NFL draft, The roster

Secondary queries: A 2 for Thomas? And use it on a corner?

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NFL draftWith the draft fast approaching next week, the Seahawks have solidified almost every position on the team.

After re-signing Austin Davis and Paul Dawson, they at least have a pretty full complement at every position — some obviously stronger in talent than others. The one spot that is still very unsettled is the secondary.

Yeah, they have re-signed Bradley McDougald and Justin Coleman and added Maurice Alexander, Dontae Johnson and C.J. Smith. But we still don’t know whether Earl Thomas will remain a Seahawk or who will be the No. 2 corner opposite Shaquill Griffin.

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Contracts, The roster

What credit$ would Hawks get for dumping another distraction?

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Salary cap logoWe already knew the Seahawks were serious about ditching all distractions this year, and they apparently are poised to drop another.

Malik McDowell is the biggest draft bust of John Schneider’s tenure, and the GM apparently is ready to admit it a year after he made the defensive tackle Seattle’s top pick. McDowell, whose rookie year was smashed to pieces in an ATV accident last July, still is not ready to play football, so Seattle reportedly is going to release him. Pete Carroll and Schneider apparently don’t want to go through another year of answering questions about a guy who might never play in the NFL.

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Free agency, The roster

Seahawks are right to avoid distractions

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Logo -- Free agencyThe Seahawks are trying to regain their focus this offseason and rebuild into another Super Bowl winner, which means they are right to avoid Colin Kaepernick if they feel he would be a distraction.

While we support NFL players who choose to use their platforms to make positive social statements and help their fellow citizens, teams have every right to do whatever they think is best in their pursuit of winning titles. Why? Because winning is the No. 1 priority. Good deeds and causes are nice, but not if they interfere with the entire purpose of the franchise’s existence.

Pete Carroll said Seattle’s activism last season became draining for the players, and he clearly wants to manage it better this year.

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NFL draft

Two weeks to go, here’s what we know

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NFL draftJohn Schneider and company are never too secretive about the guys they are interested in drafting. Their visits and workouts typically telegraph many of their moves.

Last year, they met with Malik McDowell and Shaquill Griffin, who ended up as two of their top three picks. In 2016, they added a handful of their pre-draft visit/workout guys, including first-rounder Germain Ifedi. In 2015, they brought in/worked out at least four of their eventual picks, including Frank Clark. Keep going back and the same pattern emerges, with Paul Richardson, Christine Michael, et al.

So we obviously can glean a lot from reports of their pre-draft visits and workouts. Two weeks before the draft, here’s what we know:

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NFL draft

It’s April: Time for move-down scenarios

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NFL draftAs we sit three weeks ahead of the draft, John Schneider has filled most of Seattle’s roster holes in free agency, retaining half a dozen top role players and filling vacancies (at least for 2018) at tight end, receiver, guard, linebacker and defensive tackle.

Seattle’s only immediate needs are a starting corner, a backup QB, another running back and some more linebackers. Assuming Schneider adds the corner and QB before the draft, he will be looking more toward the future of the roster, which means finding a couple of pass rushers, a linebacker or two, a running back, another corner and maybe a guard or tight end. He’s not going to find contributors at all of those spots; but, if he does his job, he should find three or four new core guys.

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NFL draft, The roster

Apparently even Wilson is paranoid about his roster status

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Wilson signing contractThis is the level of paranoia John Schneider has created with his surprisingly explosive offseason: Russell Wilson’s agent apparently is concerned Schneider is looking to replace the quarterback.

In a very speculative segment for NFL Network, Jim Trotter passed on this tidbit: When Schneider checked out Wyoming QB Josh Allen’s pro day, Wilson’s reps asked Schneider, “Is there anything we need to know here?”

If this report is true, it really just speaks to the uncertainty, even among the team’s leading player, over the Seahawks’ long-term plan. Wilson has watched one of the NFL’s legendary defenses get almost completely blown up this offseason (trading Earl Thomas would finish off the demolition). So perhaps it is natural for the QB to wonder what his future is.

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Free agency, The roster

How long will Schneider’s ‘process’ of ‘resetting’ defense take?

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Schneider at combine“Trust the process, man.” — John Schneider.

In case it wasn’t clear, John Schneider and Pete Carroll are going young on defense again — the same “process” they used in their early days, before the Legion of Boom became a household NFL moniker. And Schneider wants us to trust him and Carroll to do it again.

The trust factor has worn thin for a lot of fans amid a litany of mistakes by Schneider and Carroll over the past few years that sent the Seahawks on a steady slide. Yeah, 50-60 percent of fans (based on our polls) still have full faith, but the rest either no longer trust Schneider or are waiting to see how this year’s defensive demolition turns out.

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The roster, Trades

No deal for Thomas? Expect a trade then

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Salary cap logoWe never thought the Seahawks would dump Michael Bennett or Richard Sherman this offseason, simply because it made no sense to do so. But they did. And now it looks like Earl Thomas will follow them, even if that makes no sense either.

For most of this offseason, the word on Thomas has been that the Seahawks want to keep him but would accept a very favorable trade.

At the owners meetings in Orlando, John Schneider again reiterated the Seahawks are listening to offers for the safety, but he also strongly hinted he is not inclined to give a second extension to Thomas.

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It's bigger than football, Trades

Bennett trade will not be voided

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No, the Seahawks are not going to have to take back Michael Bennett in a trade void.

That’s the quick answer to questions posed by fans of both the Eagles and Seahawks in light of the indictment of Bennett on a sketchy-sounding assault charge over an incident at Super Bowl LI.

Some conspiracy-theory fools have insinuated that the Seahawks knew about the case and tried to scam the Eagles. That is pure nonsense, of course. John Schneider does not play like that, and everyone in the NFL knows it (even if some fans and media do not).

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Free agency, The roster

What does the roster look like now?

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Logo -- Free agency(UPDATED 3/23) Per their usual MO, the Seahawks saw a lot more players leave than arrive in the first few days of the NFL year, but they have been making up ground.

Despite their seemingly overwhelming losses (eight top players), they have replenished their roster with cheap veterans, retaining four key players and adding six more.

The Hawks needed starter-level players at guard, running back and corner, plus a pass-rushing defensive tackle. They now have all but the corner.

Here’s what’s happening with each position:

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