JIM MOORE
Moore: Five pieces of offseason advice for Seahawks GM John Schneider
Mar 13, 2020, 12:13 PM | Updated: 1:32 pm
Jim Moore has some advice for Seahawks GM John Schneider ahead of NFL free agency next week. (AP)
(AP)
As it stands now, the coronavirus has not altered the NFL’s plans to open free agency negotiating on Monday with signings becoming official on Wednesday. Even if the schedule changes over the weekend, I’ve still got free agency advice for Seahawks’ general manager John Schneider.
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In my heart of hearts, I feel like if he follows my plan, the Seahawks will be taking the first steps toward returning to the Super Bowl next year. There’s also a chance if he follows my plan, the Seahawks could be swirling the toilet bowl given my spotty track record for suggestions, predictions and picks.
But here goes anyway:
1) Hey John! Trade for Yannick Ngakoue. Get the top pass rusher available in exchange for your No. 1 pick (27th overall) and a second-rounder if need be. You have two second-rounders, so you’d still have another. Besides, getting a guy who can actually get to the quarterback as opposed to ALMOST getting to the quarterback like Jadeveon Clowney, you’d spare us the annual ritual of trading your first-round pick down to acquire more picks.
Brother, I’m done with the quantity over quality thing that you like to do. I know you’ve found gems in later rounds before, but more often than not, the higher you pick, the better chance you have of finding future stars. By trading your first-round pick this year, you’ll get a rising star who has already produced in the NFL.
2) Hey John! Let Clowney go. I know he’s had some terrific games and is an advanced metric monster, but he’s inconsistent and has an injury history. He’s not worth $23 million a year. You’ve already seen what your defense was with him – 26th in the league.
Time to move in a different direction and see if players such as Ngakoue that specialize in pass rushing can give your declining defense a lift.
3) Hey John! Give Ngakoue a premier pass-rushing partner by signing Arik Armstead of San Francisco or Dante Fowler of the L.A. Rams.
I know, I can hear you, you’ve got a salary cap that might prevent you from acquiring Ngakoue and Armstead or Fowler, but you’ve always been creative. You have the space to make it happen, and if it limits you with other moves you’d like to make, think about how much better the back of your defense would be with two sack specialists.
You could get by for another year with penny-pinching on the O-line, but you can’t get by with another year of 28 sacks.
4) Hey John! If this means losing defensive linemen Jarran Reed and Quinton Jefferson, that’s OK, you’ve always been good at finding cost-effective interior guys. And the same goes for offensive linemen Germain Ifedi and George Fant. You might have capable replacements on your roster already.
5) Hey John! If two of my suggestions appear to be too costly, get more money to work with by restructuring Justin Britt’s and K.J. Wright’s contracts.
What’s that, John? You’re glad I’m not running your team, brother?
