The Seahawks are shopping veteran defensive lineman Michael Bennett, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.
Bennett, 32, is still one of the better — and more versatile — lineman in the NFL, as he ranked inside the top 20 in quarterback pressures a season ago. Capable of lining up along the interior or on the edge, Bennett appeared in 16 games for Seattle in 2017, managing eight sacks and grading as the No. 38 interior defender among 108 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
But the Seahawks are undergoing something of a makeover on the defensive side of the ball: not only does the club have a new coordinator in Ken Norton Jr., but Seattle could move on from veterans such as Cliff Avril, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, and Kam Chancellor. If the Seahawks are aiming to get younger on defense, Bennett would make sense as another candidate to to be shipped out.
Bennett is due a $3MM roster bonus on March 18 (the fourth day of the 2018 league year), so Seattle would likely want to deal Bennett before that date in order to avoid that expenditure. The three-time Pro Bowler is signed through 2020 at affordable rates, and wouldn’t cost an acquiring club more than $8.5MM in any of the next three seasons.
A number of clubs around the league are currently running Seahawks-esque schemes, and could speculatively be in play for Bennett. The Falcons, hypothetically, could be one team with interest, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets, while the 49ers, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Chargers all employ former Seattle defensive coaches.
I think he’s great. No question. However, when guys leave Seattle, they don’t do as well.
Good player but name in press too often for the wrong reasons
Obligatory “Patriots should get him.” Comment
They’re not aiming to get younger on defense, they’re aiming to get cheaper.