The Seattle Seahawks are back in the driving seat in the NFC West after racking up two wins in a row. All of a sudden, Pete Carroll’s squad is looking like a team bound for another deep playoff campaign. The scary thing about this year’s Seahawks is they still haven’t reached full potential.
Seattle’s offensive line has been shaky through the first five games. Blindside protection for QB Russell Wilson has been terrible. Really there's a need for a dramatic upgrade to right the ship. With the trade deadline approaching, NFL SpinZone writer Gil Alcaraz enumerated a couple of ‘big-name’ offensive tackle whom Seattle can target to bolster their O-Line.
Who are the big fish up for grabs?
First on Alcaraz’s list of potential trade targets for the Seahawks is star offensive tackle Duane Brown of the Houston Texans. He believes Brown’s demand for a lucrative contract will force the Texans to shop the offensive tackle. Again, the Seahawks are in dire need of an upgrade in that position as Rees Odhiambo currently ranks the worst OT in the league. Seattle also explored the possibility of signing Branden Albert, but nothing is set in stone after their reported meeting.
Future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas is also on his list. The 32-year old veteran is still an elite offensive tackle even at this point of his career. Unfortunately for him, the Cleveland Browns aren’t going anywhere while the Seahawks are perhaps few pieces away from returning to the ‘promise land.’ Trading for Thomas would require some moving parts because of his $8.8 million cap hit, but it’s a deal worth exploring for.
“Grabbing Thomas wouldn’t be easy — he carries a $8.8 cap hit and would probably cost an early-round pick to acquire. That’s probably why he hasn’t already been traded at this point. If the Seahawks get desperate, though, the Browns listen because of their love of stockpiling draft picks,” Alcaraz stressed.
Update on Albert free agency
As of Friday, Branden Albert is still in the area four days after working out with the Seattle Seahawks. He was scheduled to fly to New York as early as Thursday and meet with the Giants at some point this week, but there must be a reason why he hasn’t left Seattle. Many speculate that Albert could be close to signing a contract with the Seahawks.
Sean Clement of SB Nation has a different take on the situation. He believes Albert is giving Seahawks time to get through the bye week, adjust some contracts and hammer a deal next week.
“From a player contribution perspective, there isn’t a lot of incentive for Seattle to sign Albert right away. With the bye week, the players get a mandatory minimum of four consecutive days off per the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. So, the team may wait until next week before anything officially comes down,” Clement stressed.