 2 OG spots.
McDougald and Hill replace Kam
Jones, Reed, Jefferson, Smith replace S. Richardson
Vannett, Swoopes + FA Draft replace Graham
Moore, McEvoy, Darboh, Prosise replace PRich.
Yes, there is a drop off in talent, but we don’t commit cap space to aging JG, injured Joeckel, underwhelming S. Richardson. Kam, Avril, Sherman may have to be replaced, making 2018 a rebuilding year.
Further, signing lesser talent doesn’t always lead to worse results. Your example of signing S. Richardson is case in point: better player, bigger contract, worse chemisry (similar to JG’s signing). Free up some cash, extend Brown, fix the running game and the slight drop in talent at TE, DT (debatable), WR (debatable) would be negated.
2016-2017: The Deviation Years. Would like to see them return to a commitment to running game and run defense. You don’t need a full tilt roster tweak to do that, just a return to what worked.
I’d be a bit worried about certain aspects of this. The interior D-line for a start relies on Smith and Jefferson for depth and rotation (and Q-Jeff hasn’t got a good injury record). I wouldn’t call the drop off from Graham to Vannett/Swoopes as ‘slight’. And I’d really hope we wouldn’t be talking about Glow and Rees struggling again if they just roll that way on the OL.
I’m not saying they ‘need’ to sign all of these players listed in the piece — but letting them all walk bar McDougald probably wouldn’t be wise either.
Agree with all your concerns, but re-signing Joeckel, Richardson x 2, Graham might not address team weaknesses either. 3 of those 4 have significant injury histories and all will be very expensive in relation to production. It’s more an expensive hedge than plan.
My suggestions, in context, include improving the run game, signing a run-stuffing DT and a having a productive draft. Without being a total downer, I think the team is closer to slight rebuild than contender. Looking at 2019 more than 2018. Need to prepare for a legit LA and ascending SF.
Re-signing them might not address the weaknesses, but it might prevent more being created.
Probably, but you can’t spend your way to ‘always compete.’ If we drafted/whiffed on OL, necessitating FA OG, OG and a mid-season trade for LT, your team will eventually have to cut costs somewhere.
Convinced this FO can find value/talent on D in draft and FA, but will have to pay for OL.
Prediction: Team re-signs Graham and McDougald.
Sure, but when you’ve got $30m to spend deciding to let all your FA’s leave to me just creates more holes that need to be filled and decrease the talent on your roster.
Counter argument: Re-signing aging or oft-injured or just bad players also creates holes that end up killing your cap or filling your roster with Byron Maxwells and Dwight Freeneys. Or forcing mid-season trades to compensate for bad planning.
Bad teams will overpay for S. Richardson, PRich, McDougald, probably Graham and Joeckel. We might have to find undervalued FAs and hope our depth covers.
Not really disagreeing with you, just recognizing the Seahawks have difficult decisions ahead.
I wouldn’t describe Sheldon Richardson as ageing or oft-injured. Graham is ageing but he’s not a dinosaur. None of the five names listed are bad.
Finding undervalued FA’s is easier said than done.
I’m equally not really disagreeing with you either — and I don’t covet all five being re-signed. I could live with only 2-3 being retained (which is likely). But releasing all but McDougald IMO just creates even more holes that need to be filled and decreases the talent on the roster.
Agree. Was referring to past moves like re-signing Lane.
Would love to keep S. Richardson (young, disruptive DT: rate commodity), but he’ll get overpaid by someone.
I’d keep McDougald, Joeckel, and Sheldon. Maybe we can franchise tag Graham. I’d let PRich walk in FA. I agree, we need a big dude at NT again. Reed is a great 3 tech run stuffer, but we need another Mebane. Naz, Sheldon, Smith, and Q Jeff ain’t those guys. What do we think about Payne out of Bama, or maybe Vea slips.
Man such hard choices… Rapid fire responses:
Jimmy- Keep if you can. Hopefully Russ has some sort of pull on a discount. TD’s are so valuable. As said, we don’t have the D to play the field goal and defense game. But the lack of any kind of other consistent production is staggering. My question is if he is providing anything more than another large WR couldn’t give us? Would you rather possibly pay Josh Gordon the 8-9 mil/yr you were going to give Jimmy and get
a redzone and all around better pass catcher? Can somone like Mcavoy (6’6′) develop into a red zone one on one threat? I’m not sure he is a must.
McDougald- Great depth and a season saver. I really don’t know if anything gets done before a decision on Kam. I think he stays.
