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Free Agent Frenzy or Not?

travisduncan

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Though Pete Carroll said two weeks ago he didn't expect major roster changes-the Seahawks have the task of re-signing 18 free agents.

And there is always that lingering feeling that Carroll and John Schneider won't be satisfied with bringing back the same roster which won seven games.

Chief among the free agents is running back Marshawn Lynch-who will get paid and re-signed- unless Lynch doesn't want to stay in Seattle. So far there is no indication that he is unhappy in Seattle.

Offensively at quarterback Charlie Whitehurst has done some good things for the team in the past but using his roster spot on another backup or a first-round quarterback wouldn't make too many people upset.

Running back Justin Forsett carried the ball 46 times for 145 yards this season and would be expendable.

Fullback Michael Robinson is also an unrestricted free-agent-he was named a 1st alternate for the Pro Bowl should be back. Robinson is the player which recovered the block punt by Doug Baldwin against the Rams. Robinson seems to be a Pete Carroll guy, athletic and willing to "battle" on special teams.

Another free agent among the so called skill positions is tight end John Carlson missed this season with a torn labrum. Carroll said that he hopes to have Carlson back to pair the veteran with Zach Miller in two tight end sets.

And assuming that Tarvaris Jackson is indeed the starter in 2012, having two tight ends which can catch balls across the middle for the mobile quarterback would seem invaluable-though the tight end was never featured this season as Miller stayed in most of the time to pass protect.

Three offensive linemen, two of which were forced into starters role are free-agents. Paul McQuistan and Breno Giacomini both did quite well as starters at left and right tackle. Mike Gibson is also a free-agent. With John Moffitt, Russell Okung and James Carpenter all recovering from major injuries it's hard not to imagine that McQuistan and Giacomini won't be back though they will likely get a pay raise.

Perhaps the one guy which could cause some fretting over is defensive end Red Bryant, the defensive and vocal leader of the team. Bryant is not a pass rusher but plugged some major gaps this season as the Seahawks finished 15th against the run giving up 112.3 yards per game. A stat which may not do justice to the defense as the Seahawks played in mostly slow-tempo grind it out football games conducive to a lot of running plays. In fact the Seahawks were ranked 8th in total rushing attempts by an opponent averaging 29.6.

"I’d be lying to say that the Seahawks haven’t been extremely good to me," Bryant told the Associated Press. "They gave me the opportunity to play a position that at first I thought they were trying to cut me when they first talked about moving me to defensive end"

"So for them to give me the opportunity, and to think that much of me when I really didn’t think that much of myself in terms of playing defensive end, speaks volumes."

Bryant told the Seattle Times, "I know this football team is headed in the right direction, and you would love to continue to be a part of what I feel like is going to be a championship team in the future."

Beyond Bryant, the Seahawks have nine other players off the defense who are free-agents:

DL Anthony Hargrove
DE Raheem Brock
DE Jimmy Wilkerson
LB Heath Farwell
LB David Hawthorne
LB Leroy Hill
LB Matt McCoy
LB David Vobora
S Atari Bigby

Of those free-agents only Leroy Hill and David Hawthorne were starters-but according to the Associated Press, Carroll has indicated that they would like to get faster at those positions, perhaps even finding a pass rusher. Hawthorne has led the team in tackles for the last three seasons.

Cornerback Roy Lewis and kicker Stephen Hauschka are restricted free-agents, meaning that if they get an offer from another team, the Seahawks can match that offer to retain their services.
 
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