Getty Jets defensive end Carl Lawson at Lumen Field on January 01, 2023.
The Seattle Seahawks (4-2) have a chance to be a legitimate contender in the NFC, but they have a huge hole to fill on defense.
The Seahawks lost their top edge rusher, Uchenna Nwosu, to what’s predicted to be a season-ending pectoral injury during their 20-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, and do not have a clear-cut replacement for the veteran starter.
While Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on October 23 that they’ll look inward to replace Nwosu, Sports Illustrated’s Corbin K. Smith urged the team to get outside help. With the October 31 trade deadline closing in, he believes Seattle should call the New York Jets “right now” to land defensive end Carl Lawson.
Smith posted on X, formerly known as Twitter,” My proposal: Seahawks send Dee Eskridge and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Jets for Carl Lawson and a 2024 seventh-round pick… Do a pick swap. Both teams get extra help at a position of need and offset a player from a position of strength.”
Eskridge, the Seahawks former second-round pick from the 2021 NFL draft, has yet to play this season due to a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. With rookie receivers Jaxon Smtih-Njiga and Jake Bobo stepping up, Eskridge is expendable.
As for Lawson, he’s fallen down the depth chart behind first-round picks Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald, becoming the odd man out on the defensive line.
“At 265 pounds, Lawson has a very similar athletic profile to Nwosu,” Corbin posted. “Yes, he’s had a few significant injuries, but he’s only 28 and has three seasons with at least 49 pressures in his career. He also plays with consistently great effort.”
Carl Lawson Makes Sense Financially for the Seahawks
Lawson, who’s in the final year of his $45 million contract, took a pay cut ahead of the 2023 NFL season. The New York Post confirmed, “He was scheduled to make $15 million in 2023, but that has been cut to $9 million, with $8 million guaranteed.”
Due to his limited role this season, SI’s John Shipley wrote of Lawson’s trade value, “He likely wouldn’t require a substantial trade package to acquire. He will also be due $3.6 million of his $6 million salary for any team that trades for him.” According to OvertheCap.com, the Seahawks have roughly $7.4 million in cap space.
While there are several other options the Seahawks could consider, Lawson’s $595,588 acquired cap hit is the most cash-friendly, Corbin wrote.
Pete Carroll Said They Weren’t Looking for Outside Help ‘Yet’
GettySeahawks head coach Pete Carroll at Lambeau Field on August 26, 2023.
Carroll said the Seahawks would “count on a rotation” to replace Nwosu, looking toward Darrell Taylor, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall to step up, but that may simply be a bandaid for their Week 8 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
“We aren’t thinking like that, yet,” Carroll said of facilitating a trade to fill the Nwosu’s shoes, however, Seahawks reporter John Boyle says “yet” could be “a significant qualifier there.”
“A coach isn’t going to want to tip his team’s hand if something were in the works prior to getting a deal done — and as general manager John Schneider always says, the Seahawks take pride in leaving no stone unturned when it comes to building the best roster they can,” Boyle wrote.
“So yeah, you can bet as soon as the Seahawks got bad news on Nwosu, Schneider and company were looking into their options. Whether that results in a signing or a trade remains to be seen, but they’ll at least consider every option.”
A Carl Lawson Trade Is ‘Inevitable’
If the Seahawks don’t pounce on Lawson, another team will. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt wrote, “A Lawson trade feels inevitable,” due to his minimal use.
“I haven’t really been healthy all season, but I’m functional; I’m getting healthier,” Lawson told the New York Post earlier this month. “I definitely wanted to go out there and compete, but on the bright side of things, it gave me another chance to get my body right.”
In the meantime, he’s focusing on himself, not swirling trade rumors. “I’m starting to feel a little more explosive right now,” he said. “So just keep working, that’s all I can do. I know I’m going to continue to get better, regardless of what else is going on.”
Last season, Lawson started all 17 games and tallied 33 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.