Seattle Sports Insider

Seattle Sports Insider

Seahawks quiet in free agency

Posted by

3/11/17

1

Was it me, or were the first few days of 2017 NFL free agency one of the busiest there has ever been? DeSean Jackson going to Tampa Bay, Alshon Jeffrey being released from the Bears, Brandon Marshall going to the Giants. There was a lot of movement among the big names in the NFL.

The Seahawks though, big one of the more prominent clubs in the NFL, stayed quiet - and that is a good thing. Other than Steven Hauschka, there were not any key players that were up for free agency or even rumored to be released. And other than Hauschka, no one really moved nor were there any surprise moves made by the front office. Which is good, it looks like heading into training camp this year there won't be any contract gripes or drama for the first time in a few years.

One year it was Marshawn Lynch, the next it was Kam Chancellor and for the past two Michael Bennett voiced his displeasure. However this year it looks like all is well in Hawk land.

All is not well on the offensive line, and they are bringing in a new left tackle from Jacksonville in Luke Joeckel. Joeckel was the second overall draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2013, though has been an absolute flop at the pro level. Primarily a left tackle, he has shifted over to guard at times, though did not show much improvement in that position either.

Although to get picked so high, no doubt there once was talent there. Jacksonville never performed well in any facet of the game while he was there, nor for a few years before, so maybe he just needs the right coach. Tom Cable is of course regarded as one of the better o-line coaches around, and if he sees something in Joeckel, maybe he is the one that can finally unlock the potential once seen way back when.

On a team like the Seahawks, not much can be done for them in free agency. There's just too much top line talent and too much money locked up in that top line talent already. This team is simply looking for depth, and if they are going to get that anywhere, it is going to be in the draft.

It's a break in the norm for these Pete Carroll-led Seahawks, we have been used to drama and big names being courted or brought in, but we should definitely welcome it.

Image via: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanlphoto/9379898237/in/photolist-jC2ztq-...

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Comments

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I'm a bit surprised they didn't pull off a pick-for-player trade

But the FA market really didn't have much in the way of great fits this year. And with Fant at LT, earning essentially league minimum, it's *REALLY* hard to pay someone like Okung $13m/year to be average or above average at that position. If Cable and Carroll are right, and Fant can provide acceptable (read: below average, but not abysmal) production there in 2017, you're faced with a double-barrel blast of a $10mil cost to upgrade the position from (ostensibly) below average to above average AND the unavoidable issue of what you could have done with that money at other points of the roster.

Signing Joeckel (sp?) muddies the waters a *bit* but he's only on a one year contract and there was no way they were going to sign a potential upgrade at T for less guaranteed money than he received--and if he does have a career renaissance, we're not just ok--we're *eager*--to pay him $12mil to play LT.

I'm looking forward to the draft. Glad to see them be aggressive at K, too. Hauschka was great up until last year, when he was average-mediocre. Kickers are a bit like bullpenners: unpredictable and largely fungible, excepting the true greats.

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