Can the Hawks afford to be patient in free agency

I think with the addition of percy harvin solidifies the offense and the rest of the attention this offseason has to be D line. I think there has to be some scenario where the GM can free up money for adding D line talent through free agency i don't think they would risk going into the season with just a few new rookies and the vets we have under contract. there is usually a learning curve to rookie d lineman in the NFL and i think JS/PC will demand a proven (not expensive) comodity to pair with mebane in the middle.
with that being said i've seen reports that say they can sit back and wait for the value of players to go down but i'm in the thinking they need to be proactive early lock up that one DT fast and not let the niners pick up one of the key players that can help us on D, their lookin for lineman too. if u look at D lineman they value the same thing a DT and that is where we need the most help. It does seem we are in a bit of an arms race with the 9ers so i could see them being a little mad about missing on Harvin so it could be like a free agency chess game with free agent D lineman. With Harvin it does seem like an older player looking to win a super bowl before they retire would'nt need much convincing to play with our squad and would take the pay cut for the improved possibility of making a run in the post season while being able to put up good numbers doin it (seattle's D gives lineman opprotunities).

I don't think we have to worry about freeing up money, I agree something has to happen on the D line. I'm sure they'll handle it. I think it's obvious we're all in this season.

Yes. What we can't afford is panic. I don't consider the Harvin trade a panic move. Sure, we spent a lot, but we had a lot to spend.

As usual, I don't expect a big deal in the first couple of days of FA. I do expect we'll pick up a player or two after all the hyped signings are done. It's been how they've worked so far, and the results have been pretty good overall. There is one caveat there, of course. The Seahawks are starting to make some waves, and players that value winning over just the benjamins might be likely to want to sign here over other teams with less immediate promise. We can't expect a big discount on that score, but it counts for something.

They said at the end of season presser that they wanted more weapons for Wilson and pass rush. They've worked on the offensive weapons; I expect a move or two on D in FA.

I still expect them to draft a WR/TE or both this year, and more DL help. It seems to be the P&J way. Throw a bunch of players at an area of need and see who wins the competition.

Well, we will find out today how patient they are. I would assume that if there is a guy they really want they will get him fairly quick, but these guys are unpredictable and I love it.

they can be as patient as they want, if they were on the quick fast to sign someone, i'd be worried.

Whether I would have made that same trade or not- Harvin definitely wasn't a panic move- the amount they paid just shows how high their opinion is of him. I think from PC/JS's point of view (meaning their needs, preferences, and style of offense), Harvin is one of the best weapons in the NFL.

If Seattle sits back and waits at DT, they won't get one. They don't have the #25 pick to fall back on any more. I think they can afford to be patient everywhere else (including DE), but they absolutely need to be aggressive regarding Bryant and Jones later today.

kearly":3n2kkn9l said:

If Seattle sits back and waits at DT, they won't get one. They don't have the #25 pick to fall back on any more. I think they can afford to be patient everywhere else (including DE), but they absolutely need to be aggressive regarding Bryant and Jones later today.

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Completely agree and came here to say this. The DT market is very thin and with no first rounder, starting caliber DT help is unlikely to come via the draft. They need to act quickly to shore up that position or the few viable options may be gone

kearly":3krq8hbe said:

Whether I would have made that same trade or not- Harvin definitely wasn't a panic move- the amount they paid just shows how high their opinion is of him. I think from PC/JS's point of view (meaning their needs, preferences, and style of offense), Harvin is one of the best weapons in the NFL.

If Seattle sits back and waits at DT, they won't get one. They don't have the #25 pick to fall back on any more. I think they can afford to be patient everywhere else (including DE), but they absolutely need to be aggressive regarding Bryant and Jones later today.

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No, this was a deliberate move that took a good deal of time to work. That much is clear by how polished/finished the details are.

In the aftermath, I think this could be rather telling of what Pete and John think of the DT pool as a whole. Clearly there isn't a 'guy we can't leave the draft without' prospect here. Even amongst the tier 2 DT prospects, I think leaving our first choice at #56 is a strong indicator that there isn't a guy in that pool that in our minds, distinguishes himself.

I'm wondering if we are even looking at DT in R2 now. It's possible that we see it like we say the MLBs in round 2 -- a few guys we liked and graded equally. But there is a strong possibility that even if there were 3 guys we liked, they could all be gone by 56. Maybe we've already set our sights on a UFA solution (bridge player or otherwise).

Missing_Clink":3krq8hbe said:

Completely agree and came here to say this. The DT market is very thin and with no first rounder, starting caliber DT help is unlikely to come via the draft. They need to act quickly to shore up that position or the few viable options may be gone

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It's also possible that we like the pocket of day 2/3 DT prospects. Or rather, we see an R4 guy in particular that we grade similar to the 2nd tier DTs. Now that I could see happening. Someone that we reach for in R3 that turns into something more. I have to think that this deal doesn't go down if we thought the conventional names thrown out as R1/R2 guys were going to be significantly better than our alternatives.

Given the effort and time this deal apparently took, it would seem that the team had already made up their minds by the time the combine came around. I get the sense they were not impressed with what was out there for day 1.

