Analysis: Grading Seahawks 2020 Offensive Free Agent Signings
Following a 30-20 Wild Card round defeat to the Rams last weekend, the Seahawks abruptly and unceremoniously have entered offseason mode after an unexpected early exit from the playoffs.
From a win-loss standpoint, Seattle had a highly successful season, returning to the top of the NFC West with a 12-4 record and earning a home playoff game as the No. 3 seed. Unfortunately, this franchise had far loftier goals than simply making it to the postseason or winning the division and wasn't able to meet those expectations, leading the team into a long offseason with plenty of questions left to answer.
In the first of a multi-part series evaluating the Seahawks offseason moves from a year ago in retrospect, how did general manager John Schneider fare in his efforts to add offensive talent around quarterback Russell Wilson in free agency?
Brandon Shell
Contract: Two years, $11.5 million
Grade: B
While injuries and a COVID-19 scare wrecked the end of his first season with the Seahawks and he endured his worst game of the year in the playoffs, Shell may have been the crown jewel of Schneider's free agent class and proved to be an immediate upgrade over former starter Germain Ifedi. Out of 58 qualified tackles with 600 or more snaps, he finished 16th overall on Pro Football Focus with a 79.4 pass protection grade and allowed just five quarterback hits and three sacks at right tackle. He was serviceable in the run game and was also penalized just four times, a massive improvement from the flag-happy Ifedi in that department.
Greg Olsen
Contract: One year, $7 million
Grade: D+
Recruited to the Pacific Northwest by Wilson, Seattle hoped the 35-year old Olsen still had plenty left in the tank and could provide another difference maker in the passing game, especially in the red zone. During training camp, he and Wilson seemed to have a pretty strong rapport building, but that chemistry never materialized during actual games in the regular season. Before suffering a ruptured fascia in his left foot in Week 11, the three-time Pro Bowler had been limited to just 23 receptions for 224 yards and a single touchdown. For the price Schneider paid to sign him, returns didn't come close to matching the investment.
Carlos Hyde
Contract: One year, $2.75 million
Grade: C-
Signed in early May, Hyde's addition wasn't much of a surprise with Rashaad Penny expected to miss most of the season recovering from a torn ACL. But like Olsen, the veteran ball carrier didn't provide the bang for the buck the Seahawks hoped he would as a complimentary weapon alongside Chris Carson. He missed six games due to various injuries and while much of it had to do with limited opportunities, he only produced four games with more than 50 rushing yards. If there's a silver lining, he did produce four touchdowns and performed well as a third down back late in the season after Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas were lost to injury.
Cedric Ogbuehi
Contract: One year, $2.3 million
Grade: C+
After only playing 14 snaps in the first nine games of the season, Ogbuehi started in Shell's place for four of the final six regular season games. He struggled mightily in his first start in three years against the Eagles, allowing six quarterback pressures. But in back-to-back-to-back starts against Washington, the Rams, and the 49ers late in the season, he performed admirably against three of the best pass rushing defensive lines in the NFL, allowing six combined pressures, one quarterback hit, and no sacks. For that reason alone, he was one of the better value signings for Seattle.
Phillip Dorsett
Contract: One year, $1.047 million
Grade: F
During the early stages of training camp, Dorsett lit up the VMAC hauling in several deep balls from Wilson while showing off his sub-4.30 40-yard dash speed and looked primed for a big season as Seattle's No. 3 receiver behind Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. But a recurring foot issue cropped up in the team's first mock scrimmage and after several failed attempts to come back during the season, he underwent surgery and didn't play in a single game for the Seahawks. He could be back next year with a chance for redemption, but a lost season definitely constitutes a failed signing.
B.J. Finney
Contract: Two years, $8 million
Grade: D
Before training camp opened, given the contract he signed was worth $4 million per year and had $4.5 million guaranteed, Finney was expected to step right into the starting lineup as Justin Britt's replacement at center. But from the outset, Ethan Pocic led the competition and the veteran lineman fell further down the depth chart at both guard spots as well. Underwhelming during his brief time with the team, he didn't play a single offensive snap before being sent to the Bengals as part of the trade to acquire defensive end Carlos Dunlap, which is the only reason his signing doesn't get a big, fat flunking mark.
