The Seattle Seahawks must now look forward to the 2015 NFL season and put the painful end of their 2014 season behind them. The Seahawks have positions on the team that will need to be filled. Many people will say they have a need for another defensive lineman, tight end, wide receiver and possibly another running back to name a few. It's time to take a look at some of the players that will be free agents at two of these positions.
The number one targeted player in free agency, if he doesn't get the franchise tag, is Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions. If he is given the franchise tag by the Lions, it would cost them $26.7 million in cash and cap space. Suh is a three-time All-Pro in five seasons whose 36 sacks leads all NFL Defensive Tackles over that period. Stats like that for an interior lineman are ridiculous and show just how good he is at his position. Suh makes everyone around him better and can play in a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive scheme. Suh recorded 54 tackles and 8.5 sacks while helping the Lions rank first in the NFL in rushing defense and would be a welcomed edition to the Seahawks.
Suh will demand a lot of money in free agency but there is also a possibility he may take a smaller amount of money to come to Seattle. The Seahawks have had the best defense in the NFL the past three years and Suh would thrive in an environment like CenturyLink Field with the raucous 12th man. Will Suh come to Seattle? In the end, probably not but it would be a sight to see.
With current Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch's future still in the air, the club should look at potential replacements for down the road. Sure they have the likes of Robert Turbin and Christine Michael as their second and third string running backs, but they have yet to show they can be a featured back in the NFL. Granted they have not had much of an opportunity with Lynch on the roster, but the question remains if they are capable of handling the strain of being an every down back.
A premier running back in the NFL that will be a free agent is Dallas Cowboys DeMarco Murray. Murray had a career year in Dallas as he led the league in carries and yards with 392 and 1,845 respectively. That’s a 4.7 yard per carry which would fit perfectly in with the Seahawks zone running scheme they use. Murray rushed for 100 yards in 12 of 16 games this year. There are concerns about Murray's health however as this is the first year since he entered the league that he played an entire season.
It will be hard for the Cowboys to keep Murray and Dez Bryant as both players will command a lot of money. If Lynch does not come back to the Seahawks in 2015 and Murray is not re-signed by the Cowboys, Seattle needs to take a good look at Murray and see if they can get him in Seattle. If he was to sign with Seattle and stay healthy, it would be a good transition from Lynch and help continue running the same style of offense that has made them one of the best in the league on the ground.