Seahawks To-Do List: What's Left Before NFL Draft?
Now entering the third week of free agency, the Seattle Seahawks have successfully fortified their roster with six outside signings this month, including adding five veterans on the defensive side of the football.
More aggressive than usual this time of year, general manager John Schneider skipped his usual holiday in the first couple days of the new league year and quickly struck a deal with former Broncos defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones on a three-year, $52 million deal. Since making that splash signing, two former starters in defensive tackle Jarran Reed and linebacker Bobby Wagner have agreed to return for second stints in Seattle, filling significant voids on defense.
With exactly one month until the 2023 NFL Draft begins in Kansas City, the Seahawks still have plenty of work left to do. But they also don't have much salary cap space at the moment and will need to figure out how to give themselves a bit more wiggle room to operate as they try to continue improving the team with sights on contending in the NFC in 2023.
What can Seattle do to put icing on the offseason cake before the draft? Here are three moves that should be prioritized on Schneider's to-do list over the next four weeks and change.
1. Extend Uchenna Nwosu though 2025 or 2026.
With few options left on the roster to cut loose as cap casualties and the aforementioned salary cap issues to address, the Seahawks should be motivated to reward Nwosu after a strong first season with the franchise for multiple reasons. For one, the 26-year old edge defender looks the part of a foundational building block on defense with a well-rounded game featuring the ability to win as a pass rusher with speed and power as well as effectiveness stopping the run. In the midst of his prime and a great fit for their hybrid 3-4 scheme, he's the type of player the organization should want to tie up long-term.
Secondly, assuming Nwosu continues his upward trajectory after being named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2022, his price tag will only skyrocket heading towards free agency next March. Waiting to sign him until next spring could cost the team millions and put them at risk for losing the player. By kickstarting negotiations by offering $15 million per year on a multi-year contract extension, Seattle would set him up to receive top-15 pass rusher money while ensuring one of their best young players stays for the foreseeable future and creating a large chunk of cap savings to make additional roster moves before or even after the draft.
2. Replace Al Woods at nose tackle with ... Al Woods.
Amid their full scale defensive line rebuild, the Seahawks released three high-priced veteran defensive tackles to help facilitate free agency moves. One week after cutting Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson, despite being one of the few bright spots, last year for an underachieving front line, Woods became the latest casualty with the front office needing space for safety Julian Love and eventually Wagner. This left the team currently with only one nose tackle on the roster in Bryan Mone, who may not be ready for the start of next season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
That's not an ideal situation, especially if Seattle intends to still play extensive odd fronts with a 0 or 1-tech nose tackle on the field. While there may be other veteran alternatives to consider on the market and a draft choice could be invested on a massive defender next month, however, Schneider has already hinted Woods could be coming back down the road. Once Nwosu's contract frees up cap space, the team shouldn't waste any time bringing the respected veteran back into the fold to solidify the middle of the trenches and potentially mentor a rookie.
3. Restructure Tyler Lockett's contract for a bit more cap flexibility.
Historically, Schneider has been against restructuring contracts unless forced to do so a last resort, preferring not to kick salary cap hits down the road and put them on a credit card. However, there have been a few occasions where he has bit the bullet and signed off on such a move, including restructuring Harris a few months after being acquired as part of the Russell Wilson trade with the Broncos last summer. This trimmed his cap hit by more than $3 million for 2022, but turning base salary into a future signing bonus also spiked his cap hit north of $12 million for 2023, leading to his recent release.
Given their tight financial situation in the present, a similar restructure may be necessary to fill out the rest of Seattle's roster. While safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams could be candidates, the ever-so-reliable Lockett would be the safest bet to justify taking on a bigger cap hit in 2024 and 2025 for instant cap relief in the present due to his consistent production and durability. Still playing at a high level, restructuring the veteran wideout's $8.535 million base salary could create up to $5.69 million in cap room. Though his cap hit would balloon to $26 million in 2024, other levers could be pulled to lower that number next spring after the team enjoys much-needed flexibility to add talent now, maybe even opening the door for Poona Ford or Harris to return.
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