Becoming a dynasty like the Chiefs post 2019 and becoming the Broncos post 2015 is a fine line. One team won the Super Bowl and re-tooled and was back in contention. The other was a one-year wonder and a decade later has not made the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks are Super Bowl champions but still have tons of work to do if they want to be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next season. While they have over $60 million in cap space, they have a few marquee players heading to free agency.
Free Agents – While some players heading to free agency are not the hardest to replace, a few are irreplaceable.
Rashid Shaheed
Rashid Shaheed is one the Seahawks’ must sign players. Seattle traded for the speedster at the trade deadline giving away their fourth and fifth round pick. While Shaheed and Sam Darnold only connected on one deep ball this season, Shaheed provided electricity in the special teams game. Against the Falcons he housed a kick off to start the second half. Against the Rams in Week 16 he returned a punt for a touchdown and against the 49ers in the wild card round he scored the opening kickoff and caused a mini earthquake in Seattle.
Shaheed opens up the run game for the Seahawks in a way that no one else does. With Tory Horton coming back next season, a receiving core of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Horton and Cooper Kupp would be one of the bests in the league. According to Spotrac, Shaheed’s estimated value is $14 million a year.
Drake Thomas
Another is Drake Thomas. A question mark going into the season was “Who is going to be beside Ernest Jones?”. Thomas’ play picked up around mid-season and he never looked back. Thomas finished the season with 96 tackles, three and a half sacks and an interception. Thomas currently makes just under a million and his new contract is predicted to be around $3 million a year. For what Thomas helps the Seahawks do, that is a bargain.
Kenneth Walker
Kenneth Walker is tricky. He was the engine that made the offense go in the playoffs. Walker won Super Bowl MVP and had over 160 scrimmage yards. With backup Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL, re-signing Walker is a no-brainer. Where it gets tricky is that if the Seahawks franchised tagged him they would have to pay him $14 million next season. His current projected contract is around $9 million a year. But, Walker is looking for guarantees. A contract like a four year $44 million with $35 million guaranteed is most likely what he wants.
While Walker, Thomas and Shaheed are the big names, there are still others they should sign if they have the money. Like, Tariq Woolen who has star potential but oftentimes is disengaged during games. Woolen is projected to get a little over $8 million a year, which seems light but if it’s the case the Seahawks should absolutely bring him back. If they elect not to bring back Josh Jobe who would be significantly cheaper should be their goal, losing out on both cannot happen.
Another is Ty Okada who is a great backup safety and fringe starter. When Coby Bryant missed a couple games this past season, Okada stepped up and played big in many games for the Seahawks. Others are more of your depth guys like Jake Bobo (WR), George Holani (RB), Josh Jones (Tackle) and Chazz Suratt (LB).
Draft – Since 2022 the Seahawks have been nailing the draft. John Schneider has had hit after hit in the first and second rounds. The Seahawks currently have four picks in the draft, they have picks one through three and a sixth round pick.
Avieon Terrell
In the first round I would select Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell. The Tiger was electric on defense. He had 48 tackles, over three sacks, nine pass deflections and five forced fumbles. While Terrell had no interceptions he is exactly what a Mike Macdonald defense needs. The biggest knock on Woolen was his tackling and that he is not a good blitzer. Terrell is the complete opposite in those marks.
Dani Dennis-Sutton
In the second round I would select Dani Dennis-Sutton. The Penn State product is what the Seahawks need on the edge. He had 42 tackles, eight and a half sacks, three pass deflections and three forced fumbles. While the Seahawks defensive line was historic this past offseason, a lot of it came due to Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy. The Seahawks are lacking a consistent edge rusher on the outside and with Demarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu aging, Dennis-Sutton offers a resolution.
Logan Jones
In the third round I would select Logan Jones, an offensive lineman from Iowa. Jones is versatile and dominant, also drafting a Hawkeyes linemen is a safe bet. Either they become a hit or are a borderline starter. The Seahawks have a problem at right guard/center. Jones coming in will give Anthony Bradford some true competition for a starting spot.
Jam Miller
In the sixth round I would select Jam Miller from Alabama. Miller is a mix of power and speed at running back. With Walker’s future looming in the air and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL, Miller is a solution. He is both a SEC RB who was coached and recruited by Nick Saban. Miller did battle injuries this past season but still put up 504 rushing yards, 109 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
If the Seahawks made these moves along with some others like extending JSN and maneuvering the cap to be able to spend more, then it will be a good and ideal off-season for them and put them right back in contention for Super Bowl 60 in LA.
