Upgrading Defensive Line Depth Remains Critical for Seahawks
Prior to the start of the new league year in March, the Seahawks greatest roster needs remained in the trenches, specifically on defense with Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.
Seattle moved swiftly to re-sign Reed to a two-year contract before free agency officially kicked off on March 18. As for Clowney, he still hasn't signed a contract with anyone and has stated publicly he won't rush into accepting a new deal.
Overall, even with Clowney unsigned, the Seahawks brain trust of general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have been pleased with the moves made to address their pass rush over the past two months. The organization re-signed veteran rushers Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa to one-year deals before using two draft choices on Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson.
But in the defensive interior, aside from re-signing Reed, Seattle has done little to address the defensive tackle position to this point.
Veterans Al Woods and Quinton Jefferson left in free agency, joining the Jaguars and Bills respectively. After missing last year with a knee injury, former third-round pick Naz Jones was waived with a failed physical designation to help make room for undrafted rookie signings.
As a result of those departures and the team's decision not to spend a draft pick at the position, there's a steep drop off in talent and experience on Seattle's depth chart behind Reed and fellow starter Poona Ford.
Currently, the Seahawks have just six defensive tackles under contract, and three of them have never played a snap in an NFL regular season game. 2019 sixth-round pick Demarcus Christmas spent his entire rookie season on the PUP list dealing with back issues, while undrafted rookies Josh Avery and Cedric Lattimore will be trying to make the team without the benefit of OTAs or minicamps.
The only defensive tackle not named Reed or Ford who has appeared in an NFL game is Bryan Mone, who played in four regular season games and logged 89 total defensive snaps as a rookie for the Seahawks last year. Compared to the others, he's a "seasoned" veteran.
Given that dearth of experience, Schneider absolutely has to be scanning the market looking for veteran options to bolster the group in the latest wave of free agency. The good news? There's plenty of proven names still out there available to sign.
Headlining the list of remaining free agents still on the market, Damon Harrison, Mike Daniels, and Marcell Dareus all have at least one Pro Bowl on their resume. Former Seahawks starter Brandon Mebane also may have interest returning to the Pacific Northwest to finish out his career.
In a down season by his standards, Harrison still produced 49 tackles for the Lions in 15 games last season. By simply getting out of Detroit, where he never wanted to play in the first place, he should be able to bounce back with another team.
Daniels also played for the Lions last season, seeing the field for just nine games before landing on injured reserve. He's missed 13 games over the last two seasons, but made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2017 and offers positional versatility to line up at multiple spots along the defensive line.
Once a First-Team All-Pro selection, Dareus' days as a pass rushing threat look to be behind him, as he's failed to produce more than 2.0 sacks in a season since 2016. But before being limited to six games last year, he had a steady 2018 season with 32 tackles and a forced fumble.
As for Mebane, he turned 35 years old in January, but he still started 13 games for the Chargers last season and registered 27 tackles. He can still contribute as a rotational nose tackle even at this stage of his career.
All four of the aforementioned players are getting up there in age and injuries have been an issue for Daniels and Dareus in recent seasons. But as they did with Woods a year ago, the Seahawks could sign any of them for at an affordable rate to play a rotational role alongside Reed and Ford and receive solid production.
Other lesser-known options could be on the table as well, including Akeem Spence, who has started 57 games in six NFL seasons and produced 35 quarterback hits and 10.5 sacks in his career.
Schneider has been able to cross off most of Seattle's offseason checklist, but if there's a positional group still needing a face lift before training camp arrives, there's no question defensive tackle would top the list. Look for him to be aggressive adding a veteran or two the fold in coming weeks.
