Preseason Cut/Trade Candidates for Seahawks to Track in NFC 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. Switching conferences in our eight part series, let's look at the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles made a late surge late in the 2019 season and secured the NFC East title with a record of 9-7. They ultimately lost in the Wild Card round to the Seahawks after Carson Wentz left the game with a neck injury. But the real issue for Philadelphia was the lack of wide receiver talent on the roster due to injuries.
Naturally, the Eagles went out and addressed the position, adding Jalen Reagor and John Hightower in the draft, as well as trading for Marquise Goodwin. Alshon Jeffery is still a solid player and would carry a $15 million dead cap hit if he was cut with a June 1 designation.
But with all the focus on adding receiving weapons this spring, Philly is going to have to make some tough calls at the position. One player that showed well is former University of Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. Ward converted to receiver and proved to be productive in his first extensive NFL action, catching 28 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown.
The Seahawks didn't invest too heavily in the receiver room this offseason and Ward certainly fills the role of a classic slot receiver, which could complement the team's vertical passing threats on the outside.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys don't have a ton of room in terms of salary cap space, but they have a pretty easy way to get some quickly. Cutting former third-round pick Tyrone Crawford would save them $7.3 million and they may not have a choice but to do so.
Crawford missed most of the 2019 season with a hip injury and he hasn't really broken out the way the Cowboys would have hoped. He's been a solid defensive lineman who has played a little inside and outside and produced 23.0 sacks in 96 games. But Crawford has never had more than 5.5 sacks in a season, so paying him $9 million is a bit too expensive.
But Seattle could use a versatile lineman and general manager John Schneider has spent the offseason searching for these types of players. Crawford can reduce inside on passing downs and handle the 5-tech role on earlier downs. His versatility and steady play are appealing, to say the least.
New York Giants
Let's go off the board a little bit and focus on a former first-round pick who has already been traded once in safety Jabrill Peppers. Peppers, who was traded to the Giants in the Odell Beckham Jr. deal, had a decent first year in New York.
Peppers is a versatile player who can play free safety, strong safety, and even some linebacker. He also returns punts and kicks, an area of focus for the Seahawks this spring. He only has three career interceptions in three seasons but did force three fumbles in 2019.
The raw skills are there for the former five-star recruit and giving a young defensive back with his skill set the shot to work with Pete Carroll could unlock his potential. He'll require a decent draft pick to acquire, but if Carroll thinks he can help him, it might be worth the investment.
Washington Redskins
Personally, I love the idea of a medically cleared Alex Smith coming to Seattle to be the backup to Russell Wilson. But instead, we should look to a more realistic option. Ryan Kerrigan is a prime candidate to be traded or cut, as he has no guaranteed money left on his deal and could save Washington $11.68 million.
Kerrigan, who will turn 32 years old in August, is coming off a solid season but missed four games after eight straight years of not missing a game. He posted only 5.5 sacks in 2019, but recorded double-digit sacks in each of the three previous years.
Washington doesn't have to cut Kerrigan, as they have no real issues in terms of cap space. But the Redskins are getting younger with a new regime in place, so it is a possibility they could move on and the Seahawks would absolutely have interest given their lingering need for pass rush help.
