With Jarran Reed set to be suspended for more than a third of the Seahawks’ games this season, the team is looking for upgrades. The Seahawks plan to pursue defensive tackle depth from outside the organization, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.
The Seahawks’ defensive line will look considerably different in Week 1, and it may be lacking for impact talent. Frank Clark is now in Kansas City, and Ziggy Ansah is not certain to be ready by Seattle’s opener. With Reed now out of the early-season picture, the Seahawks’ mix of younger players and lower-profile veterans will be tested.
Clark and Reed combined for 23.5 sacks last season; no other Seahawk registered more than three. One of those three-sack artists was Quinton Jefferson, who remains with the team. The Seahawks appear to like their younger options, second-year UDFA tackle Poona Ford chief among them, with Breer indicating this outside search is for depth. Jefferson saw more time than Ford last season, playing 604 snaps, but Pro Football Focus graded Ford’s smaller sample (265 snaps) as dominant.
The team also signed Al Woods and Jamie Meder this offseason. Woods is a 10th-year veteran who played for the 2011 Seahawks (before starting 43 games from 2013-18). This could represent an opportunity for veterans who were in Seattle earlier this year. Corey Liuget joined Woods in trekking to the Pacific Northwest for a visit in April; the longtime Chargers starter, 29, remains unsigned. So does former Texans, Dolphins and 49ers starter Earl Mitchell. The 31-year-old veteran visited with the Seahawks in March.