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NFC West: Seahawks blowing up their roster & its affect on the 49ers

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Michael Bennett #72 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after a sack of Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Michael Bennett #72 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after a sack of Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The NFC West is going through some serious shakeups, as the Seattle Seahawks appear to be in the process of blowing up their roster. How can the San Francisco 49ers take advantage?

Not long ago, the NFC West was dominated by two teams — the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Seattle eventually won that rivalry, winning a Super Bowl and appearing in another. Meanwhile, the Niners fell on hard times before finally gaining some respectability and momentum in 2017.

Heading into 2018, though, those cracks with the Seahawks have turned into major leaks.

The Seahawks already turned over a large chunk of their coaching staff under head coach Pete Carroll. New coordinators Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr. are assuming offensive and defensive duties, respectively. But the big-time moves aren’t ending there.

On Wednesday, Seattle moved veteran pass-rusher Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke down the transaction:

It gets even crazier.

Cornerback Richard Sherman, the long-time arch nemesis of 49ers fans everywhere, could also possibly be on the move. A number of cryptic tweets from teammates suggested such. But this, from Sherman’s mother, Beverly (h/t Dov Kleiman), raises eyebrows:

Sherman will reportedly meet with Seahawks brass to discuss his future, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. So it’s anyone’s guess how this all winds up falling out.

One thing is for certain, though. Seattle is essentially blowing up its roster.

Why Now for the Seahawks?

Earlier this offseason, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap listed the Seahawks as one of five teams with the worst salary cap situations heading into 2018.

GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 09: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks is helped off the field following the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on November 9, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 22-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 09: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks is helped off the field following the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on November 9, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 22-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

That’s an unfortunate reality behind teams with regular success and swarms of All-Pro talent. And the Seahawks rarely hesitated to dish out big contracts for players coming off prime years. The Seahawks may already be without defensive end Cliff Avril (neck) and safety Kam Chancellor (neck) this season. So the Bennett deal and possible Sherman move only serve to make Seattle’s once-vaunted defense all the more questionable.

These moves will free up cap space, though, which is important. But with quarterback Russell Wilson up for a new contract after 2019, there’s likely a whole heck of a lot of money needing to be freed up.

It’s going to be hard to replace such talent via the NFL Draft, however. Here’s a rundown of Seattle’s draft picks prior to the Bennett trade:

  • Round 1: No. 18 overall
  • Round 4: No. 120 overall
  • Round 5: No. 141, 146, 168 overall
  • Round 7: No. 226, 248, 250 overall

The Bennett deal adds a fifth rounder, while removing a seventh. Still, the Seahawks have just two picks in the first four rounds.

Unless more moves are made, Seahawks general manager John Schneider will be pretty thin at landing talent in the upper tiers of the draft.

How the 49ers Can Benefit

This isn’t exactly a complete blow-up of the roster in Seattle. But the landscape of the NFC West is shifting drastically.

Seattle losing control of the division to the upstart Los Angeles Rams last season was a partial indication of what’s to come. The recent moves only serve more.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have no issue with cap space this offseason, armed with over $70 million, according to Over the Cap. True, San Francisco has a number of needs. But there are more than enough resources to secure them this offseason.

Those resources include nine picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, including No. 9 overall.

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Tack on how young the Niners are, after employing more rookie snaps than any other team last year, it’s likely San Francisco leapfrogs Seattle in the NFC West this season.

There’s an obvious question — should the 49ers target Sherman? Well, they need a cornerback. But Sherman will be 30 years old and is coming off a serious season-ending Achilles injury last year.

Probably better to look at younger, healthier options at this point.

At any rate, the Niners stand to benefit greatly from the Seahawks’ flurry of offseason moves. More of which may be on the horizon. So if you’re among those who were sick of watching Seattle’s runs to the postseason, you can relax a bit now.

Next: NFL free agency: Top 3 targets for the 49ers in 2018

The NFC West has changed.