The Seattle Seahawks are connected to every single free agent who is remotely capable of rushing the passer – as they struggled mightily in that area in 2019.
While Jadeveon Clowney is the primary target, and names like Everson Griffen and Matthew Judon carry more weight, this team could also look for some cheaper, veteran alternatives to supplant the names they already have on the roster – building that culture of competition in training camp that coach Pete Carroll loves.
A list of names that fall into that camp includes some familiar ones, such as Michael Bennett and Clay Matthews, but another less memorable name that could be a solid under-the-radar signing is Benson Mayowa.
Mayowa, 28, spent last season with the Oakland Raiders, his fourth NFL team in his seven year NFL career which began as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks back in 2013.
Mayowa only appeared in two games with Seattle, recording two tackles before ending up in Oakland, Dallas, Arizona and back to Oakland in 2019.
However, despite his nomadic career, Mayowa has topped four sacks in a season three times, including a career-high seven last year with the Raiders. Four sacks is what Rasheem Green, Seattle’s team leader, recorded last year.
So, there’s little doubt Mayowa could make an impact on this defense, regardless of whether or not the team is able to bring Clowney back into the mix.
If nothing else, Mayowa would be an excellent veteran to bring into training camp on an incentive-laden, one-year deal to push youngsters like Green and L.J. Collier. If both of them beat him out for a job – that’s a good sign things are improving up front.
If not, well, they have a veteran with 20 sacks to his name to help out as a situational pass rusher.