It's possible that we just don't think there is sufficient opportunity to improve interior pass rush and are opting for a different avenue for success. Maybe we do see the offense open up a good deal expecting to have to score 28-35 points in order to have success. Despite the pass rush difficulties, this defense did well. Even flawed, it was top 8 in most metrics across the board -- which is really unusual. More so if you factor in the lack of consistent push. Having an offense that can, by it's own acumen, apply pressure to keep up may be similarly as effective.

I still don't know how to read this move yet. I do feel it should be giving us a clue as to what Pete/John think of this class.

Attyla the Hawk":21l24qcz said:

It's possible that we just don't think there is sufficient opportunity to improve interior pass rush and are opting for a different avenue for success. Maybe we do see the offense open up a good deal expecting to have to score 28-35 points in order to have success. Despite the pass rush difficulties, this defense did well. Even flawed, it was top 8 in most metrics across the board -- which is really unusual. More so if you factor in the lack of consistent push. Having an offense that can, by it's own acumen, apply pressure to keep up may be similarly as effective.

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Was thinking the same thing, think back to our QB issue the first few years here, instead of overpaying or being desperate for a QB we improved our team the best and most effiecent way we could, we added to strenghts to make up for our weaknesses and when the time came we addressed our weaknesses with good value.

Turing this offense into an unstoppable force will make life much easier on the defense, and also allows our d to play from a lead. Irvin is great at rushing the QB but in close games he probbaly got a few less opportunities to get there than if the other team was throwing to catch up.

Bryant seems like a great fit, if we get him i'll be happy, but it might cost more than what we wanted to pay. The market for Vet DE's is a buyers market so we should not have a problem bringin in a guy to help improve there.

Seahawks under Schneider have always operated as: sign and trade for offense, draft defense.

With only a few exceptions like Jason Jones and Chris Clemons.

Don't expect a big splash on D in free agency.

HawkFan72":1j2jy6tc said:

Don't expect a big splash on D in free agency.

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Nor should there be. Other than Kruger (and even he's debatable how effective he can be on another team), the free agent DE's aren't worthy of throwing big money at.

My guess is John and Pete are going to let things shake out, let all the free agents like Freeney, Osi and Abraham make their rounds, see what's out there and then if they can get one of these guys for a low price + incentives type contract they'll do it.

I also think they're going to work on freeing up some cap space by trying to get players like Rice and Miller to restructure their deals..........as well as trade Leon (or eventually cut him if we can't trade).

They've already built an elite team with the second youngest roster in the NFL and just picked up a 24 year old that they're going to sign to a long-term deal.

Seems like they can afford to be patient. The Harvin move doesn't really suggest they're going all-in for next season alone. It just confirms what most of us already knew: Pete has valued this guy highly for a long time.

Generally, teams in the NFL that plan on contending for several years always seem to be pretty patient.

HawkFan72":1a52im1b said:

Seahawks under Schneider have always operated as: sign and trade for offense, draft defense.

With only a few exceptions like Jason Jones and Chris Clemons.

Don't expect a big splash on D in free agency.

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I don't expect a big splash but i do expect a significant signing or two on the D line becuase if not the window to win a superbowl with the core players we have now will close soon with the amount of money we have tied up on the offense we won't be able to keep everyone. we need a stop gap DT that can hold his own against the run and push the pocket against the pass right now not a few years from now. You don't get players like those in the later rounds of the draft that can contribute day one.

Not only can they afford it, they can't afford not to be patient. Last year, they spent their money where others weren't, and it seems to have worked out well for them. I expect more of the same this year. We'll sign and identify the good players who have a cold market. Hence why we didn't sign Bryant or Kruger or...

HawkFan72":39ez0krr said:

Seahawks under Schneider have always operated as: sign and trade for offense, draft defense.

With only a few exceptions like Jason Jones and Chris Clemons.

Don't expect a big splash on D in free agency.

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Did you forget about Browner? Also those that are not on the team anymore like Branch, Hargrove, Bigby, etc. They pick up free agents on defense too.

If they let Branch and Jones walk, they're going to have to sign somebody.
Can't count on the draft for all your DL, unless you start McDonald or Howard.

One factor I think it monumental in our defensive schemes will not only be the DL, but also our Nickel corner. I did NOT like the way Trufant played last year at all. And I was not very pleased at watching slot receivers and TE's get off on our defense. If I was them, I'd find their prototypical DB in the form of a hybrid safety/corner - so we can cover these prolific inside receivers as well as run support. I felt that was a hefty weakness in the ATL game in particular.

I don't think they can afford another 5 year contract with big money, unless they think the player they would be signing is better for the team long-term than one of our young studs that they have to extend soon. I expect a couple flyers on one-year vets to compete at DT. Heck, it's a #2 DT. Not exactly the most important position on the roster. Sign a guy you think can stop the run and sign a guy that you hope can rush the passer.

I don't expect them to do much at corner either. I think with any of Thurmond, Trufant or Lane, we still have the best group of corners in the NFL.

I'm glad they didn't pay Kruger.

I still want Ed Reed.