While John Schneider is getting ready to tamper, we should all temper our expectations for the early stages of NFL free agency from a Seahawks perspective.

Seattle does have cap room and the ability to make some moves when free agency opens but whether they actually will is the question. John Schneider rarely dips his toes into the first wave of free agency where the big contracts are given out. Last year’s 3-year, $51 million contract to Dre’Mont Jones is an outlier.

How did that work out?

Jones still has the chance to play up to that contract but the fact that some were already debating whether he should be kept on the roster is telling. The Seahawks went after a top outside free agent and might be regretting that which could inform how Schneider will approach free agency in 2024.

I do think they’ll prioritize Leonard Williams, but they shouldn’t move heaven and earth to make a deal happen. Losing him would be a gut punch, though the trade capital used to acquire him is already gone so that shouldn’t be a factor. On the positive side, Williams has already been in the building and the front office staff was able to see how he fit in the organization. If Schneider reels him back in for a few more years, the culture fit won’t be questioned.

Williams is really the only guy that I want the Seahawks to give a big contract to in this free agency period. Outside of that – and particularly with players that haven’t been with Seattle – Schneider should look for value. That means no Patrick Queen. You could maybe convince me that the Seahawks should sign one of the top offensive guards but that would only be if they strike out on Williams. I don’t think Seattle will be handing out multiple top-of-the-market deals this year.

That doesn’t mean that the Seahawks should sit out of free agency altogether. Instead, I’m expecting them to dole out a handful of mid-level contracts on one or two-year deals to fill holes ahead of the draft. It’s not exciting but that’s been Schneider’s modus operandi for much of his time as the GM of the Seahawks. This gives him insurance in case the draft falls in an unexpected way.

Look at the 2023 outside free agent signings from our own recap.

Except for Jones, all of the deals were for one or two years. It was much the same in 2022 for Justin Coleman, Quinton Jefferson, Austin Blythe, Uchenna Nwosu, and Artie Burns.

There are some positions that are loaded with free agents where value can be found like the safeties. Seattle just cut Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. Julian Love is returning but his running mate for next season is a question mark. It seems like every NFL team also shed some salary at the safety position because the free agent list is LONG. This is a chance for Schneider to hunt for value and potentially get a very good player on the cheap.

Think of how this worked out with Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett in 2013. Both guys signed short-term deals and were eventually rewarded with long-term contracts after they proved their fit in Seattle. Ditto for Uchenna Nwosu, who signed a short-term deal and earned a contract extension with his play for the Seahawks.

It could turn out the same for Julian Love, who signed with Seattle last offseason. His market didn’t materialize as he imagined, and the Seahawks scooped him up. Considering the purge at the safety position that Schneider just orchestrated, it seems like a pretty shrewd move.

The Seahawks currently have holes at interior OL, tight end, linebacker, and safety. Depending on what happens with Williams, we might have to add interior DL to the list. Seattle needs to field a complete roster, but they don’t need to break the bank to fill all of these spots. Look at what Macdonald did last year with guys like Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney in Baltimore. Clowney signed with the Ravens in August and Van Noy in September. Both players were on cheap, one-year deals and produced 18.5 sacks combined for the Ravens.

Speaking of Baltimore, I do expect the Seahawks to sign at least one player from the Ravens to help instill Macdonald’s culture. Maybe it’s Geno Stone if he’s cheap enough. I already mentioned Clowney and would endorse that move. It could be Kevin Zeitler on the OL, which should only be a one-year deal given his age. These players provide another type of value that could be more important to Seattle than any other team given their familiarity with Macdonald.

He’s inheriting a roster that already has plenty of young talent. Now, Schneider can augment that even more with smart, calculated free agent additions to stock the cupboard and free up the possibilities heading into the NFL Draft.