A quick rundown on the newest Seahawk: LB Barkevious Mingo
Mar 15, 2018, 1:48 PM
(AP)
The Seahawks’ first addition from free agency is outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo, who was signed to a two-year, $6.8 million deal Wednesday.
Here’s a quick rundown on the newest Seahawk:
• Mingo played college football at LSU and was selected No. 6 overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2013 NFL Draft. (Mingo joins a front seven that also features fellow 2013 first-rounder, defensive end Dion Jordan.)
• Mingo was part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning team – thankfully for Seahawks fans, it wasn’t Super Bowl XLIX. The Browns traded Mingo to the Patriots in 2016, where he played on special teams. That year, New England defeated Atlanta 34-38 in Super Bowl LII.
• Mingo didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school,and before that ran track and played basketball. The 27-year-old linebacker has four brothers, and his nickname is “KeKe.”
Seahawks 2018 free-agency tracker
• John Clayton calls Mingo “a great athlete,” but says he’s more of a role-player: “What you’re looking at is two things: this team really is enamored with the top of the 2013 draft … (Mingo) is a great athlete, but he’s more of a role-player than anything else. In New England they basically used him on special teams and on certain assignments; he does have the ability to rush the quarterback. And they paid him pretty well … which shows that maybe they think he challenge for the strongside linebacker spot a little bit. Maybe he can play as a third down rusher or occasionally.”
• Brock Huard says Mingo’s speed is his greatest asset: “Here’s what I know: they like speed. When I look at this Top 100 list of free agents, there’s a lot of guys who can’t run anymore … and I think the feeling around the Seahawks is that the guy can still really run. And they covet that, as a strongside linebacker, as a pass rusher, as a special teamer. And thus he gets a two-year deal, and he’s the first one … If Pete’s going to get back to his nature and his roots to run the ball and play defense and some of those unique skillsets that they have always loved with guys … Barkevious is a big dude who can run.”