Seattle Seahawks: A dozen internal free agents to bring back for 2022
Ed Stein
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Unrestricted Free Agents – Defense
Seattle’s defense was far from elite status in 2021, but there are some important players they need to bring back for 2022.
Quandre Diggs – S
For the second straight season, Quandre Diggs started every game and made five picks. Re-signing him was a slam dunk until the final 9:16 of the season when the safety broke his leg and dislocated his ankle. He played at an All-Pro level this season but really took his game to another level after Jamal Adams went down in Game 13. Diggs is a star. He and Adams are the best safety tandem in football.
Quandre Diggs gets his 5th interception of the season ? @qdiggs6 #Seahawks
?: #SEAvsLAR— 7pm ET on FOX
?: NFL app pic.twitter.com/vgtR874svg— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2021
D.J. Reed – CB
The Seattle Seahawks felt strongly enough about D.J. Reed‘s ability to let former Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin leave in free agency last year. They found out that Reed is a starting-caliber corner, maybe not so much against speed guys on the outside, but he has excellent coverage skills.
An undervalued part of his game is stopping the run. Reed received PFF’s fifth-highest run defense grade at his position in 2021. If the Seahawks don’t tag Diggs, they probably will on Reed. He’s that important to them.
Sidney Jones – CB
There is a trend here. The Seattle Seahawks are already thin in the defensive backfield. Losing another cornerback who can play is bad business. It took the former Washington Huskies star a few weeks to adjust, but once he did, Sidney Jones helped solidify a shaky defense. He proved to be an excellent number two corner and probably won’t be very expensive to retain.
Al Woods – DT
Al Woods is a massive human at 6-4, 330-pounds. He uses his size well to plug gaps and stuff the run. Offensive linemen have a hard time handling him one-on-one, which opens up opportunities for linebackers Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks to make tackles.
Related Story: Sunday was the end of the line in Seattle for these 10 players
RT To Vote for Al Woods@Seahawks | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/eVQh9bTYQD
— Peter Zeller (@PZeller6) December 13, 2021
Do you think the Seattle Seahawks should hold on to these 12 players? Let us know in the comments section below.