The Seattle Seahawks are a franchise on the up and up. While many thought that they would be embarking on a rebuild with the moves that were made during the 2022 offseason, quite the opposite has occurred.
The Seahawks were major winners in the Russell Wilson blockbuster trade, which netted them multiple first-round picks to round out the roster with. They have multiple building blocks now on both sides of the ball from that trade which has led to the team having a very bright future.
After earning a Wild Card spot in the 2022 season, the Seahawks’ arrow is certainly pointing up. They are a team that could make another jump during the 2023 season as they filled a few of the holes on their roster this offseason.
Heading into training camp, there isn’t much else for the Seattle front office to do roster-wise. However, ESPN NFL insider Field Yates did come up with one move that the team should make ahead of training camp. In his opinion, the move they need is to extend linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.
“Nwosu was fantastic for the Seahawks in his first season there in 2022, posting career-highs across the board, including 9.5 sacks. With a comparable season this year, Nwosu would be positioned as one of the top free agent pass-rushers next March, making an extension a logical proposition. While Seattle has built up a deep list of rushers that includes the addition of second-rounder Derick Hall this year, Nwosu is the most complete of the group and is just 26 years old. A side benefit of an extension would be a likely reduced cap charge for 2023, which is helpful for a team that could use a little wiggle room.”
Nwosu blossomed in his first season in Seattle after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers. He put up career highs across the board and now looks like a long-term piece for the team’s defense which had been lacking in established pass rushers.
From the Seahawks’ perspective, opening up some salary cap space for 2023 would also be ideal. Seattle currently has the sixth least cap space in the NFL and adding some wiggle room would be a good idea.
In the final season of a two-year contract, Nwosu has a cap hit of just over $13 million. Working out an extension would not only benefit the team presently by lowering that number but lock in an emerging pass rusher who isn’t even in his prime yet.
