Stock Watch: Winners/Losers From Seahawks First Two Weeks of Free Agency

The new NFL league year is only two weeks old, but the Seahawks and all 32 teams have been busy at work building their rosters for the upcoming season by re-signing their own players and adding outside free agents.

To this point, Seattle has signed 12 players, retaining six of its own free agents and adding six players from other organizations. Among the franchise's most noteworthy moves, Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs returned on a three-year, $40 million contract, running back Rashaad Penny turned down bigger offers to come back on a one-year, $5.75 million deal, and ascending linebacker Uchenna Nwosu bolted from the Chargers to sign a two-year contract worth $19 million.

Keeping these signings in mind, which Seahawks have benefited from the moves made by the team thus far? And which ones have been hurt by these additions?

Here's a look at eight players whose stock has been impacted to varying degrees in the first two weeks of free agency:

Stock Up

Drew Lock

While the quarterback himself admitted nothing has been promised to him by the Seahawks and will have to earn the job in training camp, the way the franchise has showcased Lock over the past week suggests they are aiming to sell him to the fan base as the starter under center. Only 25 years old, Schneider and Carroll genuinely seem intrigued by his physical tools and believe a chance of scenery could help him rediscover his rookie form from 2019. Of course, they will continue to explore other options at the position such as Geno Smith and potentially Baker Mayfield and could draft a quarterback early next month. But as things stand right now, for better or worse, he appears to be in the driver's seat to start in Week 1.

Jake Curhan

After holding up well in his first five NFL starts replacing Brandon Shell late last season, Carroll was non-committal on Curhan's chances of taking over as a full-time starter next season when speaking to reporters at the combine. But while competition will likely still be added through free agency or the draft, his odds of starting improved significantly with the Seahawks not being able to close the deal and sign Pro Bowler Trent Brown last week. It's possible Shell could still be brought back on a one-year deal, but even then, the former California standout looks well-positioned to take the reins moving forward with the team likely targeting a left tackle in April's draft instead.

Cody Barton

Despite playing well in the final two games of the 2021 season, questions remain about Barton's viability as an every down middle linebacker replacing Bobby Wagner. To this point, however, the Seahawks haven't made any moves that suggest they don't believe he can handle it. Yes, the team did sign Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who previously played for associate head coach Sean Desai with the Bears, to a one-year deal last week. But "Iggy" has 47 defensive snaps to his name and has primarily been a special teams player in four NFL seasons, so while he and Ben Burr-Kirven may have a chance to compete for Wagner's former job, Barton remains the heavily-favored front runner going into the final year of his rookie contract.

Tre Brown

There's a bit of an asterisk to this one with Brown's status coming back from a patellar tendon injury up in the air. If he's not ready for training camp, then the door opens for other players to vault into the lineup. But with Carroll sounding optimistic about his recovery progress earlier this month and former starter D.J. Reed now with the Jets, even if the team drafts a corner fairly early, all signs point towards him starting across from Sidney Jones in the secondary. If he can bounce back at 100 percent health and play as effectively as he did in five games as a rookie, he has a good chance to solidify his standing as a long-term starter in a scheme that should suit his strengths.

Stock Down

Colby Parkinson

Entering his third season, Parkinson still has the size and soft hands to emerge as a matchup problem for opposing defenses, particularly in the red zone. But foot injuries set him back in each of his first two seasons and he produced a grand total of seven receptions in the past two years as a result. Even with Gerald Everett heading to the Chargers, the arrival of former first-round pick Noah Fant as part of the Russell Wilson trade coupled with the return of Will Dissly presents a major road block for him seeing extensive snaps in 2022.

Alton Robinson

On one hand, the departures of Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa should immediately vault Robinson up the depth chart after being seldomly used in his first two seasons. But on the other hand, signing Uchenna Nwosu in free agency to pair with Darrell Taylor limits his chances of competing for a starting role and questions remain about the former Syracuse star's fit in a more 3-4 centric scheme. He's not a natural dropping into coverage and at only 270 pounds, he's not big enough to be a 3-tech in odd fronts. If the team drafts a hybrid edge defender or two next month to add more depth behind Nwosu and Taylor, snaps could once again be hard to come by.

Ugo Amadi

Making the most of his chances to fill in for Marquise Blair at slot corner each of the past two seasons while excelling on special teams, Amadi has proven to be a quality fourth-round pick for the Seahawks. But the additions of Justin Coleman and Artie Burns in free agency along with Blair's impending return from a fractured kneecap suddenly put him in a precarious spot when it comes to seeing playing time on defense. Due to his success as a zone cover corner, there may still be a situational role for him in Clint Hurtt's defense, but his struggles in man coverage in the past suggest he could be the odd man out and relegate him to special teams only.

L.J. Collier

For those hoping Collier might be able to rebound from a challenging third season in which Seattle often held him out as a healthy scratch, even with Kerry Hyder out of the picture, other offseason moves have not helped his cause. The 2019 first-round pick out of TCU will have to battle for reps at the 3-tech spot against Shelby Harris, who had 6.0 sacks for Denver last season, as well as Quinton Jefferson, who had 50 quarterback pressures a year ago in Las Vegas. Add in the fact Al Woods and Poona Ford can both play that role in a pinch and snaps will once again be hard to come by, putting his roster spot at risk once training camp rolls around in August.