Category Archives: Free agency

Free agency, State of the team, The roster

With XLVIII O-line deconstructed, will Clady be part of rebuild?

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It’s official: The Seahawks have completed the deconstruction of the offensive line that tagged along for the Super Bowl XLVIII win and are in full rebuild mode.

With injured (again) Russell Okung headed to the new Super Bowl champs in Denver on a prove-it deal, the Seahawks have completely turned over their line since 2013.

While continuity is one of the hallmarks of any great line, the Seahawks have not had much of that due to injuries and inconsistent play, so they aren’t really missing anything by letting Okung and company go. None of them were worth keeping.

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Free agency, State of the team, The roster

We might not like it, but Hawks have their plan

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WebbIt’s easy to see why so many people are scratching their heads over the Seahawks’ underwhelming offensive line moves this week, especially when everyone seems to have a different opinion of where J’Marcus Webb will play.

But there is a method to Seattle’s madness — even if we might not agree with it.

First of all, remember that the Seahawks run a zone blocking scheme, which emphasizes mobility and teamwork over talent. Like it or not, that is the approach the Seahawks have taken the last four years — and apparently the approach they continue to take.

John Schneider said it himself at the Combine: “In terms of our philosophy, we are going to keep attacking it the same way we always have.’’

The Seahawks love size and versatility — and they got both in Webb and Bradley Sowell, the guys who ostensibly replace J.R. Sweezy and Alvin Bailey. Both are huge (Webb is 6-7, 335; Sowell 6-7, 315) and have played every position but center. The problem is neither is that talented.

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Free agency, State of the team
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CHAWK LINES -- The offensive line.png

Here are reactions to Seattle’s signing of J’Marcus Webb and the team’s overall approach to the offensive line this week:

Brady Henderson: The Seahawks paid Webb like a starter, at around $3 million a year.

Bob Condotta: Webb was called a tackle in the Seahawks’ press release, but he could play guard as well.

Rob Rang: The 6-foot-7 Webb is built more for tackle than guard.

Rob Staton: There’s no need to panic about the offensive line. (This is really good.)

John Clayton: The Hawks gave Webb right-guard money so expect him to start there.

Pro Football Talk: Russell Okung is seeking more than $11 million per year.

Over The Cap: The additions of Bradley Sowell and Webb knock the Seahawks down to one 2017 comp pick, for now. That could change if the Hawks lose more players.

Free agency, State of the team, The roster

Finally on the board: Two down, three to go

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SiligaTwo down. Three to go. Including the most important.

The Seahawks made a couple of moves Monday, essentially replacing Brandon Mebane and Alvin Bailey with one-time Hawk Sealver Siliga and former Arizona backup Bradley Sowell.

Now they have three spots left to fill, needing to replace Bruce Irvin and J.R. Sweezy and — most important — come up with a starting-caliber left tackle.

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Free agency, State of the team

Eight teams pursue Okung, Beachum

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The hottest free-agency story in the NFL right now involves the chase for a few flawed left tackles.

The Seahawks, of course, are right in the heart of it — with their Russell Okung taking a tour as they check into alternatives.

As it turns out, nine teams are looking at left tackles — four don’t have any and five apparently are considering upgrades.

Okung and Kelvin Beachum, both coming off serious injuries, are the two most popular free-agent options — the best of an underwhelming lot that includes 33-year-old Donald Penn, injured Will Beatty and unwanted Denver fill-in starter Ryan Harris.

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Contracts, Free agency, The roster

As Okung shops, Hawks tackle the LT puzzle

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The Seahawks' lineAnd then there was one.

With the re-signing of Jon Ryan on Friday, the Seahawks are 4-3 with their eight key UFAs — Russell Okung being the last free agent standing.

If you thought the last few days were full of drama, get a load of this LT puzzle.

