In the next week or two, we’re going to find out a whole lot (OK, at least a little) about the Seahawks’ offseason plans.
Today is the first day of the two-week “tag” window, which may or may not be pertinent to the Seahawks.
A lot of people expect John Schneider to franchise Sheldon Richardson. We think the transition tag would be better (unless Schneider plans to trade Sheldon). And it’s still most likely that Schneider won’t use a tag at all.
The NFL offseason is about to ramp up big time, with the Combine next week and the league year (and free agency) beginning the following week.
We’ve already broken down Seattle’s ideal priorities. Here’s a primer for the rest of the offseason:
The Combine schedule. John Schneider and Pete Carroll are likely to speak Thursday and/or Friday.
The complete NFL calendar. Free agency begins March 9 and the draft is April 27-29.
The Seahawks’ offseason tracker. Keep up with the Seahawks’ moves (signings, departures, visits) throughout free agency.
Contract status of Seattle’s key players. All of the starters and key backups through 2020.
Seahawks’ offseason stories. Need to catch up? We have all of the top stories on this page.
Seahawks Draft Blog. Rob Staton is the best Seahawks-focused draft analyst. Check him out all the way through April.
You know that meeting between the Seahawks and Doug Hendrickson? It wasn’t really about Michael Bennett’s contract, per Gregg Bell.
Brandon Mebane, the longest-tenured Seahawk at nine seasons, would love to finish his career in Seattle. Seems like it should get done.
At the Combine, Pete Carroll talked about the process of learning about draft prospects.
Hilarious: Marshawn Lynch was rappin’ while “ghost-ridin'” a camel in Egypt.
Russell Wilson debuted his new clothing line at Nordstrom.
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A year ago at this time, the Seahawks were in the process of vetting Frank Clark — the controversial pass rusher they were targeting at the bottom of the second round.
They were ripped for the pick by almost every mainstream media outlet, and The Seattle Times did its own reverse investigation into Clark’s domestic incident and criticized the Seahawks’ background research into Clark. (For the record, we told everyone to lay off and trust the judgment of Pete Carroll and John Schneider.)
Not surprisingly (to us), Clark made it through his first season without drawing another bad word from anyone, and Carroll said Monday that the team monitored Clark closely — he reportedly continued counseling that he had started in Michigan — and “he was a great kid in the program.”
Continue reading Carroll: Clark ‘a great kid in the program’
Asked about Michael Bennett and Kam Chancellor, Pete Carroll said, “Really, the guys who are under contract can’t be the first-priority guys right now, in any order. We are really digging in, trying to keep our team together. And that will always be the way we go about it. We love Kam and Mike … and we are going to do all we can to make sure they can stay with us.”
Hiring Doug Hendrickson shows Bennett’s Lynch-like strategy.
Carroll said Jimmy Graham might not be ready until the end of training camp. That shadows our thought that the Seahawks will take it slow with him.
John Schneider talked about Marshawn Lynch and other topics.
Lynch is headed to Egypt for American Football Without Barriers — a group co-created by former Seahawk Breno Giacomini.
The offensive line is a major point of emphasis this offseason, although Carroll and Schneider don’t seem to concerned.
Russell Okung says, “It’s very possible that I could stay here. But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that.”
John Schneider all but admitted that Bruce Irvin will not be back with the Seahawks.
At the Combine on Wednesday, Schneider compared Irvin to Byron Maxwell, who received $10 million a year from Philadelphia last year. Irvin, valued as a linebacker and pass rusher, is expected to get a similar deal from some team.
“I’m sure you get tired of me talking about it,” Schneider said, per The Seattle Times, “but it really, truly is a big puzzle that we have to work through. I have met with Bruce individually and he knows how we feel about him as an organization and he knows that we are either going to be able to make it work or give him a big hug and congratulate him.
This draft apparently is so deep on the defensive line that not even the Seahawks could screw it up.
You might think that to be a harsh and unwarranted comment coming against a two-time Super Bowl club, but the simple fact is the Seahawks have been terrible at drafting and developing defensive linemen.
John Schneider & Co. have selected 11 in six drafts, and they are still looking for their first sustained success story: Frank Clark (2015), Jordan Hill (2013) and Cassius Marsh (2014) are the last men standing.
The Seahawks have had great defensive lines because they have relied almost exclusively on veterans — Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Alan Branch, Jason Jones, Tony McDaniel and Ahtyba Rubin — to step in alongside longtime Seahawk Brandon Mebane.
Mebane and Rubin — the heart of the NFL’s No. 1 run defense in 2015 — are pending free agents, which explains why most mock drafts have the Hawks taking a defensive tackle at No. 26. But their history says they won’t do that.
John Schneider will speak at 12:15 pm Wednesday and Pete Carroll will speak at noon Thursday. Field Gulls has the full media schedule of NFL coaches and executives.
Rob Rang lists 10 things to watch from a Seahawks perspective.
Rob Staton of Seahawks Draft Blog previews the kind of players the Hawks might like at the Combine.
Field Gulls offers a detailed preview as well.
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock had plenty to say in his conference call.
Field Gulls reposted a breakdown of how Combine drills translate to the game.
Good news: The Seahawks’ needs match up with the strength of this draft.
Most mock drafts are giving the Seahawks linemen — which of course means they won’t take one in the first round.
If the Seahawks don’t go with big men with their first two draft picks, we have a good idea who their other top candidates will be — now that the Combine is finished.
The Seahawks love speed in the first two rounds. In 2010, it was Earl Thomas (4.43 in the 40) in the first round and Golden Tate (4.42) in the second. In 2012, they picked Bruce Irvin (4.50) in the first and Bobby Wagner (4.45) in the second. In 2013, they traded their first-rounder for Percy Harvin (4.41) and picked Christine Michael (4.43) in the second. And last year they traded out of the first and grabbed Paul Richardson (4.33) in the second.
The only non-speedsters the Hawks have taken in the first two rounds have been left tackle Russell Okung (first round, 2010), left guard James Carpenter (first, 2011) and right tackle Justin Britt (second, 2014).
You get the idea where the Hawks are looking with their top two picks: If it’s not an offensive (or perhaps defensive) lineman, it’s going to be a guy with wheels (i.e., sub-4.5 speed).
Continue reading Hawks love speed in first two rounds, so who are their top options?
The Seahawks have played — and won — more games than any team in the NFL the past three seasons.
By the time they reached Super Bowl XLIX, their defense was a shadow of itself — six key defenders on injured reserve or out of the game by the end and the Legion of Boom fighting through major injuries. Those issues played no small part in their 28-24 loss to the Patriots.
The Seahawks put 17 players on IR — fourth most in the NFL. John Schneider did a great job making moves to keep the Hawks in the hunt, but the injuries on both lines, in the secondary and at tight end affected Seattle throughout the season.
So, as Seattle coaches and personnel people arrive in Indianapolis for the Combine this week, their major goal clearly is to find players who could improve the team’s depth across the board, with an eye to replacing future free agents as well.
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 