Morris may be on his way out
The Seahawks have a few key starters who will enter the offseason as unrestricted free agents, meaning the Seahawks essentially have no control over their destiny. The only way to virtually ensure a player stays with the team is to place the franchise tag on them, which means the Seahawks must pay an average of the top five paid players at that position.
However, as I wrote earlier, it is unlikely the Seahawks will franchise any of the free agents this offseason.
So, are the FAs likely to find new homes in the offseason? I’ll take a look at each of the starters and see how much interest they demand on the market.
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Bobby Engram
Franchise tag: $9.8 million
WR Free agent rank: 7
Walterfootball.com and Scout.com both rank Bobby Engram as the seventh best free agent wide receiver. Two things stand out about Engram’s skills: his sure-handedness, and his ability to run exact routes called for by the west coast offense. His biggest down-side is his age, 36.
Because of his skill set and age, Engram is only on the radar for a few specific teams, namely only those who use a west coast offense. Perhaps the only team that will aggressively look to sign Engram besides the Seahawks will be the Redskins, whose head coach Jim Zorn is very familiar what a reliable slot receiver can do for an offense. Expect a few one-year deals to be thrown Engram’s way.
This could be his last season in the league, and as a fan of Engram I hope he sticks in Seattle for a decent price. It’s hard to tell how many offers Engram will get once free agency hits, especially after an injury-riddled sub-par year. I would guess that Engram will more than likely be in a Seahawks uniform next year.
Chances of being a ‘Hawk: 60%
Koren Robinson
Franchise tag: $9.8 million
WR Free Agent rank: 19
Robinson averages out to be the 19 th ranked wide receiver for good reason. His knee was a recurring problem last season, as he often sat out of practice Wednesdays or even the whole week to rest it. With the injury, and the off-time he had from football, his speed seemed to leave him. He also showed why people dubbed him K-Drop after letting a few balls bounce off his chest, most notably a potential game-winner against the Dolphins last year.
However, Robinson does have an entire offseason to help heal his knee and get back into football shape. If the Seahawks re-sign him, they would have solid depth at the position and he also doubles as punt-returner, if Mora decided Burleson should stay away from the hazardous duty. He’ll be 29 when the 2009 season begins. He could be a Seahawk if the price is right, he obviously won’t demand too much attention in free agency, as indicated by him still being a free agent a few games into 2008.
Chances of being a ‘Hawk: 50%
Rocky Bernard
Franchise tag: $6.0 million
DT free agent rank: 4
Scout.com ranks Bernard as the no. 2 DT while Walterfootball.com ranks him as no. 7. I’m more in line with Walterfootball.com on this one. There’s a reason why our secondary was god-awful and it wasn’t because of poor safety play. It was because of a terrible run defense, which Bernard played a part of. Bernard is a much better pass rusher than anything else, but his stats have declined since a solid 2005 year. The Seahawks have a few options in free agency to replace Bernard with a DT that better fits the Seahawks current needs, such as Javon Haye or Kedric Golston.
Bernard has indicated he would like to leave Seattle for 2009 so I suppose that’s where the conversation ends. Ruskell and Mora probably know exactly who they will target in free agency to upgrade the position and losing Bernard won’t devastate the defense.
Chances of being a ‘Hawk: 10%
Leroy Hill
Franchise tag: $8.3 million
LB free agent rank: 2
I’ve already gone over Hill’s chances of staying in Seattle. He will generate much interest, but Mora has also hinted that he would like to keep Hill in Seattle. As of now, this one is a toss-up
Chances of being a ‘Hawk: 50%
Maurice Morris
RB Franchise tag: $6.6 million
RB free agent rank: 5
GM Tim Ruskell picked up Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett last offseason for a reason, and it’s unlikely either will be waived. The crowded backfield is going to get a little less crowded when the Seahawks let Morris sign with another team in the coming months. Morris ranks favorably in a mediocre list of free agents so expect him to find a new team sooner rather than later.
Morris was a Holmgren guy, a guy that doesn’t fit in with the current running back situation. Jones and Morris both have identical bodies and running styles, so essentially it’s pointless to keep both. Expect a Jones/Duckett tandem in 2009, and Morris backing up someone else for another franchise.
Chances of being a ‘Hawk: 5%
Leonard Weaver
RB Franchise tag: $6.6 million
FB free agent rank: 3
This one may be difficult to call. Weaver is one of the top ranked free agent fullbacks, but then again he is a fullback. Many teams have phased out the importance of the position, but many west coast offense teams will find value in Weaver, such as San Francisco who could be looking for a new fullback once free agent hits.
Weaver had a breakout season in 2008, scoring a pair of touchdowns against the 49ers in what turned out to be the best game of the season. While his running and catch-and-runs improved drastically, his blocking lagged behind. One of the biggest responsibilities of the fullback is blocking, and if you can’t excel at it, then you’re really just a running back. The Seahawks drafted Owen Schmitt for a reason, and he is probably the future starter for the team. Because Weaver accumulated some attractive statistics, his value may have risen over what the Seahawks are willing to offer.
Schmitt is one helleva bruiser, and was often utilized in short running situations where he would pave the way for T.J. Duckett, successfully most of the time. He also showed signs of being a decent downhill runner. I would like to see a lot more of Schmitt in 2009, and I think the ‘Hawks coaching staff would too.
Chances of being a ‘Hawk: 30%
