Seahawks 'Dark Side' Defense Will Take Hits in Free Agency

The Seattle Seahawks are going to have to make some changes on defense in the upcoming season.

Several top players, including safety Coby Bryant, cornerback Riq Woolen, cornerback Josh Jobe and outside linebacker Boye Mafe, will be free agents this spring and the Seahawks have to figure out how to bring them back or replace them. The Athletic insider Michael-Shawn Dugar explains what the Seahawks need to do in order to limit the damage.

"Seattle could mitigate the immediate salary-cap impact of any extensions with some creative accounting, but signing bonuses require dipping into the cash budget, and that requires a willing owner. It’s too early to predict how the Seahawks’ sale, a process that was formally announced Wednesday, might affect the cash budget, but one way or another, it’s not feasible to retain everyone," Dugar wrote.

"Ideally, Seattle would be able to offset some of its veteran losses with impact rookies. But the team has only four selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Seahawks have their own picks in the first three rounds and a sixth-round selection via the Cleveland Browns.

"Even if general manager John Schneider flips those four selections into six or seven players, Seattle can be only so reliant on Day 2 and 3 rookies when trying to defend its title. The team will need to spend some money on starters and depth players while also hitting on draft picks at a high clip."

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe pursues New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Seahawks Will Make Changes on Defense

The best ways for the Seahawks to improve on defense this offseason are through the draft. It will be hard to do that with four picks, but expect general manager John Schneider to trade back in some of the first three rounds so that he can acquire more selections.

The Seahawks won't be able to bring back everyone, but they should look to ink deals with as many players as possible. Perhaps the defensive players will be interested in taking a hometown discount given how good the defense is, but the Seahawks should expect some losses on that front.

If the Seahawks are able to withstand these losses during the offseason, they will have a chance to get back to the Super Bowl and have a chance to go back-to-back.

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