If the Seattle Seahawks could pick three free agents that are still available that would help fill the holes on the roster, who would they be? The Seahawks carefully leveraged their prior free agency signings and draft picks to meet many needs, but some players the team cut or who sustained injuries are leaving holes. A few final free agent signings can help fill the gaps.
Offensive Free Agent Needs
The offensive side of the ball appears to be pretty solid going into the 2023-2024 season. The position that troubles me most is right tackle. Abe Lucas is injury-prone and struggling to stay healthy between his knee and his shoulder. He has one backup, Jake Curhan. A little more depth at the RT position is desirable and likely to be a necessity.
So who’s the available free agent? Who is the man for the job?
Ty Nsekhe. He’s a well-seasoned guy who has been around the league a time or two. His most impressive performance was in Buffalo, where he stayed for two seasons. He’s a solid player who would add much-needed support to a position that needs that extra security. The downsides are that he is an average player performance-wise and is 37 years old. However, for those same reasons, he would be a very affordable signing for the Hawks.
Defensive Free Agent Needs
The defensive side of the ball is a bit more unsettling due to the number of serious injuries (although, thankfully, Metcalf wasn’t one of them). More than one position doesn’t leave me with the warm fuzzies, but we have two needs that stand out as particularly pressing.
Those holes are at the nose tackle and LLB positions.
DK Metcalf got carted off the field to use the bathroom.
King energy.
(?: @NFLonFOX) pic.twitter.com/jGYPc64wb4
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 2, 2022
The nose tackle position is particularly concerning because two out of three players at this position have serious injuries, and the other, Cameron Young, has never played a snap in the NFL. Bryan Mone tore his ACL last season and had a difficult surgery that revealed more was wrong with his knee than originally thought. He will likely be sidelined going into the 2023–2024 season. Austin Faoliu also had significant knee surgery that may impact his ability to play and leave him more susceptible to injury.
Who is still on the market that can sweep in and keep noses tackled with rookies and injuries running rampant? Ndamukong Suh, of course. Anyone who has been watching the NFL for a while knows Suh is one of the meanest to ever do it. He’s been on the turf as long as some of these rookies have been alive (kidding!) and would be ready to jump in at a moment’s notice as a well-seasoned 36-year-old. Ndamukong is obviously not a long-term solution, but he’s perfect for right now.
The Hawks are familiar with signing older players for short-term use when they’re in a pinch. Think Adrian Peterson in 2021. If they can work with Peterson as well as they did, they can do the same with Suh.
The final position in need of a little more depth is the LILB one. Jordyn Brooks had a no-contact ACL tear late last season. He is recovering sooner than expected but is still healing and could miss the beginning of the season. Devin Bush is next up and brand new to Seattle. Nick Belore is the third string, which is mildly disconcerting because his name comes up a little too often in the depth chart for my liking. He can do it all, but that doesn’t mean he should.
Rashaan Evans would be the perfect addition. He led the Falcons in tackles last season with 159, and they were not wise when they let him go. It’s frankly amazing that he’s still available in free agency due to his level of talent, but the Seahawks can capitalize on that and get a real talent.
Fill-in Free Agent
If somehow John Schneider and I disagreed on some of my fantastic picks, I would be willing to compromise and sign RB Dalvin Cook. Mostly because our running backs always seem to get incredibly beat up every year, and I believe Cook still has plenty of gas in the tank. Slightly because Dalvin is a good friend, according to Travis Rudolph’s testimony, and that is a valuable thing on and off the field.
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