P Rich- Love to see him stay but I been firm on my position that they shouldn’t pay him more than what the gave Kearse. I think David Moore’s stock rises and has impact before Darboh.
Joeckel- Not a fan. Even with elevated salary not a 8 mil/yr guy. I am a very large supporter of the Brown-Pocic-Britt-Ifedi-Fant line going forward. See what you have in Roos too.
Sheldon Richardson- Huge fan. Keep him if at all possible. Sack numbers down and hopefully it keeps price down. People always talk about how it takes a while to get a hold of the way Seattle plays at corner and many have come and failed (C Williams, A Winfield). I would say the same can be true about playing D line for Seattle. Pete values different things from his DL. Also we don’t blitz a ton, and don’t create matchup advantages so it is usually 4DL vs 5Ol with a blocking back sometimes. That said i think he is figuring out how to operate in SEA.
There is also the topic of what do you want to do with Cliff Avril. You can save $7.5 million with only $500k of dead money. I like Avril but that $7.5 sure could come in handy. Maybe you just wait and see if he wants to retire first. My opinion is its either Avril or Sheldon on this team next year but not both. Whats your guys thoughts?
just read something on Avril, cannot see him coming back. He clearly stated his health was more important than football. Doctor told him he had temporary paralysis that was much more serious than a stinger. He has a SB and made enough money.
He may be missed as much for the ability to calm down MB when no one else can.
He will be missed.
Other team will offer S. Richardson more than we can afford. I think he’s gone.
I think if Cliff comes back it means there are assurances about his health. I think that is a gigantic If. My hunch is that he retires. If he decides he is willing to risk serious life threatening or quality of life threatening injury for $7.5 mill, Seattle would probably cut him. I don’t see them investing in that risk.
I hope we prioritize:
1. Graham
2. Sheldon Richardson
After that I can live with anything else.
Same top 2 but the order is switched. You can’t find either of those talents at our normal draft position.
One free agent they should NOT bring back is Eddie Lacy. They have a stable of #2 Running Backs. What they are missing is a #1.There are few free agent options, so the draft is where they will need to find that guy.
Do not resign any of them. This team needs to get young quick. The oldest player should be Wilson. If you cannot get to the playoffs with all these big names…not even counting the guys in ir…well it’s time to churn thst roster. Instead of sayinf build that wall…im saying churn that roster!
WR Jeremy Kerley wasn’t sure how a banned substance got in his system. Said a ghost might have done it.
LOL. Yes! More of these answers.
Browns GM John Dorsey. This ya’lls man? Out here already doing damage. Calling the young players on the team, ‘not REAL players.’ That’s smart considering he’s stuck with most of these guys the next couple years.
The one thing I’ll add has to do with Ifedi definitely being penciled as next year’s RT, and the comparison to Giacamini. Giacamini’s penalties were penalties of aggression. He pushed hard even continuing after the whistle and got into a lot of fights. He’d pick up unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. He learned to tone it down so he was riding the edge and soon it was opponents who were getting penalized for taking swings. Ifedi, on the other hand, forgets the snap count and collects false start penalties to the tune of about 3 a game. Ifedi often forgets his assignment and goes the wrong way, likee he wasn’t paying attention in the huddle. Unlike Giacamini, Ifedi does not block until the whistle. All of Ifedi’s problems are in his head. He’s like a giant ADHD kid. Physically he’s everything you could ever want, but I don’t know if he’ll ever get it together mentally. It would be scary if he could.
At this point I’d be disappointed to see him at RT next year. But that doesn’t mean we have to keep Joeckyl. He strikes me as a middling guard and not really special. If he wants market price, 9-12 million a year, I’d let him walk.
What are our options then? For one, Pocic looked good next to Brown and I wouldn’t mind if he claimed that spot again. He will be physically stronger next year and has a great head on his shoulders. He does not miss assignments or snap counts. I would like to see Ifedi moved inside so he’s not on an island. And I’d like to see Fant compete for the RT job next year (though the combo of Fant next to Ifedi doesn’t thrill me). If that doesn’t work, I’d try Roos or Odiambo at RG.
I think Ifedi has been fine. His penalty shouting at the ref was fine by me. It was a joke of a holding call and when do you ever hear about a flag for that?
He’s show development and it feels a bit like the latest player the Seahawks fans like to criticize when he makes a mistake and not talk about his positive performances when they occur. Our line is settling down.