Clayton: DE Osi Umenyiora could be on Seahawks’ shopping list
Jul 18, 2011, 1:01 PM | Updated: 6:33 pm
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By Brady Henderson
With the end of the NFL’s lockout approaching, ESPN’s John Clayton joined Mike Salk and Matt Pitman on Monday for a discussion on what roster moves the Seahawks could make once the league reopens for business. Here are few highlights:
• The biggest name mentioned was that of Osi Umenyiora, a player who hasn’t garnered much — if any — discussion as an option for the Seahawks.
Umenyiora is seeking either a new contract or a trade from the Giants, and Clayton thinks Seattle could be a possible trade partner. Clayton: “Seattle is one of the teams he’s interested in. That could be the type of player at defensive end, as long as it doesn’t cost a first-round pick, that maybe there’d be some interest.”
Umenyiora had 11.5 sacks last season despite playing with a hip injury that required offseason surgery. He has 60 sacks in eight NFL seasons, one of which he missed entirely due to a knee injury.
Umenyiora, 29, has two years left on his current contract and is scheduled to make roughly $3.5 million next season. Clayton says he can’t “under any circumstances” see Seattle giving up a first-round pick for Umenyiora, especially now that a new rookie wage scale limits the price such picks carry.
Clayton listed Minnesota’s Ray Edwards, Mathias Kiwanuka of the New York Giants and Carolina’s Charles Johnson as less likely options. He still doubts the Seahawks will re-sign 33-year-old defensive end Raheem Brock, who set a career-high with nine sacks last season.
• Defensive tackle is Seattle’s No. 2 priority behind finding their quarterback, Clayton believes. If they can’t re-sign Brandon Mebane, Clayton said free agent Barry Cofield would be another option. Cofield has spent the first five years of his career with the Giants, and given his ties with former Giants defensive coordinator and current Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, Clayton thinks St. Louis could have an edge in signing him.
• Cornerback is priority No. 3. Johnathan Joseph and Nnamdi Asomugha are options, but Joseph is the more appealing one, Clayton believes, because he’s three years younger.
“Joseph is 27 years old, he’s got that type of lean, angular body that fits, he can be a No. 1 cornerback and really be there with Marcus Trufant,” Clayton said. “So I would say that would be a luxury item that they could go [get].”
• Clayton doesn’t expect the Seahawks to pursue free agent wide receivers Sidney Rice or Santonio Holmes.
