Reuniting with Benson Mayowa Could Be Game-Changer for Seahawks' Pass Rush

Despite bouncing around the league through his first three seasons, Mayowa finally broke out with Dallas in 2016 and after a career year in Oakland, the late-blooming edge rusher could be a standout in Seattle while playing at a fairly cheap price.

With the Seahawks waiting for a decision from Jadeveon Clowney, general manager John Schneider decided to bring back another former member of their 2013 Super Bowl Championship roster.

Nearly seven years ago, the Seahawks signed undrafted free agent Benson Mayowa to a one-year deal after starring at the team's rookie minicamp. After spending the last six seasons away from the Pacific Northwest, the 28-year old defensive end is now returning to Seattle for a second stint.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Mayowa will be signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks worth $3 million. The deal could max out at $4 million with incentives.

As a rookie in 2013, Mayowa played in just a pair of games for Seattle, producing two tackles in 24 defensive snaps. Unable to find the field with the likes of Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Chris Clemons in front of him, the 6-foot-3 defensive end struggled to find his footing until 2016 with Dallas, when he produced career-highs in sacks (6) and tackles for loss (8).

Since that impressive breakout season, the late-blooming Mayowa has become a quality rotational edge rusher. That's not bad for a player who wasn't even a priority undrafted free agent coming out of Idaho.

Over the last two seasons, Mayowa has produced 16 tackles for loss (tied for 33rd-most among qualified NFL defensive ends), 11.0 sacks, 41 solo tackles, and four forced fumbles (tied for eighth-most), according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Furthermore, the majority of this production came despite playing limited snaps. In total, the former Vandals standout played just 29 percent of the Raiders' snaps on defense in 2019, but the eighth-year pro still enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career.

During this past season in Oakland, Mayowa played in 15 regular season games and produced 15 tackles, five tackles for loss, and a career-high 7.0 sacks. In addition, he produced 18 hurries, 10 quarterback hits, and a career-high 12.4 percent pressure rate (tied for 20th-best among all defensive ends with at least 200 rushes) in 2019, according to Sports-Info-Solutions.com.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, Mayowa generated a Pass Rush Win Rate around 15 percent during this past season.

Based on these metrics, there’s a good chance Mayowa will be able to replicate or improve upon those results with more extensive playing time. After finishing second-to-last in the NFL in sacks as a team last year, the former Super Bowl champion could come as a huge bargain for Schneider and the Seahawks.

While most Seahawks fans were dreaming of having Everson Griffen and Clowney on the edge in 2020, a trio featuring Mayowa, Bruce Irvin, and the three-time Pro Bowler could be just as effective, if not better next season.

Following this latest signing, the Seahawks are now one step closer to completing the reshuffling of their pass rush. As the clock ticks towards this month's draft, the organization hopes the next step will include bringing back Clowney back into the fold.