Bringing Back Shelby Harris Would Put Bow On Seahawks' Offseason
Less than two months away from the start of training camp, the Seattle Seahawks have put coach Pete Carroll's words into action in the effort to build a more dynamic defense through aggressive spending in free agency and the NFL draft.
Bucking previous trends of thriftiness, Seattle outbid several other teams to land former Denver defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones on a three-year deal worth north of $50 million to add juice to the interior defensive line. One year after releasing him in a cost-cutting maneuver, the team also brought back beloved future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner along with signing versatile safety Julian Love in March, fortifying all three levels of the defense.
Armed with 10 draft picks, including two first and two second-round selections, the Seahawks continued to stock up on defensive talent in the draft. Holding a top-five selection courtesy of the Russell Wilson trade, they surprised many by using their highest pick since 2009 on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon before later using the 37th overall pick on Auburn edge rusher Derick Hall.
But while general manager John Schneider, Carroll, and the rest of Seattle's brass deserve credit for upgrading at several positions on defense, the elephant still remains in the room. For all the moves made to improve the roster from signing Jones to reuniting with Wagner, after releasing reliable veterans Al Woods and Shelby Harris to create cap space and losing Poona Ford in free agency, the team has major concerns left to fix at nose tackle.
Making matters worse, Bryan Mone may miss extended time into the regular season recovering from a torn ACL, leaving the roster currently without a proven veteran nose tackle offering starting experience.
Even if the Seahawks are high on fourth-round pick Cameron Young, who has drawn praise from Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt for his stoutness in the middle and maturity, as ESPN NFL Live analyst Mina Kimes bluntly stated on the Locked On Seahawks podcast, "that's a huge freaking problem."
"That's something that obviously needs to be addressed regardless of what sort of lineup they're rolling out," Kimes said. "It's just a big massive question mark."
This time of year, finding difference makers on the free agent scrap heap can be difficult. But with mandatory minicamp taking place this week, the Seahawks will soon be heading into a moratorium period with six weeks off until training camp opens, leaving plenty of time for the organization to plug that gargantuan hole and put a bow on the offseason by bringing back a familiar face in the ever-reliable Harris.
Acquired as part of the Wilson trade from the Broncos, Harris stood out as one of the few bright spots for a disappointing defensive front last season. In his element playing in a Vic Fangio-style 3-4 scheme, he produced 44 tackles, two sacks, and four swatted passes and according to Pro Football Focus, he surpassed 30 quarterback pressures for the second time in his career.
Unfortunately, with Harris due a cap hit north of $12 million in the final year of his contract and no new deal imminent, the Seahawks released him and Jefferson before free agency started. Two weeks later, Woods joined them on the market, eventually pairing back up with Jefferson by signing with the Jets.
With Woods and Jefferson in New York, Ford landing in Buffalo, and Mone nowhere close to being ready to play coming off reconstructive knee surgery, Seattle would be wise take advantage of Harris still being a free agent for multiple reasons.
Though Harris doesn't have the prototypical nose tackle size of a Woods or Mone, he has played well when asked to cover the A-gap or line up head up on the center throughout his career. Even in a rotational capacity, his experience, toughness, and passion for the game would set a great example for rookies such as Young and fifth-round pick Mike Morris, who Seattle plans to move inside full-time after playing off the edge at Michigan.
Away from being a quality mentor for young players to learn from, Harris' return would instantly prop up a defensive line that needs another stout defender to help plug up gaps and disrupt the line of scrimmage. Set to turn 32 years old in August, the veteran still checks off both those boxes regardless of alignment while offering pass rushing value rotating with Jones, Jarran Reed, Myles Adams, and Morris at the 3-tech spot.
Re-signing a steady stalwart like Harris to team up with a group that looks more athletic on paper seems like a no-brainer, especially with few other viable veteran options available. But to make a reunion happen, Schneider and cap guru Matt Thomas will have to work swiftly to find a way to afford bringing him back into the fold due to financial complications.
According to OverTheCap.com, Seattle currently has a little over $7 million in cap space, which on the surface presents as more than enough money to sign Harris. But that number doesn't account for the entire rookie class, as Witherspoon, Hall, and second-round pick Zach Charbonnet have yet to sign their contracts.
Being a second-round pick, Hall's cap hit as a rookie comes in at an affordable $1.657 million, still leaving around $6 million to work with. Charbonnet's price tag comes in even lower at just $1.25 million for the upcoming season, barely putting a dent in the Seahawks remaining cap room.
But as a top-five selection slotted to receive a far bigger payday, Witherspoon's deal will instantly take up a much larger percentage of Seattle's cap space with a $5.792 million charge in 2023. That contract alone will put the team only a few million from the red and signing Hall and Charbonnet would leave no spare wiggle room to sign a player of Harris' caliber.
To alleviate that problem, Schneider has a couple of options at his disposal, with each coming with pros and cons.
For one, Schneider could restructure the contract of safety Quandre Diggs or Jamal Adams for instant cap space, though he has never been an advocate for kicking cap hits down the road and already did it once with receiver Tyler Lockett earlier this offseason. An extension for either Uchenna Nwosu or Noah Fant would allow the Seahawks to create quick space as well, but such deals require both sides to agree on a contract and can take time to come together.
Considering Schneider's track record of often getting extensions done before or during the opening stages of training camp, a new deal for either Nwosu or Fant could already be in the works as we speak. If Harris has yet to sign before camp starts and one or both of those players signs an extension, the stars could align for him to come back and fill a huge void up front for the Seahawks.
As for a potential restructure on Adams or Diggs, while nothing should ever be ruled out, the other alternative seems much more probable if Seattle intends to make another move down the road. If that is the only option on the table, given the team's cap constraints and desire not to put cap hits on a credit card, Schneider would likely prefer to roll with what they have.
But looking at how their roster has been constructed and the state of the rest of the wide open NFC, it doesn't seem like the right time for the Seahawks to be conservative, especially with the signings already made earlier in the spring. While they aren't necessarily in "win now" mode, at the same time, they appear positioned to contend after making the playoffs a year ago.
At this stage, choosing not to make a move to help sign a popular, productive veteran like Harris that fills Seattle's most significant need without breaking the bank would be malpractice. With closing the gap in the NFC West and returning to Super Bowl contention the utmost goals, Schneider, Carroll, and company should be all-in finding a way to bring him back and put the finishing touches on an excellent offseason.
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