And with that — the information Saturday that they signed free-agent linebacker Jerome Baker to a one-year contract — the Seahawks seem to have reassembled a projected beginning 11 on protection.
Baker, who performed for the Miami Dolphins, formally signed with Seattle Saturday, the Seahawks introduced. The contract was reported to be for one yr and as much as $7 million.
Baker signed two days after Seattle additionally reeled in free-agent linebacker Tyrel Dodson.
These two signings answered the largest holes left on Seattle’s defensive to-do checklist throughout free company of changing the departed inside linebacking duo of Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks, and in addition seem to offer the Seahawks a probable starter at every defensive spot heading into the offseason program, which begins April 8.
Baker was launched by Miami earlier this month with a failed bodily designation after struggling each a wrist damage that required surgical procedure and an MCL sprain in the course of the 2023 season.
However Seattle seems to have gotten the required assurance that Baker’s points gained’t linger throughout his go to with the group Friday — which usually embrace physicals — to really feel comfy sufficient to signal him.
The 27-year-old Baker began 82 video games over six seasons with Miami earlier than his launch and 3 times has topped the 100-tackle mark.
He’s the sixth exterior free agent Seattle has signed because the starting of the free agent negotiating interval on Monday.
Baker initiatives to doubtlessly step into Wagner’s previous function as the center linebacker — he has in depth expertise dealing with the “inexperienced dot’’ helmet function of relaying the play calls from the sideline to the remaining protection that Wagner held for all however one yr since 2012 (Brooks held it in 2022 when Wagner was in Los Angeles).
Dodson figures to extra logically fill the weakside linebacker function Brooks held final season, although new head coach Mike Macdonald might also use his linebackers considerably in another way than Seattle did underneath Pete Carroll.
The signing of Baker additionally means Seattle has primarily swapped linebackers with Miami as Brooks signed a three-year deal value simply over $26 million with the Dolphins on the primary day of free company.
Wagner then signed a one-year deal value as much as $8.5 million with Washington on Wednesday.
Seattle changed them with Dodson on Thursday and now Baker.
The Seahawks earlier in free company additionally reached settlement with security Rayshawn Jenkins to assist substitute the departed duo of Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. Jenkins for now seems more likely to group with Julian Love as Seattle’s new main beginning safeties.
These two can pair with a trio of cornerbacks who will all return from final season — Devon Witherspoon, Tre Brown and Riq Woolen.
And Seattle’s first transfer in free company was to re-sign defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Which means Seattle returns what was its main three-man inside defensive position final yr of Williams, Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones, with Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu, the first starters on the edge-rusher spots final yr, additionally again, in addition to Darrell Taylor, who helped fill in for Nwosu as soon as he was sidelined for the season with an damage in October — Taylor signed a brand new contract his week earlier than he may have turn into a free agent.
That Baker was launched by Miami additionally means he doesn’t issue into the formulation for figuring out compensatory picks for the 2025 season.
Comp picks are assigned by way of a formulation by which groups are compensated for struggling a internet lack of free brokers — the formulation additionally considers elements akin to the price of the contracts the gamers signal.
That doubtless made Baker much more interesting for Seattle to signal because the Seahawks for the time being are projected by OvertheCap.com to obtain the utmost 4 comp picks in 2025 — a fourth-rounder for the lack of guard Damien Lewis (Carolina), a fifth-rounder for the lack of Brooks and sixth-rounders for the losses of Wagner and tight finish Colby Parkinson (Rams).
That might change because the contracts for different Seahawks free-agent signees akin to Dodson and offensive lineman George Fant may erase one or two of Seattle’s projected comp picks.
Nonetheless, making an attempt to get as many comp picks as potential may affect how Seattle assesses free-agent signings the remainder of the way in which because the Seahawks would possibly attempt, if potential, to keep away from any additions that might take away any of these picks. If Seattle retains all of them then it may have 10 picks heading into the 2025 draft because it at present nonetheless has all six of its seven different picks (having traded a fifth-rounder to New York for Williams).
The Seahawks additionally don’t seem to have a lot cap area left.
Precisely how a lot Seattle has is unclear as the small print of some contracts and their cap hits have but to be revealed — particularly, these for Baker, Dodson and offensive linemen Fant and Nick Harris, none of which had been recorded by OvertheCap.com as of Saturday afternoon.
OTC.com listed Seattle with $17.9 million in total cap area as of Saturday however simply $14.58 million in efficient cap area (which accounts partially for area that can be wanted to signal draft picks) with out accounting for the cap hits of Dodson, Baker, Harris and Fant.
Which means the Seahawks may now be trying principally to signal gamers to one-year offers at pretty cheap salaries.
Seattle additionally nonetheless has seven draft picks — 4 within the high 118 — that it could possibly use to fill some holes.
And Seattle could also be trying particularly within the draft to flesh out the inside offensive line within the draft as the category of inside OLs is thought to be fairly deep.
The linebacking spot, conversely, shouldn’t be thought to be overly robust or deep, one purpose Seattle could have determined to assault filling out that spot with veteran free brokers.
As for Baker, he had additionally visited Tennessee this week earlier than coming to Seattle on Friday.
The Seahawks didn’t let him depart with out a deal, and the previous Ohio State standout — he’s a local of Cleveland — will now look to restart his NFL profession about as far-off as potential from the place it started in Miami.
Baker, who was a group captain in 2019 and Miami’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the 12 months honoree in 2021, had performed 16 or 17 video games in every of his first 5 seasons earlier than the accidents of final yr which held him to 13.
He was launched by the Dolphins after he and the group couldn’t agree on a restructured contract — he had one yr remaining on a three-year deal value as much as $37.5 million he signed in 2021 and his launched saved Miami $9.8 million towards the cap.
“How I get fired on my time off thooo??!!,’’ Baker remarked on the social-media platform X on the day his launch was made official. “Nah, fr, Miami it’s all love endlessly.’’
Now he’ll hope to really feel a few of that in Seattle as he serves as a centerpiece of the protection Macdonald is placing collectively in his first yr since being employed to interchange Carroll.
And if the one yr his contract reads for now goes effectively, perhaps for lots longer.