'No Sugarcoating,' Lots of Pressure: Seahawks Can't Whiff on Fast D-Line Rebuild

Fixing the defensive line has been a top priority for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason and so far, John Schneider has dialed the right buttons. But with much work left to do, how he and the front office proceeds revamping the unit in coming weeks will be critical to the team's chances of contending next season.

During his annual press conference at the NFL combine last month, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider discussed a wide variety of topics, from Geno Smith's ongoing contract negotiations to the intricacies of evaluating incoming rookie quarterbacks.

But while many of Schneider's answers yielded typical "executive-speak'' by ensuring he didn't give away many notable details, when asked about his thoughts on Seattle's maligned defensive line, he didn't mince or sugarcoat words. Expressing his disappointment both verbally and through body language, he made it abundantly clear major changes loomed on the horizon.

"We need to be better up front. I think it was pretty evident," Schneider bluntly stated. "We were on the field a lot. We didn't we didn't defend the run real well. We had some games when we did a really nice job, and then we had several games that didn't go so well. We know what the issues are. And we're ready to attack them and fix them."

Putting his remarks from late February in Indianapolis into action, Schneider has turned words into a promise with competing for championships in mind. Amid a surprisingly frenzied start to free agency over the past week and change, he has swiftly gone to work tearing apart the Seahawks defensive line down to the studs and began rebuilding the unit from scratch in earnest.

First, Schneider released veterans Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson, opening up nearly $13 million in cap space before making a splash signing ex-Broncos starter Dre'Mont Jones to a three-year, $52 million deal. One day later, the team brought back Jarran Reed, who played his first five seasons with the Seahawks after being a second round pick in 2016, on a two-year deal.

Continuing the purge in the trenches, Seattle parted ways with soon-to-be 36 year old nose tackle Al Woods on Monday, creating another $3.5 million in cap relief. With Poona Ford still a free agent and L.J. Collier signing with Arizona on Tuesday, Myles Adams stands alone as the only healthy remaining member from last year's defensive line rotation still under contract.

In the aftermath of the depth chart carnage, while they are cleaning up a mess they helped create, Schneider and coach Pete Carroll deserve some credit for acknowledging the problem and aggressively trying to fix it. After watching opponents steamroll the Seahawks for over 2,550 rushing yards last season, they're hoping completely overhauling the unit with players who better fit their scheme will yield far better results.

But following the decision to jettison quality football players such as Harris and Woods, the pressure now falls on Seattle's brain trust to finish the rebuilding job with minimal financial flexibility. As of Wednesday morning, the team only had five defensive tackles under contract, including nose tackle Bryan Mone, who could miss significant time next season recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

While the addition of Jones should bring much-needed pass rushing punch from the interior, Reed only has five sacks combined over the past two seasons and wasn't consistent defending the run for the Packers in 2022. Behind them, Adams has impressed in limited action but still has played only 223 defensive snaps in the NFL, while Jarrod Hewitt has never dressed for a regular season game.

On his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710 last Thursday, Schneider indicated the Seahawks are not done signing veteran defensive linemen, but he and his front office staff will have to cleverly navigate the salary cap to do so. According to OverTheCap.com, the team currently has less than $3 million in effective cap space, which accounts for projected rookie contracts and the top 51 players signed to the roster.

Making matters even bleaker, that figure doesn't include safety Julian Love's two-year, $12 million deal, which could put Seattle in the red even after releasing Woods. In order to fill out the defensive line as desired, additional moves will have to be made to manufacture cap space.

What levers does Schneider have at his disposal to increase that number? Coming off a torn ACL, Mone could be a candidate to release with an injury settlement for $2 million dollars, but such a move would further exacerbate the Seahawks concerns up front and leave them without any nose tackles on the roster. Extending the contracts of linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and/or tight end Noah Fant could also open up significant spending money for the present, but players have to agree to those deals.

Though Schneider has resisted restructuring contracts in the past, several stars such as safety Quandre Diggs and receiver Tyler Lockett would be prime candidates, kicking cap hits down the road to open up between $5 and $6 million in cap room apiece. Based on past precedent, such transactions would be last resort decisions.

However, desperate times call for desperate measures and the current state of Seattle's defensive line is on the borderline of desperation. The unit lacks depth and behind Jones and Reed, offers minimal experience. If a restructure or two is required to land the right veteran talent up front, those options must be strongly considered.

If there's a silver lining, with 10 picks in April's upcoming draft, including four picks in the first 52 selections, the Seahawks will have a prime opportunity to add young talent to the group. Despite a rough offseason, Georgia star Jalen Carter may still be in play at fifth overall, while others such as Clemson's Bryan Bresee and Wisconsin's Keeanu Benton could be quality early round options. Even at nose tackle, the team should have decent options through day three.

But while drafting one or two defensive tackles will be a key part of the equation building an improved, more dynamic defensive line for the present and future, the organization still has to hit on those picks and Seattle must add another veteran or two to the mix for the rebuild to be a success. Whether that comes in the form of an outside free agent, trading for a veteran, or waiting the market out hoping to bring back Harris or Woods on cheaper deals, the heat is on Schneider and company to see the process through.

Thinking big-picture, if they try to take shortcuts at the expense of a few million bucks and don't make the moves necessary to round out the front line as they have done in the past, they may be doomed by history repeating itself. The Seahawks could find themselves in the same situation - tearing things down next spring - which doesn't bode well for their chances of contending in the NFC West in 2023 and only increases pressure on those calling the shots.

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