The Seattle Seahawks have kept themselves quite busy to kick off the month of April, visiting with multiple potential draft targets while also checking in on some veteran free agents who remain on the market.
Seattle recently scheduled visits with a pair of veteran pass rushers; former Baltimore and Atlanta edge defender Courtney Upshaw and journeyman inside linebacker Nate Orchard.
Upshaw, 29, was an early second round pick back in 2012 by the Ravens after an accomplished career at Alabama. He never quite found his footing as a pass rusher however, racking up just seven sacks and 129 tackles in the last six seasons.
He played in 13 games for Atlanta last season, earning one sack on three quarterback hits as a rotational defensive end.
Orchard, 26, is also a former second round pick, having gone 51st overall to the Browns after dominating at Utah. Orchard had a solid rookie season in 2015, but has been injured or ineffective ever since.
He spent 2018 split between the Bills and the Chiefs, only appearing in four games.
Seattle is no doubt looking for some cheap, veteran help rushing the passer next season. If they can find someone who can come in and replace Dion Jordan and/or Barkevious Mingo, it will save the team money which allows them to negotiate contract extensions with Russell Wilson, Frank Clark and Bobby Wagner.
At the very least, these guys could have an impact on the special teams next year if they don’t work their way into roles as edge defenders.
