Seahawks Offseason: Two weakest positions in NFL free agency

It’s going to be an important offseason for the Seahawks, who have a lot of directions they can go both in free agency and the draft.

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With four picks in the first two rounds and nine selections total in April’s annual NFL Draft, Seattle can take a big step in building its team of the future. And coming off a surprise playoff appearance in their first season without franchise quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks could also be an attractive destination for free agents.

What remains to be seen is which positions Seattle will target with their draft picks and at which ones they may aim to make a more immediate impact by signing available veterans.

On Friday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, former NFL wide receiver and current Seahawks Radio Network host Michael Bumpus shed some light on the directions the Seahawks could go by identifying two spots lacking front-line talent in free agency – one position on each side of the ball.

“Wide receiver and cornerback are the weakest when it comes to free agents who are available,” Bumpus told his co-host, Stacy Rost. “You look for headliners. Defensive line, your headliner is Daron Payne, and then you got Javon Hargrave. Offensive line, you got Orlando Brown. Linebackers, you have Deion Jones from Cleveland, Lavonte David from the Bucs, Tremaine Edmunds from the Bills. Running back, you got Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Jamaal Williams. QB, you have Lamar Jackson and Geno Smith. You look at the receivers and the corners, there’s some good guys out there, but there aren’t really any headliners.”

Pro Football Focus has ranked the top 100 free agents for this year, and while that list includes seven receivers and eight corners, Bumpus doesn’t see many that could come into a new situation and be a true game-changer.

“If you are looking for a wide receiver or a corner in free agency, I think you’re gonna have to settle for guy who’s like a No. 2 or a No. 3. … These guys aren’t horrible but there aren’t really any headliners in that group.”

Which means?

“Now you go to the draft and you find your future No. 1 or No. 2,” Bumpus said.

• Good news for Goodwin?

The conversation about a weak class of wide receivers in free agency then turned to one of the Seahawks’ own pending free agents.

“Would you stick with Marquise Goodwin?” asked Rost. “Bring him back because, ‘Hey, I need a wide receiver 3 anyways.'”

Bumpus is on board with that possibility after the 32 year old made 27 receptions for 387 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games this season.

“I would – 400 yards, four touchdowns,” Bumpus responded. “He wasn’t available every single week but those are the type of stats you need out of a No. 3.”

You can hear Bump’s full thoughts on this and three more football questions in the Four-Down Territory segment from Friday, which begins about 18 minutes into the podcast at this link or in the player below. You can catch a brand new Four-Down Territory each weekday at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. on Bump and Stacy.

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