Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks.
General Manager John Schneider has been reading my stuff and asked me to help fix the Seattle Seahawks. I’ve been given carte blanche to make any moves I want, and he’ll take all the blame. Now, I know what Dan Snyder feels like. Anyway, it’s going to be an eventful offseason. Let’s get things started with a bang.
I’m trading D.K. Metcalf to the Cleveland Browns for their first-round pick (number 13 overall). Cleveland is a deep team that lacks a big-play receiver. They hope to get from him what they couldn’t from Odell Beckham Jr.
This deal will upset some of the 12’s because he’s very popular, but the rest have come to realize Metcalf is fine for what he is. Unfortunately, D.K. is more than a little overrated. Tyler Lockett is the Hawks’ true top target, and D.K. never did find that same connection with Russ. We’ll also swap fourth-round picks and drop back five spots to finish the deal.
Next, I’m taking $20M of our $56M cap space to keep Quandre Diggs and Duane Brown in Seattle. Brown will get $9M guaranteed with a roster bonus worth another $1.5M. If the 36-year-old tackle starts 12 games in 2022, a second-year guarantee kicks in with the same terms.
Diggs will need a four-year deal with three of them guaranteed at an AAV of about $10M. His broken leg in the season finale at Arizona knocks about $1.5M off what he might have commanded, but the injury isn’t career-threatening. If his surgery goes well, the Pro Bowl safety should be back in plenty of time for OTAs in the late spring. These deals should provide some stability as we take Coach Pete’s “re-tool” comments to heart.
We’ll let Al Woods, Ryan Neal, Ethan Pocic, and Rasheem Green know we’d love to have them back and offer them some market-rate deals. If they take the offers, great; if not, we’ll let them see what’s out there and come back to us. Gerald Everett probably didn’t love his 2021 role and will look for an offense that throws more. Will Dissly is a better fit for what the Seattle Seahawks want from a tight end, and he’ll be cheaper. Uncle Will stays in Seattle.
I’m using more of the Seahawks cap space and targeting two of the following six unrestricted free agents: Stephon Gilmore, Kevin King, or Charvarious Ward at cornerback. Then for a receiver, one of Cedrick Wilson, Emmanuel Sanders, or OBJ.
We NEED a top-level corner, and though we’ll target one in the draft, I still need some certainty. Gilmore may cost a ton, but King was beaten out by Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes in Green Bay. He may want to come back to the place he starred in college.
Replacing Metcalf isn’t as hard as you think. Wilson showed the ability to run the entire route tree and a knack for making big plays in a stacked Dallas offense. Although he might be a little older than ideal, Emmanuel Sanders would be the best slot-type receiver Seattle had since Doug Baldwin.
Beckham looked much better in L.A., but I’m not sure they can afford to bring him back. He already displayed interest in Seattle and is also a more versatile receiver than Metcalf. He was made to run through the open spots in the zones that Lockett creates for him.
After a few visits, Wilson and King become Seattle Seahawks. These moves aren’t the home run that we wanted. However, the team is improved.
We also re-sign D.J. Reed and Ethan Pocic at this point. Heading into the upcoming draft, there are a few holes, but I feel better about this team. It’s time for the draft.
Using the pick acquired from Cleveland, the Seattle Seahawks select Kaiir Elam as our first selection. Elam is a CB from Florida and is perfect for our system. At 6’2″ and 200-pounds. He’s long and fast with great ball skills.
We select Travon Walker, a defensive tackle, from Georgia in the second round. He’s big, fast, and showed the ability to be an impact player against both the run and pass. With our third-round selection, we replace Brandon Shell with Daniel Faalele of Minnesota. The 6’9″, 380-pound tackle is a monster with some quickness. He may never become a left tackle because of a lack of foot speed, but at this point is a devastating run blocker. Faalele only started playing football five years ago, so there’s a ton of potential development still to come.
This is a deep draft for receivers; we’ll add Khalil Shakir for depth with one of our two fourth-round picks and running back Jerome Ford with the other. From then on, it’s the best available prospect who can contribute to our special teams.
With the roster almost set, we check back in on our own free-agents we were waiting on decisions from. Ryan Neal and Al Woods are coming back, but Green is moving on. Luckily, we drafted his replacement in the second round. We wrap things up by offering Shell and Jamarco Jones minimum deals to compete at right with Faalele and Jake Curhan. Shell finds no other opportunities to enter the year as a starter and accepts the offer. Jones declines and tries to catch on elsewhere.
Time to fill in the rest of the gaps in our roster with a few undrafted free agents and a few shots in the dark with veterans. Rashaad Penny ended up getting a big offer from Miami, so Alex Collins returns as Chris Carson‘s backup on a two-year deal at about $1.1M a year.
After striking out on a few more high-profile edge rushers, we bring in Dante Fowler to add a little speed to our pass rush. With Taylor, Folwer, Dunlap, and Walker/Woods inside, the Seahawks have our deepest group of pass rushers in years.
Elam, King, and Reed are the Emerald City’s best group of corners since Richard Sherman, and Brandon Browner were at their peak. With Pro Bowl safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, it’s a new Legion of Boom in the secondary. At linebacker, Bobby Wagner is still one of the best, and Jordyn Brooks is rapidly ascending.
Even Ken Norton Jr. couldn’t mess this up. I debate pushing to fire him anyway, but Pete Carroll really runs the defense, so it’s an unnecessary headache.
Offensively, we spend the offseason pushing Russ to work on getting the ball out quicker, taking the short gain when it’s there. The team wants him to save the long-distance heaves to when he breaks contain, and the receivers are in the scramble drill. Shane Waldron needs to run HIS offense, with a goal to be middle of the pack in third-down efficiency and possession time.
As difficult as it may be to accept, the Seattle Seahawks basically have the same offensive line (depending on how quickly our third-round pick develops) as we did in 2021. Continuity isn’t a bad thing, though, and the line was solid in 2021. Losing Metcalf changes the offense but also diversifies it.
C. Wilson can be used on different routes at different levels, making the offense less predictable. Freddie Swain is good at finding open zones on the field and has a good connection with RW3. Last season’s second-round pick, Dee Eskridge, was injured most of 2021. When he did play, Eskridge showed speed and flashes of potential. This year we’ll find out what we have in him.
The 2022 Seahawks are built like a throwback to Seattle’s previous Super Bowl teams with a rebuilt defense and a back-to-basics offense. It’s on Russ to keep the chains moving and give the defense an occasional rest. If he does, there’s no reason the Hawks can’t bounce back and compete for a division title again at the very least.
These results should be enough to appease both Russ and the fans. Not to mention keeping the Hawks competitive in the NFC West. I think we can all agree that Mr. Schneider made the right call in handing me the reins. Your welcome, Seattle.
What do you think of Andrew’s plan to re-tool the Seattle Seahawks? Let us know in the comments section below.