Aggressive Moves Needed for Seahawks to Compete in NFC West Arms Race
The NFC West has been one of the best divisions in football over the past decade, producing five Super Bowl teams, including most recently the 49ers last season.
Now that free agency has started, an arms race is taking place atop the division, as the 49ers just locked up Arik Armstead on a five-year extension worth up to $85 million. They acquired a top-15 pick after dealing DeForest Buckner to the Colts, giving them two first-round selections in April.
Both of those moves came before also re-signing safety Jimmie Ward to a three-year deal worth $28.5 million, solidifying the back half of San Francisco's defense.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals made a massive upgrade to their roster by trading running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round draft pick, and a 2021 fourth-round draft pick to the Texans in exchange for DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round draft pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Widely viewed as a terrible move by Texans head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien, even EA Sports' Madden declined that exact trade.
Just two seasons removed from making a Super Bowl appearance, the Los Angeles Rams may be the worst team in the NFC West next season. But even after losing Dante Fowler Jr. and Corey Littleton, they did manage to sign defensive end Leonard Floyd and still have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
Rumors are circulating that the Rams might be looking to move on from receiver Brandin Cooks, who has already been traded twice in his career. Running back Todd Gurley's name has also been in the rumor mill as a potential trade target, though his contract may make a deal impossible.
With those couple of additions made by the 49ers and the Cardinals along with the Rams searching for ways to improve with limited draft capital, it seems the Seahawks need to make a big splash to keep up with the Joneses in the NFC West.
The Seahawks central focus has been on improving their pass rush this offseason. Along with trying to retain Jadeveon Clowney, they re-signed Jarran Reed to a two-year deal worth $23 million on Monday.
But to really move the needle, signing Clowney and Reed wouldn't be enough to stay atop the NFC West. And it appears Seattle is investigating several options to improve their defense despite a slow start to free agency that has been headlined by the addition of lineman B.J. Finney so far.
As top pass rushers fly off the market, Seattle has inquired about veteran edge rusher Everson Griffen, who opted out of his contract last month and has been exploring other options. Minnesota could bring him back, but a return isn't a guarantee as it seemed to be a few weeks ago.
As my colleague Corbin Smith recently reported, the Seahawks have also reached out to the Ravens to inquire about their Pro Bowl edge rusher Matt Judon. Baltimore recently placed the franchise tag on Judon and he is scheduled to earn $15.828 million in the 2020.
The Ravens are not necessarily looking to unload Judon and continue to work towards a long term deal. Still, they find themselves with a little over $2 million left in cap space after acquiring Calais Campbell from the Jaguars and signing Michael Brockers in free agency.
Per Smith, if the Seahawks were to pry Judon away from the Ravens, it would likely take a second-round pick or a package of a third-round pick and a late-round pick along with an extension. Last season, Judon earned his first Pro Bowl appearance after posting career-highs in tackles (54), sacks (9.5), and forced fumbles (4).
Along with Judon, Seattle has previously been linked to Yannick Ngakoue, who also received the franchise tag from Jacksonville and wants out of town.
Looking at the back half of Seattle's defense, it could also make sense to explore a trade for Lions cornerback Darius Slay to help defend against Hopkins and other top receivers in the division. Desmond Trufant also remains a free agent alternative.
Due to limited cap space, the Seahawks will have to get creative to re-sign Clowney and make a trade for Judon, Ngakoue, or Slay. But Russell Wilson isn't getting any younger and with the rest of the division improving, the organization needs to become aggressive fortifying the roster to have any shot at returning to the top of the NFC West and compete for a Super Bowl bid.
