Bumpus: The veteran free-agent LB the Seahawks should consider

Jun 28, 2023, 1:00 PM

Jaylon Smith of the New York Giants celebrates on Nov. 13, 2022. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

(Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

When looking at the state of the Seattle Seahawks’ roster, one position group on defense catches Michael Bumpus’ eye, and not in a good way.

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“The depth is a real concern at that linebacker spot,” Bumpus said during Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.

Jordyn Brooks, the Seahawks’ 2020 first-round pick and the team’s leading tackler the last two years, tore his ACL late last year and may not be ready for the start of the upcoming season.

As such, Seattle’s inside linebacker room looks much different than it did this time last year.

“You’ve got the OG Bobby Wagner – glad you are here. You’ve got Devin Bush who is probably going to start. You’ve got Jon Rhattigan who is was a backup. Nick Bellore does a bit of everything – I like him better at fullback. And then you have (undrafted rookie free agent) Cam Bright,” Bumpus said of Seattle’s current inside linebacker situation.

Bumpus thinks the Seahawks need more help at that position, and he thinks there’s a free agent who could be a solution to Seattle’s depth problem.

“What I need is a guy to be a depth piece who’s been there who’s done that,” Bumpus said. “And there’s a man by the name of Jaylon Smith who is a free agent right now.”

Smith, 28, was a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys back in 2016 after a standout career at Notre Dame.

Smith was expected to be a first-round pick but suffered a serious knee injury during a Notre Dame bowl game.

After missing his entire rookie season as he recovered from the knee injury, Smith played the next four-plus seasons for the Cowboys, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2019. He then played 10 total games for three teams in 2021 and was with the New York Giants last year, where Smith started 11 games.

“You don’t need him to come in and be a starter right now. You need him to bring that veteran presence, you need him to be a solid backup, you need him to contribute on special teams, and he’s (not going to cost much),” Bumpus said of Smith. “He’s at a position in his career where he’s bounced around to a few teams – the Giants, Dallas and the Green Bay Packers. You can bring him here and just like (Seahawks head coach) Pete Carroll likes to do, resurrect his career. You have Devin Bush to start and obviously Bobby Wagner is gonna start, but you need a solid backup. I like Nick Bellore, I like Rhattigan, but I want to see a true linebacker, a guy who’s been there, who’s done that. You’ve got to take a look at Jaylon Smith.”

Listen to the full second hour of Tuesday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story.