The Seattle Seahawks will be in the market for reinforcements along the interior defensive line in 2020, with the pending free agencies of both Jarran Reed and Al Woods.
Reed is looking to cash in at age 27, and has already made it clear that a price tag of $10 million annually is too low for his liking.
If the Seahawks re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, or pony up for another big name free agent, they’ll have a hard time committing the amount of money necessary to keep Reed – which could send him elsewhere for next year.
If that’s the case, the Seahawks will need to look to the rest of the free agent market, or the draft, to find more interior defensive tackles to join Poona Ford, regardless of whether they bring back Woods.
One option is former University of Washington tackle Danny Shelton. Shelton was a first round pick by the Browns in 2015 and spent three years in Cleveland before joining the Patriots.
Shelton’s first season in New England was subpar, but he rebounded with a nice year in 2019, recording a career-high three sacks with 61 combined tackles, six quarterback hits and one forced fumble while playing in all 16 contests.
Shelton parlayed that performance into an agent swap, hiring the famous Drew Rosenhaus – who represents new Seahawk Greg Olsen as well as Malik McDowell and, formerly, Sidney Rice.
Shelton will command a decent payday, probably in the $4-5 million rang annually, making him a cheap, solid option to replace Reed or Woods if they go elsewhere this offseason.
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