| 20 August 2009
The Front Office probably likes our depth. "We've got another starting LT on the team already!" they'll claim, pointing at right tackle/guard Sean Locklear. "Look, we locked up Ray Willis for two years," the starting RT of the future. "We... uh, and then... Kyle Williams?" Yikes.
"Sure, Trufant might miss the first six weeks, but Josh Wilson can play RCB and Lucas will move over to LCB. Look, we're smart, we signed a veteran in the offseason!" True, but who is behind those guys? Kelly Jennings is a semi-respectable corner but he doesn't have the strength to press or the ball skills to break up passes. Behind him are Hobbs and Floyd who have likely earned a spot on the first cut list if they don't step up on Saturday night. Yikes.
So, what will Ruskell do? Will the Seahawks bring in someone to play Corner? Tackle? Will it be a starter or just more depth? Let's take a look, shall we? [Read More]
Free Agent Tackles:
1.) The top FA tackle out there right now is Levi Jones. Jones was a Bengal and has the typical record of a Bengals player -- good, not great, and he was blindsided and beat to hell by Joey Porter. Porter's a punk, no surprise there, so I don't count that one against Jones. He might not be a saint, but he's not been routinely in trouble. Is he an upgrade from Lock at LT? Hard to say, but he would be good insurance and could potentially push Lock or Willis, sliding one of them to Guard. The downside to Jones is that he was cut by the Bengals after not performing up to his contract. He had a number of very good years under his belt, but has been injury prone since getting his payday. Are there any AFC North afficianados out there who could fill us in on more Levi Jones info?
2.) Joe Runyan - Will he retire, will he play? Hard to say. He's 35 years old, but if healthy, could be a solid addition and again, could push either Lock or Willis for a tackle spot.
3.) Ephraim Salaam - Not exactly a great player, Salaam comes from the Texans so he would already have a good understanding of the zone blocking system. He would be depth, but could step in and perform in this system somewhat well. Is he an upgrade over Williams and Goddard? Probably.
Free Agent Cornerbacks:
1.) Chris McAlister - great first name, so he's got that going for him. McAllister would be an upgrade over Wilson most likely, at least situationally. He's 6'1" and a three-time probowler, but he has terrible knee problems. The real question the front office needs to ask is whether he could he last six weeks. If we can get him on the cheap, it would be a great addition to the team. While he hadn't had injury problems prior to 2007, he missed half the year then and only played in 6 games (5 starts) in 2008 for the Ravens. It's iffy, to say the least, but if he's not too pricy it might be worth the risk.
2.) Jason David - While very small (5'8"), David was successful for the Colts in a cover-two system for a number of years before stinking it up with the Saints in 2008. He is relatively young (27) and hasn't had a history of injuries. He would be a servicable addition to come in if the price was right, though he would come in as a nickelback most likely.
3.) Reynaldo Hill - A decent player, but one with nagging injuries throughout his short four year career with the Titans. Hill was a 7th round pick with a lot to prove, and did so in Tennessee his rookie year, earning a roster spot before starting the last ten games of the year. His sophomore effort was even more impressive. Then he started getting injured and his play declined. Last year he was downgraded to the fifth depth spot in a very good group of Titans CBs. Still, he's declined and he was placed on the injured reserve early last year. They had no interest in bringing him back, but he would be decent depth with starting experience.
Trade bait?
Who do the Hawks have that they could trade? One name I've tossed around since around April was Deion Branch. Branch has not performed well, so we wouldn't get the equivalent of what we gave to get him. What a terrible sentence! [True, but I forgive you. This time. -Ed.] Moving on, I think Branch could potentially be up on the trade block in the next couple of weeks. Who else? With Michael Bennett having a good camp, and a lot of teams with weak, inexperienced d-lines, Craig Terrill could wind up packaged in a deal to bring a CB to Seattle. He has little value in and of himself, but packaged with a starter like Branch could sweeten a deal enough to snag someone good. What do you guys think?
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