BUMP AND STACY
Bumpus: The Seahawks D-lineman that needs to return for 2023 season
A big point of emphasis for the Seahawks this offseason will be addressing the front seven of their defense.
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Seattle’s defense had some bright moments, especially from rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen, but the Hawks were among the league’s worst units in yards, points and rushing yards allowed in 2022.
In addition to addressing the inside linebacker spot, defensive line is again a bit of a concern for the Seahawks this offseason. And while some improvements will come from the draft or free agency, former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus thinks there’s a veteran Seattle needs to retain this offseason, even if cutting him could save them money against the salary cap.
Bump shared who that defensive lineman is during Thursday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.
“(Defensive tackle) Bryan Mone is hurt. He’s probably not going to be ready to go. We’ll see what happens with (defensive tackle) Al Woods. I’m hearing (2019 first-round pick) L.J. Collier is probably not going to be back,” Bumpus said.
Instead, Quinton Jefferson, who finished third on the Seahawks in sacks behind Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor, is Bump’s pick for a D-lineman who needs to be back in 2023.
“You’ve got to bring back a guy who had a good five games to end the season, and I’m talking about Quinton Jefferson, who’s on his third stint with the Seahawks,” he said. “His last five games, he had the fourth-most QB pressures from a D-tackle, he had a higher pressure rate than Chris Jones and DeForest Buckner, he had a career-high 5.5 sacks.”
Cutting the 29 year old would save the Seahawks roughly $4.5 million, per Spotrac, but Bumpus doesn’t think that should happen.
“You need guys who play the position,” he said. “Yes, you want to revamp, you want to bring in young guys, you want to allow Clint Hurtt to have these guys execute the defense the way that he wants to, but you need familiar faces as well. And Quinton Jefferson had himself a nice second half of the season. I gotta stick with Q, bring him back”
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