Throughout the offseason, the Seattle Seahawks front office has had one clear priority in mind at the top of their to-do list: fixing their defensive line. Now just five days away from their first game of the 2023 season, all that work is about to be put to the test.
Speaking with the media before yesterday’s practice, general manager John Schneider said the team is “constantly” looking for defensive line help and won’t stop, per Seahawks.com.
“We are trying to get a feel for the landscape right now and going over the waiver wire and all that, possible trades, we’re still constantly working on it. I don’t think on either side of the ball, the way the league is playing out right now, last several years I don’t think you have enough offensive linemen or enough defensive linemen. That’s not a slight on anybody that’s here or on other teams, it’s just the reality of it. The numbers are down over the last several years, especially in the offensive line. Defensive line-wise, we’re constantly looking and we won’t stop.”
Unfortunately, at this point in the calendar year the Seahawks have limited options. With less than $2.5 million in salary cap space, they can only hope to sign interior linemen who are unlikely to make much of an impact. One of Schneider’s patented just-before-the-season-starts trades may be their best hope at finding an upgrade.
We have identified seven potential interior DL targets around the league, but none of them are likely to move the needle much. Truth is, they have to hope that the new starting combination of Dre’Mont Jones, Jarran Reed and Mario Edwards Jr. and the backups turn out to be better than they look on paper. Otherwise, odds are they’ll have little choice but to use their first-round pick in 2024 on an interior prospect.
Either way, Seattle will have to allocate more resources at this position going forward – as we’re learning via EPA that interior linemen who can create pressure and plug the run may be the most valuable defenders on the field in the modern game.
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