|
I listed the Seattle Seahawks’ starters on offense a few days ago. Here are the starters on defense and special teams as it stands right now in the offseason. DEFENSE Defensive end: Michael Bennett -- Seattle GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll confirmed at the NFL owners meetings that Bennett hasn’t asked to be traded. However, it appears Bennett is unhappy with the contract he signed last year ($28.5 million for four years with $16 million guaranteed). The Seahawks aren’t going to change it. Defensive end: Cliff Avril -- Avril played a lot more snaps in 2014 because the Seahawks didn’t have the depth they had in 2013, but he handled it well, posting five sacks and four other tackles for losses. Avril and Bennett often lined up next to each other on obvious passing downs, which was a nightmare for opposing offensive lines.  Defensive tackle: Brandon Mebane -- He’s been a mainstay on the line and a team leader, but Mebane suffered a torn hamstring last season. He says he’s ready to go, but whether he will be a Seahawk in 2015 is uncertain. Mebane will count $5.5 million against the salary cap and the Seahawks signed former Cleveland DT Ahtyba Rubin last week.
Defensive tackle: Tony McDaniel -- Don’t be surprised if Jordan Hill beats out McDaniel for the starting spot here. Hill was sensational down the stretch last season before injuring his knee. Outside linebacker: K.J. Wright -- Wright, who signed a new contract near the end of last season, was the team’s leading tackler last season with 107 stops, including 73 solo tackles. He’s one of the most underrated LBs in the league. He can play all three LB spots and is excellent in pass coverage because of his long arms and height (6-4). Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin -- Irvin finally felt comfortable in his transition from a defensive end to the strong side linebacker -- and it showed. Irvin had his best season, including two interceptions for TDs. He also had 6.5 sacks. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner -- Wagner deservedly earned All-Pro honors last season and has established himself as one of the best MLBs in the NFL. Wagner missed five games last year with a nasty turf-toe injury, but his return was a major factor in the Seahawks going 6-0 down the stretch in the regular season. Cornerback: Richard Sherman -- The respect for Sherman's enormous talent is obvious in the fact that so many quarterbacks last season avoided throwing to his side of the field. But when they did, he often made them pay with four interceptions and eight passes defensed. Sherman is recovering from a torn ligament in his left elbow but was told he didn’t need to undergo Tommy John surgery. Cornerback: Cary Williams -- On paper, this looks like a swap down for the Seahawks, who saw Byron Maxwell sign with the Philadelphia Eagles and basically trade places with Williams. But Williams is a veteran, aggressive corner who loves to play the press coverage schemes the Seahawks often use. Tharold Simon may be the long-term answer here, but he’s coming off shoulder surgery and still has a lot to learn. Free safety Earl Thomas -- Thomas says he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season, but he’s coming off surgery for a torn labrum in his shoulder and likely will miss most of training camp. It’s uncertain if he’ll be 100 percent for the start of the season, but Thomas at 80 percent is better than most safeties at 100 percent. Strong safety Kam Chancellor -- He’s recovering from a torn MCL in his left knee, which he miraculously played on the entire Super Bowl. The Seahawks likely will bring him back slowly this summer to get him ready for the regular season. Chancellor suffered through some injuries last season, but when he got healthy down the stretch he was his unusual Bam-Bam Kam with intimidating tackles. Nickelback: Marcus Burley -- I’m listing a 12th starter here since the Seahawks often line up in the nickel package. And this is significant since starter Jeremy Lane probably is out until midseason after undergoing ACL surgery and reconstructive surgery on his compound wrist fracture. Burley played well last season after coming to Seattle in a trade with the Colts. SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker: Steven Hauschka -- He had a little rough patch at midseason, but Hauschka recovered and remains one of the league’s best field-goal kickers. Punter: Jon Ryan -- As good as he is as a punter, Ryan’s big moment last season came on his 19-yard TD pass to Garry Gilliam off a fake field goal against the Packers in the NFC Championship. Long-snapper: Clint Gresham -- Last week he signed a three-year, $2.7 million deal to stay in Seattle, and he’s well worth it. Gresham is one of the most consistent deep snappers in the NFL and someone the Seahawks know they can depend on.
|
