Seahawks Free Agency Superlatives
While the NFL offseason still has a long way to with the draft approaching later this month in Las Vegas, free agency has slowed down to a relative crawl with few deals being announced in recent days and cap space running low for many teams.
Among those suddenly strapped for cash, despite opening the new league year with almost $50 million in cap room, the Seahawks currently have less than $10 million in effective cap space available after re-signing several of their own players and adding five outside free agents. Additional moves could be made to create space if necessary, but after trading away Russell Wilson and releasing Bobby Wagner, general manager John Schneider likely won't be executing any splashy deals at this stage.
Looking at Seattle's free agent haul thus far, which moves stand out as the team's best? Which ones offer the most bang for the buck? And which ones might be regrettable down the road? Reporters Corbin Smith and Ty Gonzalez dish out their annual free agent superlatives:
Best Signing
Underrated Signing
Best Bargain
Biggest Surprise
Biggest Head-Scratcher
Corbin Smith: Paying Dissly top-15 tight end money
If Dissly can rediscover his pre-injuries form from 2018 and 2019 and become a more consistent contributor in the passing game, his three-year, $24 million contract may offer better value than anticipated. The issue, of course, is that Dissly has been a relative non-factor as a receiver despite being healthy each of the last two seasons, catching just 45 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns in 31 games. With a different quarterback, he may see more opportunities with the football in his hands. But based on recent production, it appears the Seahawks overpaid for a blocking tight end and had less money to spend on other position groups as a result. A strong argument can be made that such capital could have been spent more wisely retaining D.J. Reed or pursuing an outside free agent.
Ty Gonzalez: Allowing D.J. Reed to walk, join Jets
Statistically speaking, Reed was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL last season and seemed to only get better as time went along. The fact the Seahawks let that kind of talent walk for a reasonable three-year, $33 million contract with the Jets is a mind-boggling outcome, especially when paired with the young corner’s accusation that the team came to him with a “disrespectful” offer. Now, for yet another season, Seattle looks poised to patch together its cornerback group with high-risk, moderate-reward players instead of going with what appeared to be the first sure thing it’s had in a while.