Should Seahawks cut or keep Michael Bennett?

The Seahawks are expected to have plenty of turnover on both the roster and coaching staff heading into 2018. Many of those coaching changes have already been announced, but player personnel decisions will likely happen a bit closer to the start of the new league year on March 14.

710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny, Dave and Moore delved into the biggest question marks on the roster, starting with the decision about whether to cut or keep veteran defensive end Michael Bennett.

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Bennett, 32, is entering his 10th season in the league. The Seahawks could be without Pro Bowler Cliff Avril (though this has yet to be decided by either party) and would benefit from having a veteran presence on the defensive line. However, Seattle’s mounting injuries in 2017 and already-active offseason could indicate an effort to get younger on defense.

“Financially, this is largely a break-even proposition if you let him go,” Danny O’Neil argued. “You’re not going to save significant money. And, if that’s the case, then it becomes a question of, ‘Is he worth the roster spot?’ Which, certainly the way he played last year, he’s worth the roster spot. The question is: is he going to get better, or is he going to get worse? Because, in my opinion, there’s two things that need to stop. He needs to stop jumping offsides so frequently, and he needs to stop just running up the field trying to get to the passer. That seemed like it could be something that contributes to some of the difficulties they have in stopping the run game, that he gets out of his position. You can hope that he gets better, that this year is a result of (injuries), but this remains a question about whether the guy can get more effective than he was this past year.”

Jim Moore argues Bennett’s age will work against him, and Seattle can’t expect to get much more than they’re already getting. Dave Wyman, on the other hand, thinks the offsides issue is something Bennett will have to, and can, fix by himself, and believes keeping him on the roster is the way to go.

“Either way, you’ve never seen him drop off as far as his effort and the way he plays on the field,” Wyman said. “He’s always high-energy. He is an example for all the defensive lineman who are in that group. That’s the thing I admire so much about him, and I do think he’s still a very disruptive player.”

Hear the entire debate on the full podcast of Danny, Dave and Moore.