Getty Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
The Seattle Seahawks are already projected to have more than $31 million in cap space, but the team could move on from a few key players to open up even more room. One surprising name to watch is defensive lineman Shelby Harris who is among the top potential cap casualties in Seattle, per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar.
Harris is heading into the final season of a three-year, $27 million contract that comes with a $6.5 million salary for 2023. Seattle would still have to eat a $3.2 million dead cap hit by releasing Harris, per Spotrac.
“Acquired along with quarterback Drew Lock and tight end Noah Fant in the deal that sent Russell Wilson to Denver, Harris was one of Seattle’s better run defenders in 2022,” Dugar explained on February 8, 2023. “But that’s not exactly a high bar to clear on a unit that fielded one of the worst run defenses in the league for most of the season. Still, Harris’ numbers and film show a productive player.
“…Harris had two sacks, one in each game against the Cardinals. Among Seahawks with at least 100 pass-rush snaps, Harris ranked sixth in pressure percentage (8.5). The league average is 9.7 percent. He ranked sixth with five QB hits. The average there is 8.8. Harris was a quality early-down defender, but he’ll be 32 in August and could save Seattle $8.9 million if released. There’s a strong argument in favor of keeping Harris, but it’s easy to imagine Seattle wanting to lower that cap number.”
The Seahawks Could Create More Than $3 Million in Cap Space by Releasing Shelby Harris
Shelby Harris with the postgame “let’s ride” 🤠😅
Moving on from Harris would be a slight surprise given the team just acquired the pass rusher last offseason as part of the blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson. The Seahawks already have plenty of cap room and could be inclined to retain one of the few impactful current players on the defensive line.
Harris had two sacks, 44 tackles, six quarterback hits and four pass deflections in 15 starts in 2022. Yet, the Seahawks could look to completely overhaul the position group given the lack of effectiveness of the unit last season.
Seattle allowed 23.6 points per game putting the team near the bottom of the league at 25th. The Seahawks were particular poor at stopping the run giving up 150.2 yards per game, the third worst in the NFL.
Even with Harris on the field, the Seahawks were one of the worst defenses in the league meaning Seattle could turn to the draft and free agency to find replacements for several veterans. It would also not be a surprise if Seattle bolstered the rest of the defensive line around Harris and retained the defender as a rotational player.
Pete Carroll Dropped Hint on Possible Defensive Moves: ‘To Really be Effective It Needs to Be Up Front’
This chase-down tackle from Shelby Harris on 3rd-and-9 had Seattle’s sideline fired up. Big-time hustle from the veteran DT to get his team off the field
Said Quinton Jefferson: “That play alone just shows you our season: boys selling out for each other.” t.co/qu8H8hJ4AR
Help is coming for the Seahawks defense as head coach Pete Carroll made it clear that one of the top priorities this offseason is to add difference makers up front. Carroll pointed to the defensive line while emphasizing “to really be effective it needs to be up front.”
“The problem is, to really be effective it needs to be up front,” Carroll told Seattle Sports’ “Brock and Salk” during his January 16 coaches show. “You need to have those guys that can really do stuff, they cause the problem – run and pass – every snap. You gotta run the other way, you gotta look out, you gotta cut them off.
“Those are the factors. It’s like the factor that (Rams defensive tackle) Aaron Donald brings. That factor overwhelms the game plan and becomes a distraction to the rest of it if you can’t handle those guys. That’s where you see the teams that really have the big time potential defensively. They’ve got a couple guys, or at least one guy, that you really have to contend with.”