3 former Seahawks named among best remaining free agents
With the 2023 NFL draft now in the rearview mirror, teams only have one way to improve their rosters before the start of the season: hitting up free agency. Seattle is well represented on that market right now. Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire has published a list of the top available free agents and three former Seahawks players made the cut.
RG Gabe Jackson
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Gabe Jackson was likely always going to be a salary cap casualty in 2023, no matter how he performed on the field last season. That said, he didn’t help his case. Jackson often looked a step slow on film and had arguably the worst year of his career. Pro Football Focus gave him poor marks in both pass blocking and run blocking anda career-low 55.0 overall grade. Jackson is also now 31 years old. However, he remains a remarkably powerful lineman and has loads of experience, having played 131 games at this level. We believe Jackson will eventually land on his feet and start for someone.
iDL Shelby Harris
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Compared to Jackson, Shelby Harris getting the axe was much more of a surprise. While he’s also 31 years old, Harris was Seattle’s top-performing interior defensive lineman last season – and they weren’t well-positioned to absorb the loss of a good one. Harris didn’t do much as a pass rusher, only managing two sacks and six QB hits. He was quite effective against the run, though – a rarity for this unit in 2022. They might miss him in some ways, but cutting Harris saved the team nearly $9 million in salary cap room.
DE Frank Clark
William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been several years since the Seattle traded Frank Clark to the Chiefs. While the move has saved the team a ton of salary cap space over the long run, the edge rush rotation has unquestionably suffered without him. Meanwhile, in Kansas City Clark has become a perennial clutch playoff performer. Clark now ranks third all-time in postseason sacks. Seattle doesn’t have the space to sign Clark (or anybody else) right now, but if they get creative and clear some room a reunion would make sense.