As Okung leaves the Giants to visit the Lions (and maybe the 49ers after that), the Seahawks reportedly are planning to meet with Pittsburgh tackle Kelvin Beachum on Monday and reportedly have some interest in Oakland tackles Donald Penn and J’Marcus Webb, along with Arizona’s Bradley Sowell.

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Contracts, Free agency, State of the team

Hawks at 3-3 in free agency, with Okung remaining

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Russell Okung talks with GM John Schneider during minicamp in June (AP)The Seahawks went 3-3 with their top free agents in the first two days of free agency, and Russell Okung will be the tiebreaker — perhaps on Day 3.

The Hawks gave very good deals to Jeremy Lane ($23 million over four years) and Jermaine Kearse ($13.5 million over three years), which is in line with reports that the Hawks have made competitive offers to their free agents (Bruce Irvin and Brandon Mebane being exceptions). J.R. Sweezy, who signed for $6.5 million a year, said they were in the running, and Seattle reportedly has made a “strong” offer to Okung.

Of course, it might not be strong enough. Okung is off to visit the New York Giants and Detroit Lions. The Giants have spent heavily this week and still have around $20 million in salary cap space left. Detroit has $25 million (numbers via OTC).

The San Francisco 49ers also reportedly are interested, which would seem to indicate they are ready to move on from Joe Staley.

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Contracts, Free agency

2012 picks get paid; Mebane’s tenure ends

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Salary cap logoThe Seahawks had a busy first day of free agency, saying goodbye to three Super Bowl stalwarts, watching their 2012 draft class continue to get paid, retaining another starting defender and celebrating their first Super Bowl quarterback as he retired.

It was no surprise that Bruce Irvin, J.R. Sweezy and Brandon Mebane signed elsewhere (even though we expected Mebane to be back). In fact, the Seahawks already were busy trying to replace Irvin and Mebane as former Hawk Chris Clemons reportedly was coming for a visit and Seattle reportedly showed interest in the Eagles’ Cedric Thornton and the Steelers’ Cam Thomas.

A return by the 34-year-old Clemons would be poetic, since he mentored Irvin through his first two NFL seasons. Clemons played with Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril in 2013, when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks didn’t try very hard to keep Irvin or Mebane, knowing Irvin would be too expensive and declining to pay Mebane as much as they gave Ahtyba Rubin ($4 million a year) the other day. Irvin ended up getting $9 million a year from Oakland, while Mebane also headed to the AFC West, getting $4.5 million a year from San Diego. Sweezy received a $6.5 million average from Tampa Bay.

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Contracts, Free agency

Big-spending Raiders, Jags make it tougher on Hawks, Bennett

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Bennett vs 49ersA month ago, the NFLPA called out the Raiders and Jaguars for falling behind the CBA’s minimum-spend requirement; so, with a combined $140 million in cap space, it was obvious those teams were going to come out spending this week.

While that is good news for Bruce Irvin, who reportedly will sign a big deal with the Raiders, it might not be a great development for the relationship between Michael Bennett and the Seahawks.

Bennett obviously will take notice of Malik Jackson’s $90 million deal with Jacksonville and feel even more underpaid than he already does. At $15 million a year, Jackson is blowing away the market for defensive ends. And you have to wonder if that will scuttle any chance of Seattle working something out with Bennett.

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Contracts, Free agency

No surprises: Rubin’s back; Irvin, Sweezy in high demand

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As the free agency negotiating period began Monday, two days ahead of the new league year, the Seahawks were at the center of a lot of expected news.

As expected, they managed to re-sign Ahtyba Rubin, one of their excellent veteran defensive tackles. As expected, Bruce Irvin and J.R. Sweezy received a lot of interest. And, as expected, former Seahawk Byron Maxwell did not last long in Philadelphia.

Rubin agreed on a three-year deal. The value was unknown Monday, but expect it to be around $4 million a year. Also expect the Seahawks to keep Brandon Mebane on a cheaper deal.

Continue reading No surprises: Rubin’s back; Irvin, Sweezy in high demand →