SH: Can the Seahawks fill in the blanks?

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Can the Seahawks fill in the blanks?

http://www.heraldnet.com/Stories/04/3/2/18272980.cfm

By Scott M. Johnson

Herald Writer

A month after Groundhog Day, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves waking up to a familiar daydream.

With just hours remaining before free agency, the Seahawks are hoping to make a down-to-the-wire signing before adding a premier defensive end.

At this time last year, Seattle got an 11th-hour deal done with linebacker Anthony Simmons, then set its targets on free-agent defensive end Hugh Douglas.

Douglas ended up in Jacksonville, so the Seahawks are looking for a pass rusher yet again. But before that happens, they hope to re-sign one of their own young stars.

The Seahawks have until 9 p.m. to re-sign wide receiver Darrell Jackson, otherwise he'll become a free agent. Jackson is considered to be the top wide receiver available in free agency.

"We're open to talking to Seattle right up until the deadline, and even after the deadline," Brian Mooney, Jackson's agent, said Monday afternoon.

Mooney had been in discussions with Seahawks vice president Mike Reinfeldt last week, but Reinfeldt left the team on Friday. Mooney said he was expecting a phone call from team president Bob Whitsitt sometime before tonight's deadline.

Seattle has several other players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents tonight, including cornerback Shawn Springs, punter Tom Rouen, defensive tackle Cedric Woodard and middle linebacker Randall Godfrey. Starting strong safety Reggie Tongue recently exercised a contract option that makes him a free agent as well.

Springs should command the most attention among that group, but the Seahawks are not expected to re-sign him. Now that the Champ Bailey-for-Clinton Portis trade is near completion, the Washington Redskins are likely to make a serious run for Springs.

When they can start looking outside the organization for help, the Seahawks figure to target a number of high-profile defensive linemen. The biggest names on the list belong to Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse and Tampa Bay defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

Kearse, 27, would fit the Seahawks' plans in that they are still looking for a premier outside pass rusher. Kearse has had more than nine sacks in four of his five NFL seasons, including 9.5 last season. But Kearse's sack production has gone down almost every year, and his asking price might be too high.

Other free-agent defensive ends include Miami's Adewale Ogunleye, Denver's Bertrand Berry, and the St. Louis Rams' Grant Wistrom. Ogunleye is a restricted free agent, meaning the Seahawks would have to part with first- and third-round picks to acquire him.

Sapp will probably ask for the moon in free agency, and undoubtedly someone will give it to him. The Seahawks could be looking for help on the interior of their defensive line after the release of Chad Eaton last week and the retirement Monday of John Randle. Woodard, who started all 16 games last season, is an unrestricted free agent who also might need to be replaced.

Sapp has Randle-like pass-rush ability but is coming off a subpar season.

Other free-agent defensive tackles include Oakland's Rod Coleman, Chicago's Keith Traylor, New England's Bobby Hamilton and Cornelius Griffin of the New York Giants.

Cornerback is one of the deepest positions in free agency, and the Seahawks could be looking for a replacement for Springs. Seattle is likely to start Marcus Trufant and Ken Lucas, but Lucas could be replaced by a veteran starter like Bobby Taylor (Philadelphia), Troy Vincent (Philadelphia), Chris McAlister (Baltimore), Antone Winfield (Buffalo) or Reggie Howard (Carolina).

After putting a $7 million franchise tag on tackle Walter Jones last week, Seattle expects to have at least $10 million available under the cap. The Seahawks will have even deeper pockets with the loss of Randle and the possible restructuring of veteran Norman Hand's contract.

Before any of that, the Seahawks hope to get a deal done with Jackson. He seems more open to the idea of returning than Simmons did - although Simmons eventually signed a five-year deal worth $23.75 million - but Jackson's re-signing is far from a done deal.

One potential sticking point is the Seahawks' loss of Reinfeldt, who was the key to Simmons' last-minute deal and was the team's top negotiator.

"I've dealt with Mike Reinfeldt in the past, and I'd like to say we had a feel for each other," Mooney said. "But the extent of my working relationship with Bob Whitsitt is a half hour conversation we had last Friday. I can honestly say that I don't know what to expect."

Jackson became a bigger target in free agency after San Francisco wide receiver Terrell Owens was taken off the free-agent list because of a clerical error. Jackson now appears to be the top free-agent wideout available.