The Seahawks had a great linebacker. Then they decided to let him go, without so much as an offer of a pay-cut. Their loss was the Rams’ gain – and Bobby Wagner immediately recaptured his peak form and once again became the league’s best off-ball linebacker. Now, Seattle has to find a way to replace him because their own two starters couldn’t even crack the top 100 PFF grades at their position.
The 2023 NFL draft is probably the best place to find Wagner’s long-term successor, but there are also some free agents worth looking at. Here are eight the Seahawks could consider.
Update:
The Rams have released Bobby Wagner, just one year into the five-year deal he signed last March. Obviously that radically changes the linebacker market as well as the order of our list.
1
Bobby Wagner
Being able to admit when you make mistakes is a worthy attribute for any person as well as any football organization. If the Eagles hadn’t done so with Carson Wentz there’s no way they would have been able to retool their roster and make it back to the Super Bowl this year. It probably won’t get them back to the big game, but the Seahawks can erase one of their worst blunders ever by bringing Wagner back where he belongs. Mend the bridges and bring him home.
2
Lavonte David
If Bobby (understandably) balks at returning to Seattle, then the next best thing is Lavonte David. He’s one year older than Wagner, but also still balling out for his age. This past season David posted over 100 tackles for the ninth time in his career, plus three sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Even at 33 David would be expensive but well-worth a significant investment. The Seahawks simply will not find a bigger upgrade on the market this year outside Wagner and the odds of drafting a better linebacker are slim.
3
Tremaine Edmunds
While we’re willing to make an exception for David, the team would be better served finding a younger option to take over their defense. Edmunds is only 24, but he’s already got 74 games worth of experience. He is particularly sharp in coverage, where he earned an 90.0 grade from PFF – the highest at his position. That’s a stark contrast to Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton, who look lost in coverage more often than not. Buffalo probably won’t let him test the market, but if he does Seattle should make a genuine push to sign him.
4
Leighton Vander Esch
Vander Esch is another strong example of having both youth and experience on his side. Even though he’s played in the league five years already he’s still only 26 years old and should have a lot of good football ahead of him. Vander Esch also excels in coverage, where he’s only allowed one touchdown as the nearest defender over the last three seasons. He’s also a steady hand as a tackler, only missing 11 total attempts since 2021.
5
Tanner Muse
The Seahawks learned the hard way this season that you can’t always bank on a player balling out in a small sample size – as was the case for Barton late in the 2021 campaign. Muse (26) also looked very sharp to close this season after Brooks suffered his ACL injury. There will be much better-known commodities on the market, but there’s a chance Seattle could get a steal if Muse doesn’t drop off the way Barton did this year. Whether they sign any of these others he’s worth bringing back for at least another season.
6
Kwon Alexander
If Alexander leaves the Jets and signs elsewhere it’ll be his fifth team since getting drafted out of LSU in 2015. While he’s not the defender he was early in his career with Tampa, Alexander (28) can still pack a punch and make a positive impact all around. For his career he’s totaled 590 tackles (49 for a loss), 12.5 sacks, 29 QB hits, eight interceptions, 33 passes defensed and 11 forced fumbles.
7
Kzyir White
He’s not quite on the same level as Kwon Alexander, but Kzyir White qualifies as a sort of 9 or 10 of all trades. While he’s not a plus pass rusher or run defender or cover guy, there’s no one area where he truly struggles – making it harder for opposing offensive playcallers to single him out. That should have an appeal for the Seahawks, who have to deal with Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan a total of four times a year.
8
Nick Kwiatkoski
The best-case scenario is for Seattle to find a diamond in the rough – a linebacker with plus potential who’s been tossed aside for whatever reason and could be signed at a discount. Enter Nick Kwiatkoski, who’s been one of the league’s most underrated defenders since entering it in 2016. He was relegated to a special teams only role in Atlanta this past season, but we’ve seen enough to know he can still ball out as a linebacker under the radar.
9
Anthony Barr
A more realistic scenario is the Seahawks signing a veteran who they know they can get something posititve out of, even if it’s nothing truly special. Barr has looked like a quality fit for this defense ever since K.J. Wright was shown the door. Barr may be 30 years old now but he did well for Dallas in 14 games this year – certainly far better than Brooks or Barton.
