Tag: Leonard Williams

ESPN names Seahawks best fit for Leonard Williams in free agency

Re-signing Leonard Williams should be the No. 1 priority for Seahawks general manager John Schneider right now.

Re-signing Leonard Williams should be the No. 1 priority for Seahawks general manager John Schneider right now. While there’s something to be said for avoiding the massive cap investment it will take (and for getting a comp pick if they let him walk), allowing Williams to leave would make Seattle’s defense significantly worse than it was ths past season at a premium position.

While the roster has a youth movement going on, the chances that the Seahawks will find a defensive lineman as disruptive and consistent as Williams in the 2024 NFL draft are slim to none. By no means is it a certainty, but most analysts are projecting that Williams will stay in Seattle, including Matt Bowen at ESPN, who named the Seahawks as the best fit for Williams in free agency after inititally picking the Raiders.

“I originally had the Raiders as a possible fit for Williams, given their need at defensive tackle, but with Mike Macdonald bringing his defensive system to Seattle, Williams fits better just re-signing there. Williams posted 5.5 sacks, 33 pressures and 62 tackles this past season, and he has the versatility to disrupt both the run and pass games under Macdonald. The Seahawks traded a second-rounder and a future fifth-rounder for him at the deadline, so they will be motivated to retain his services for at least one more year.”

At the moment, Las Vegas has around $30.6 million in effective salary cap space. That’s quite a bit more than the Seahawks, who are $10.3 million in the red, according to Over the Cap.

While we desperately want the team to re-sign Williams, fans have to be prepared for the possibility that they will be outbid once the market opens. If they are going to get a deal done, it may have to come before March 13 when the new league year begins.

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Seahawks unlikely to use franchise tag in 2024 offseason

Today is the first day that NFL teams can designate players for franchise or transition tags.

Today is the first day that NFL teams can designate players for franchise or transition tags. Historically, the Seahawks have not done so often. Their most recent one was used on former defensive end Frank Clark back in 2019 and that was nine years after the previous tag on kicker Olindo Mare.

This year fans should expect more of the same, as there are no good candidates on the roster to get the tag. The only possibly-maybe-sort-of-but-probably-not option would be defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who should be the team’s top priority to re-sign this offseason.

If the two sides can’t work out a deal by the deadline then it might have been worth tagging Williams at the usual price for interior defensive linemen. However, because the Giants already used two franchise tags on Williams the price would be significantly higher than usual, totaling a $36 million cap hit in 2024.

That’s just too big of a price tag for any player who’s not a franchise quarterback. Re-signing Williams to a multi-year contract won’t be cheap, but it definitely won’t cost that much annually.

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Free agency’s top interior defensive linemen

The Carolina Panthers have themselves one of the very best defensive tackles in the game. In fact, they have the one who just set an single-season tackle record for the position.

But if they’re looking to add to their front, let’s keep you in the know about the very best free-agent interior defensive linemen.

7 Seahawks named among PFF’s top 150 free agents for 2024

The Seattle Seahawks have a bunch of key players who are about to hit the market.

We are less than one month away from the beginning of the NFL’s 2024 free agency period and the Seattle Seahawks have a bunch of key players who are about to hit the market. Pro Football Focus has named seven of them to their list of the top 150 free agents this year.

Here’s a look at who they are, where they rank on PFF’s list and at their respective positions, plus their grades from the 2023 season.

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10-point blueprint for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2024 offseason

In honor of their new defense-first head coach Mike Macdonald, we will begin on that side of the ball.

An incredibly high standard has been set for the rest of the NFL. On Sunday evening Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in the last five years, officially making them the league’s latest dynasty – one that has no end in sight so long as Mahomes’ throwing arm remains attached to his shoulder.

How do the Seahawks and the other 30 teams around the league intend to catch up with Kansas City? The path to the Lombardi trophy is different for every team, of course. For Seattle it’s going to take a serious upgrade in coaching (check) and a couple offseasons of roster-building to even get into the Super Bowl conversation. Let’s begin with what needs to be done over the next few months, culminating with the 2024 NFL draft.

In honor of the team’s new defense-first head coach Mike Macdonald, we’ll begin on that side of the ball.

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Seahawks hope to re-sign Leonard Williams to contract extension

According to a report by Jeff Howe at the Athletic, there is hope that the two sides can hammer out an extension.

One of the top priorities for Seahawks general manager John Schneider this offseason will be re-signing defensive lineman Leonard Williams to a new contract. While Seattle’s salary cap situation is far from pretty, they have to find money to pay Williams if literally nobody else on the roster right now.

Good news on this front, according to a report by Jeff Howe at the Athletic, there is hope that the two sides can hammer out an extension.

“Defensive lineman Leonard Williams played well enough for the Seattle Seahawks after they acquired him at the trade deadline, and there’s hope the sides can reach a contract extension, according to a league source.”

