Will Seahawks Make Play for Veteran G Larry Warford?
Over the course of the past couple of months, Seahawks general manager John Schneider has made a concerted effort to improve the depth of the team's offensive line through free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft.
In particular, Schneider has accumulated a bunch of guards, starting with signing former Steelers reserve B.J. Finney and former first-round pick Chance Warmack in the opening week of free agency. Last month, he also brought back Jordan Simmons and Mike Iupati on one-year deals.
With those deals in consideration, few expected Seattle to be aggressive looking for guards in the draft. But the team fell in love with LSU standout Damien Lewis during the pre-draft process and when he was still available at pick No. 69, they couldn't pass up on selecting him, consequently releasing D.J. Fluker two days later.
As the roster currently stands, Lewis will be the favorite to start at right guard, while Iupati will have to fend off Phil Haynes and Jamarco Jones in a tight competition at left guard. Finney will likely take over as the new starting center replacing Justin Britt.
But with Schneider indicating recently the Seahawks wanted to be careful with the team's budget for potential cap casualties from other teams, a recent release by the Saints may be of interest to further bolster the interior offensive line.
Like Seattle, New Orleans drafted an offensive lineman early in April's draft, selecting Michigan guard/center Caesar Ruiz in the first round. After using a top pick on center Erik McCoy one year earlier, veteran Larry Warford became expendable and the organization cut him to save $7.75 million in cap room last week.
If a title contender moved on from the veteran, then why would the Seahawks have interest, especially after just cutting Fluker for similar reasons?
No offense to Fluker, who was understandably a popular player during his two years in Seattle, but he doesn't have close to the same resume. This isn't an example of an aging player on the downside of his career being cut loose by a cap-strapped franchise as we see happen often in this league.
New Orleans did what all winning teams must be able to do: they took the risk discarding a proven commodity with hopes a top draft pick can be an adequate replacement at a fraction of the cost to stay under the cap. Seattle was forced to do similar things after their Super Bowl runs in 2013 and 2014 - it's the nature of the business.
After leaving the Lions following the 2016 season, Warford made the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons for the Saints, one of only eight offensive linemen to accomplish the feat during that span. To put that in perspective, the Seahawks haven't had a single Pro Bowler at guard since Steve Hutchinson left in 2006.
If you're someone who subscribes to Pro Football Focus as the go-to outlet for evaluating offensive linemen, Warford has consistently received stellar grades, including posting a respectable 73.1 grade in 2019. He was credited with surrendering just two sacks on 970 offensive snaps.
In the prior two seasons, Warford allowed just one sack per year on nearly 2,000 offensive snaps. Though he gave up three sacks in 2016 while still with the Lions, he received an 81.3 mark from Pro Football Focus.
Warford will turn 29 in June and he's in the prime of his career. Entering his eighth season, he should have a ton of great football left in him and schematically, he should be a strong fit for what Seattle likes to do.
At 6-foot-3, 317 pounds, Warford has been equally successful protecting Drew Brees and opening up running lanes for Alvin Kamara over the past three years. Just last season alone, he received the fifth-best run blocking grade among guards in the NFL, which should immediately interest Seattle.
When it comes to the Seahawks potentially making a run at Warford, as always, it'll come down to price point. Other teams such as the Texans and Bears have already been rumored as potential suitors, which could push his asking price beyond Schneider's means.
On top of that, Seattle also seems intent on starting Lewis at right guard from day one and his presence made it far easier to move on from Fluker. The organization has lofty expectations for the rookie and unless Warford is willing to play on the left side, that could complicate matters if the team investigates signing him.
Regardless, Seattle must strongly consider the possibility of adding Warford to the mix. He could be a piece that helps put the team over the hump in the NFC and with a high likelihood there won't be any offseason workouts or minicamps, having a proven Pro Bowl talent like him up front could pay huge dividends next season.
