The Seahawks drafted L.J. Collier to play Frank Clark’s position, but they may sign Ndamukong Suh to replace his production on the defensive line.
The NFL Draft is over but the Seattle Seahawks aren’t finished adding talent to their defense. In fact, Pete Carroll’s team might be the best potential landing spot for Ndamukong Suh as we enter the next phase of free agency.
For what it’s worth, Carroll isn’t hiding his team’s need to add more punch to its pass rush. He recently told reporters that “you guys will be excited” about what the team plans to do next. There aren’t many more exciting free agents left on the board than Suh.
Seattle spent their first round selection on TCU edge rusher L.J. Collier. That was an obvious effort to add a player who is capable of filling Frank Clark’s position at defensive end. The Seahawks dealt Clark to the Chiefs just before the draft for a mountain of draft compensation. His departure leaves Seattle’s defense absent a top-flight, established pass rusher on their defensive line at the moment.
The team doesn’t necessarily need to add an edge rusher to fix that issue. Carroll and company could easily elect to bring in Suh to help bolster their inside pass rush. The Seahawks didn’t add an interior defensive lineman during the draft but could certainly use an upgrade over their projected starting combination of Jarran Reed and Nazair Jones.
Suh isn’t the dominating presence on every down that he was in the prime of his career, but he still has the ability to collapse the pocket on passing downs. He managed to notch 4.5 sacks for the Rams last year playing exclusively inside. The Seahawks could easily get more creative with how they use Suh than Los Angeles needed to be given all of the talent they had on the defensive line.
The more conventional choice for the Seahawks would be to sign a traditional edge rusher. If they go that route, former Lion Ziggy Ansah would be the obvious solution. He struggled with injuries in 2018, but he’s expected to be fully cleared for preseason action. At this best, he is a terror off of the edge with his combination of speed and pass-rushing moves.
Suh is the better option because of his talent and reliability. His unpredictable personality is a threat for a lot of coaches, but Carroll has never shied away from working with that kind of player. And with a source noting that Suh would like to continue his NFL career on the west coast, Suh and the Seahawks could turn into a match made in heaven for the upcoming season.