Williams was the team’s best defensive player in the second half of the season after coming over from the Giants at the trade deadline. Williams will be 30 years old by the time next season starts, but for some players that’s only a number – and he looks like he can be a highly-effective defender for several more years. It may take some steep roster cuts to get there, but we believe the Seahawks will be able to retain him.

On the other hand, Seattle should be embracing a youth movement and there’s a case against handing out any huge new contracts this year. If they allow Williams to leave in free agency they’ll end up with a high comp pick in next year’s draft – of which they have zero in 2024.

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ESPN ranks 2 Giants among top 50 pending free agents

ESPN has released their list of the top 50 pending free agents and two New York Giants made the cut.

The new league year and the official start of free agency are just around the corner, and that will mark a busy time for NFL teams.

Free agency is always a frenzy, and the New York Giants will likely be quite active this year. They have multiple in-house free agents they must make decisions on and then determine what positional needs to address prior to the 2024 NFL draft.

ESPN recently took a look at the free agent pool and determined the 50 best players available. Among them were two Giants.

First up is running back Saquon Barkley, whom ESPN had ranked No. 27 overall.

Barkley has the traits to produce in any pro system, thanks to his ability to hit home runs. He’s a true lead back: a volume player who has amassed 288 receptions and 47 total touchdowns over his six pro seasons, and he tied for ninth this season in runs for 10-plus yards (26). But while he is averaging 98.8 scrimmage yards per game over his career, he has played only two full seasons since being draft No. 2 in 2018.

Barkley was the most obvious choice, and next up isn’t much of a surprise, either: safety Xavier McKinney at No. 34 overall.

Here’s a versatile safety with the ability to cover down, the post range that NFL teams covet and the ball skills to produce takeaways. McKinney had three interceptions this season, and he has nine picks and 14 pass breakups in his four pro seasons.

Former Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks midseason, also made the list. He was ranked higher than both Barkley and McKinney at No. 16 overall.

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30 free agents Cowboys should try to sign in offseason

After over a decade of passivity, will Jerry and Stephen Jones actually be players on the free agent market? If so, here’s a collection of top talent that fits the Cowboys’ roster holes. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are going all in, allegedly. That’s what owner Jerry Jones said from Mobile Alabama as the team’s brass is attending the week of Senior Bowl workouts. Now, there’s a lot of wiggle room to what that could mean. With the team staring at three cornerstone pieces ripe for new contracts, Jones’ statement doesn’t have to necessarily refer to bringing in outside talent.

Based on his inglorious track record of double talk, Jones could easily clarify his statement after the first wave of free agency by referring to new deals for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons as going all in. But let’s pretend that for the first time in over a decade, Dallas decides to be actual players in that first wave and compete for some of the bigger names to hit the open market.

Who has a chance to hit the open market? Who are some of the fits? Here’s a list of the top free agents of 2024 at the positions where Dallas could use an influx of more talent. This is a Cowboys-curated version of Pro Football Focus’ list of top free agents.

Ranking the 4 most-important free agents the Seahawks should re-sign in 2024

The players weren’t the problem.

The Seahawks are in the midst of interviewing candidates for their open head coach position for a reason. The shock of Pete Carroll’s removal may not have fully set in for many fans, but the hard truth is that Carroll’s team underperformed this season given the level of talent they had – and Carroll’s defenses had been below average far longer than that.

A coach who occasionally zigged where Carroll would have zagged could have won this team 2-3 more games this year and made the playoffs. That’s why Carroll is now an “advisor” for the team and someone else will be replacing him soon.

To put it another way, the players weren’t the problem.

The team’s salary cap situation won’t make it easy, but Seattle should try to retain at least a handful of defensive free agents who could push this team back into the postseason as soon as 2024 with the right leadership. Here are the top four they should re-sign.

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ESPN predicts Titans sign DL Leonard Williams in free agency

ESPN recently predicted that the Titans will sign DL Leonard Williams in free agency.

One of the many position groups the Tennessee Titans will need to address in 2024 is defensive line after the team parted ways with Teair Tart, and with Denico Autry set to hit free agency.

Knowing that, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz predicts the Titans will sign veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams in free agency. Here’s what he says about the potential move:

Big prediction for the offseason: The Titans, who have a ton of projected cap space, will sign coveted free agent interior lineman Leonard Williams to play next to Jeffery Simmons and replace the departing Denico Autry. Autry has been great for the Titans, but Williams is four years younger.

Williams has played everywhere upfront during his career, thus he could still be an option for Tennessee even if Autry is re-signed.

A defensive line consisting of Williams, Autry and Simmons would be a nightmare for opposing offenses, as all three can rush the passer and play effective or better run defense.

Williams isn’t quite the pass-rusher Autry is, so he’d be a downgrade if signed as his replacement. But he would be a definite upgrade in that area over Tart, and just as good as a run defender.

According to Spotrac, Williams is estimated to net a three-year deal worth $14.8 million, a price the Titans can certainly afford.

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