Seattle Seahawks: Signing Ezekiel Ansah would be critical

Despite adding pass rushers through free agency and the draft, signing Ezekiel Ansah would be a huge win for the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seattle Seahawks have addressed the defensive end position numerous times over the last few weeks, but signing Ezekiel Ansah could still be a good move after the two teams met last week, and it would go a long way to filling all of the production left behind by Frank Clark. There are several risks to assess when looking at Ansah, especially his injury history, but he would be a terrific addition at the right price.

Last season, the Seahawks finished with 43 sacks, tied for 11th most in the league. Clark was responsible for 13 of those sacks and could probably claim a few more when you consider all the attention he drew allowed for Jarran Reed to have more one on one situations.

If you remove Clark’s 13 sacks and drop the Seahawks total to 30, they would be tied for the second fewest in the league last season. This demonstrates just how important Clark was to Seattle’s defense and how successful he was within the system.

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Now that Clark is gone, there is a glaring void along the edge of Seattle’s defense. The team added L.J. Collier in the first round of the draft along with Cassius Marsh and Nate Orchard in free agency, but there’s still a lot of room to improve. It should be noted that Quinton Jefferson, who started opposite of Clark last season, recorded just three sacks and 25 combined tackles.

With Collier’s value truly unknown, Marsh’s 5.5 sack season in 2018 is the team’s best production by any player they have lined up to contribute at defensive end. This is where Ansah can make a real impact.

While the former Lion recorded just two sacks in 2016 and four in 2018, he posted 14.5 in 2015 and 12 in 2017. Six years into his pro career, Ansah has 48 sacks and 110 quarterback hits. That’s an average of eight sacks and just above 18 quarterback hits per season. Through four seasons, Clark averaged 8.75 sacks and 18 quarterback hits per season, putting his numbers almost in line with Ansah’s.

There is always the chance that Ansah will be injured, but so far, he has never had back to back seasons ruined by injuries. While signing him to a long-term contract seems risky, a short-term deal would provide Seattle with a player capable of replicating some of Clark’s success and would give the team time to develop young players like Collier, Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin.

Whether signing Ansah is really worth it though all comes down to one thing, and it’s not the former Pro Bowler’s health. It’s the money he might be asking for. We’ve already seen some of the crazy deals that players like Clark, Trey Flowers and DeMarcus Lawrence have gotten this offseason. Ansah hopefully realizes that he’s not in line for that kind of money, but he should get a nice one- or two-year deal.

Again, this potential signing would not be without risks, but Ansah is the best remaining free agent pass rusher who can step in and produce at a potential Pro Bowl level. If the Seahawks are truly dedicated to making a long run in the postseason this year, they’ll explore all of their options and then at least send Ansah an offer. This is a big opportunity for the team to get better immediately.