Preseason Cut/Trade Candidates for Seahawks to Track in AFC East
The Seahawks have a history of adding significant talent late in the offseason, at the end of the preseason, and even during the season. John Schneider may have done most of his heavy lifting already, but the esteemed general manager will not sit idly. Seattle still has needs to address and if the Jadeveon Clowney trade last August has taught us anything, it's that they'll be aggressive to make it happen.
Every preseason, veterans are cut and or traded, giving teams an opportunity to make late improvements to their roster. In this series, I will look at one player from each of the other 31 teams that could come to Seattle via a late trade or as a free agent castoff. Kicking things off, let's look at the AFC East.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are an interesting team. They'll enter the season without Tom Brady on the roster for the first time in 20 years and haven't added a quarterback to compete with Jarrett Stidham for the job. They could be in for a long season, but don't appear to be willing to waive the white flag. There are several potential cut and trade candidates here, including Donta' Hightower and Mohammed Sanu.
But perhaps the best player who may be traded for future draft picks is Lawrence Guy, the defensive tackle who is entering the final year of his contract. Guy carries a $5 million cap hit and the Patriots have just over $1 million in cap space remaining. A solid player, Guy could potentially net New England a fourth or fifth-round selection and give the Seahawks another solid rotation piece with Poona Ford and Jarran Reed.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills enter 2020 in an unfamiliar spot: a legitimate challenger for the AFC East title. With the Patriots rebuilding and the Dolphins and Jets still a year away, they have an opportunity to host a playoff game for the first time in decades. The Bills aren't in any kind of salary cap purgatory, thanks in large part to Josh Allen's rookie contract, so they won't need to cut anybody of significance.
But there is speculation that veteran edge Trent Murphy may be cut and could save the Bills an additional $8 million. Murphy isn't an elite pass rusher, but he did record 5.0 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2019. The 29-year old can serve as another rotational player and has the versatility to handle the five-tech, LEO, and potentially reduce inside in third and long situations, providing a nice chess piece for Pete Carroll, Clint Hurtt, and Ken Norton to play with.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were extremely busy this offseason and appear to be one of the real up-and-coming teams in the AFC. They have no cap concerns and will be a tough team to find a match for. Perhaps the best player who may be cut is linebacker Raekwon McMillan, a 2017 second-round pick.
The Seahawks have plenty of depth at linebacker and this is an absolute long shot, but that hasn't stopped the Seahawks from continuing to spend more resources at the position. Carroll loves defensive talent and trading for McMillan would likely cost Seattle a late-round pick and just $1.1 million of cap space in 2020. More likely, if the Dolphins cut him, he could also be a waiver wire pickup candidate.
New York Jets
When it comes to the Jets, I truly believe anything is possible with Adam Gase at the helm, except of course a winning record. Over the past two offseasons, the team has grossly overpaid Le'Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley while playing chicken with their best player, Jamal Adams, over a silly contract dispute.
Adams is the obvious choice as a trade candidate, but the Seahawks have already invested in the safety position and trading first-round picks for a non-pass rusher doesn't seem like the wisest investment right now. Instead, the team should look at a player the Jets already released in cornerback Trumaine Johnson.
The former Rams corner has the ideal size for a Seahawks corner with 33 1/4-inch arms and a 6-foot-2 build. He has never had blazing speed, but used technique, length, and savvy to pick off 23 passes in 102 career games, including 77 starts. With the legal ramifications of Quinton Dunbar's case still up in the air, adding a veteran corner on a cheap veteran deal would be the ideal play, and Johnson at least checks some of the boxes for Carroll on the outside.
