The Seattle Seahawks could desire a reunion with one of their former starters.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 29, head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider hinted at a potential reunion with defensive tackle Al Woods and Poona Ford. While Ford has since signed with the Buffalo Bills, Woods remains a free agent.
Via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times:
What Pete Carroll and John Schneider said today about Al Woods and Poona Ford, who remain unsigned:
Why Seahawks Cut Al Woods in March
Woods spent the past three seasons — the past two as a starter — with the Seahawks, starting 35 of his 46 appearances while notching 4.5 sacks to go along with 123 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits.
However, the 36-year-old was cut in March due to his contract. Woods was due to earn $5.42 million this season, the 10th-highest cap figure on the Seahawks.
As Condotta notes, Woods intended to finish out his contract with Seattle prior to his release. Woods stated as such following the team’s playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“Oh, yeah,” Woods said following Seattle’s playoff loss. “I can’t go out like that. I’ve got to finish what I started.”
Why Seahawks Are Interested in Re-Signing Al Woods
Seattle currently has four defensive tackles on it roster, with Bryan Mone the lone player who was on the roster last season. However, Mone is recovering from a torn ACL in his knee after a season-ending injury in December.
Making matters even worse is that Mone’s injury was actually worse than initially expected, as Carroll revealed in his end-of-season press conference. In fact, Carroll didn’t give a timetable on his return.
“He had a difficult surgery,” Carroll said in January. “We’ve got to wait and see. There was more stuff going on than we thought, he had some old stuff in there probably that was part of that. So he’s going to have a good battle to get back. I don’t know what the timeframe is on it, but it’s going to take a while.”
The Seahawks brought in both Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed as a free agents. However, they both project as the defensive ends in Seattle’s 3-4 defensive alignment. Outside of the aforementioned veterans, Seattle selected Mississippi State’s Cameron Young with a fourth-round draft pick.
According to Pro Football Focus, Woods posted a 68.2 defensive grade and 65.2 run defensive grade last season. Among the Seahawks’ current projected starters along the defensive line, that actually ranks as the highest grade. Mone (52.7 defensive grade), Reed (61.9 defensive grade) and Jones (51.8 defensive grade) all posted lower grades than Woods last season.
In other words, the Seahawks are desperate for interior help on the defensive line. Furthermore, their salary cap situation isn’t great with Seattle possessing a little more than $7 million in cap space, the 23rd-highest mark in the league.
As Condotta mentions in his column, the Seahawks want Woods back — but at their price. That could mean the veteran’s minimum. Considering Woods has 13 years of experience under his belt, the veteran’s minimum for Woods would be $1.165 million.
“So, yeah, the Seahawks could use Woods, at their price, though, not his,” wrote Condotta on Saturday, April 29.
Considering the Seahawks’ lack of depth along the defensive line, bringing back Woods appears very likely. It’s just a matter of whether or not the two sides can reach agreement on a fair deal for both sides.
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Seahawks Hint at Reunion With Former $9 Million Starter