The Seahawks are one of the more aggressive teams when it comes to the trade deadline. A year ago they used a second round pick on Leonard Williams. In the past they’ve added the likes of Duane Brown, Carlos Dunlap and Quandre Diggs.
The deadline is a month away on November 4th.
So is there anyone they could target?
Firstly, they’re not going to be buyers in the Davante Adams market. The passing offense is coming along nicely after a productive outing in Detroit and they already have major talent at the position. There’d be little reason to rent Adams for a couple of years, creating another mouth to feed.
Neither do I think it’s likely they’ll be able to make a big tilt for an offensive lineman. The NFL has an O-line problem with so many teams struggling up front. Any player worth having isn’t going to be dealt, unless they force a move like Brown did in 2017. That was a rare circumstance.
The only name I’ve seen on the O-line that might be available is Walker Little in Jacksonville. I liked him at Stanford but he’s bounced around a few positions and nothing has stuck. Is he even an upgrade at this point?
There are a couple of players though that I think might be worth having a look at.
Firstly, it’s important to look at teams who might be willing sellers. A legit contender isn’t going to give you a player to help you out. It needs to be a team already eyeing the future, someone who wants an extra pick or two to help in the draft next year.
Which teams are getting close to seller status?
The first name I’ll bring up is an old favourite — Calais Campbell.
He’s still going strong at 38. The ageless wonder has a couple of sacks for Miami and an 80.4 PFF grade — good for sixth among all interior defensive linemen.
The Dolphins’ season has collapsed. There’s a major unknown about the future of Tua Tagovailoa due to his latest concussion. They’re 1-3 and just lost Jaelen Phillips for the season, adding to their woes.
There’s virtually no chance Miami turns things around unless Tua returns to the field, stays healthy and orchestrates a revolution in form. That seems improbable.
They’re unlikely to sell off players who can be assets next year but Campbell presumably went to Miami for a playoff push as his career winds down. Playing out the slate on a losing, fairly dreadful team makes little sense.
Seattle’s D-line depth was severely tested against the Lions with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy out. Adding Campbell would improve the interior rotation and provide great cover.
He’s also familiar with Mike Macdonald’s system, having played for the Ravens in 2022.
He only signed for $2m this year and having already taken four games off his salary, he’d be incredibly cheap to acquire. It also wouldn’t likely take much to bring him to Seattle.
A stumbling block might be his reluctance to leave. After all, he’s 38 and maybe went to Miami for more than just the chance to play for the Dolphins. He attended the University of Miami and might see it as an ideal spot to round off a great career.
I’d consider a call to Miami if there was a chance to get this done. The defense lacked a presence up front on Monday night and this would protect against it happening again.
The other player to consider is linebacker Devin Lloyd in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are 0-4 and might also be considering a re-set in the off-season. Jeremy Fowler reported today they could be sellers.
Jerome Baker and Tyrell Dodson are only signed for this year. Baker has been injured and Dodson, after a good start, struggled behind a makeshift D-line in Detroit.
Lloyd is contracted for this season and next with cap hits of $3.5m (2024) and $4.1m (2025). Acquiring him would give you more depth and talent at the position, especially if Baker is going to be a constant injury question mark.
We saw what Mike Macdonald did for Roquan Smith in Baltimore. While Lloyd is not the same level of player, he’s shown a lot of improvement in the last season and a bit. Last year he received a 78.1 PFF grade. His mark for the first three games of this season is a 70.2 but on a struggling team. Importantly, he receives high grades for his run defense (76.3) — a major weakness for Seattle on the road so far.
In college Lloyd played with a physical style that would fit the mentality the Seahawks are aiming for.
I’m not sure what he would cost. The Jaguars took him in round one two-and-a-half years ago so it might be tricky to work out a price that would suit both parties. It is worth noting he missed Jacksonville’s last game through injury but he could return this weekend.
It’s nigh on impossible to predict a realistic trade scenario unless a player is actively being shopped like Davante Adams. However, both of these suggestions don’t seem that outrageous. I’m not sure they’d transform the Seahawks into major contenders or anything — but certainly if you inserted Campbell and Lloyd onto the roster they’d provide a major boost in depth with the potential to provide some impact.
With the offense flexing the way it did on Monday, adding more depth to the defense could really help the Seahawks in a wide-open NFC.
Last year they made the Williams trade sensing an opportunity to win the NFC West. They’re in a very similar position now. Will they act again?
Finally, do me a favour and check out my latest appearance on Puck Sports. This time I was on with Puck and Jim Moore. It was a real treat to speak to them both:
