The value of Michael Bennett

[seahawksfan234]

I thought I would make this thread because I believe Michael Bennett is quietly having one of the best seasons of a Seahawks defensive linemen since Patrick Kerney had 14.5 sacks for us in 2007.

Why do I say this?

Despite not being completely dominant on the stat line: 24 tackles 7.5 sacks 1 FF, Bennett is having a terrific season.

Bennett has been moved along the Seahawks defensive line and played terrific at every position. When inside at DT he has always generated a good pass rush while still being quick and agile enough to also rush the passer at DE. One problem you typically see with pass rushing defensive linemen is that they have trouble stopping the run, not the case with Bennett. When he is at DE or DT he has played the run very well this season also.

His versatility for the Seahawks has been amazing. I cannot recall a time when I have seen a Seahawks defensive linemen able to do so much for the D-Line.

The Seahawks have been trying for years to find a guy like Bennett that can rush the passer inside and outside.

Some of their efforts to find this player include trading for Cory Redding, signing Jason Jones and picking up Kentwan Balmer. The Seahawks have tried for years to land a player with Bennett's versatility and ability. I would love to see him re-signed because he has been such a valuable player for this defense.

 

[SeattleCoug]

I hope they bring him back. The only way they could do it is by cutting Clemons though. Clem has a cap hit of 7mil next year and we already have Avril under contract as well. As much as I like Clem I think we can do without him and it would give us needed cap relief.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I hope they bring him back. The only way they could do it is by cutting Clemons though. Clem has a cap hit of 7mil next year and we already have Avril under contract as well. As much as I like Clem I think we can do without him and it would give us needed cap relief.

The cap savings could come from cutting Sidney Rice as well.

Although with Chris Avril and Bruce Irvin already on the roster I think it would not be a bad idea to either cut or restructure Clemons contract.

Here is how Clemons' contract breaks down:

Signing Bonus: $6.5M (the 3-year pro-ration of this signing bonus is $2.166M per year or ($6,500,000/3 years)
Base Salary 2012: $2.0M + $2.166M Proration = Salary Cap $4.166M (2012)
Base Salary 2013: $6.0M + $2.166M Proration = Salary Cap $8.166M (2013)

Base Salary 2014: $7.5M + $2.166M Proration = Salary Cap $9.666M (2014)

If cut the Seahawks would only be on the hook for $2.16m in 2014 which would save the Seahawks a considerable amount.

If the Seahawks cut Chris Clemons and give Bennett a new contract we would save some money. I don't think Bennett gets a ton since he does not have the glamor stats.

 

[NinerSickness]

This was a surprisingly good signing (and an annoying one). I've been saying for 2 seasons now my 49ers have neglected depth on the D-line, and the fact that it wore down towards the post-season past year proved me right. I'm still worried about it. Too bad Tank Carradine wans't ready to come back for this postseason.

Seattle, on the other hand, seems to have a gluttony of depth on the DL. The Niners have a chance if their starters on D stay healthy, but one more injury on that DL and I think the defense is toast.

 

[dude82]

I think the whole defensive line has been underrated, but Bennett in particular doesn't get enough credit for the things he does. I'd like to see him get brought back for a reasonable price, but that'll depend on the other offers he gets, and he will get offers. Big stats or not, I don't expect him to stay on the market this coming off-season for as long as he stayed on the market last off-season. Hopefully he likes it here enough to be willing to take a little less than he would get elsewhere.

 

[Uhsplit]

I believe Bennett loves it here and I would love to see him inked for a new deal.
Pete addressed the DL the last 2 off seasons and it is really paying off.

 

[gowazzu02]

Rice contract comes off the books.

Next years the last year we can go big with the one year type deals.

Then all flexibility goes away cause RW is gonna get paid.

 

[seattlefan75]

I hope we keep him because he brother really wants him to come to the bears Brother hopes to lure Seahawks' Bennett to Bears - 710sports.com

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Rice contract comes off the books.

Next years the last year we can go big with the one year type deals.

Then all flexibility goes away cause RW is gonna get paid.

Thomas, Tate, and Sherman all need to be extended or sign a new contract, so that Rice money isn't even enough. Some hard choices next couple of years, going to lose some guys that we would like to keep.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Thomas, Tate, and Sherman all need to be extended or sign a new contract, so that Rice money isn't even enough. Some hard choices next couple of years, going to lose some guys that we would like to keep.

Unfortunately the cap situation is looking really bad for the Seahawks.

I've thought about making a thread regarding it but I figure it is best to wait until the offseason to address the bad news.

Plus the Seahawks will also have to lock up Wilson long term.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Unfortunately the cap situation is looking really bad for the Seahawks.
.

The only real way to combat that is to draft well which this regime has done. The 2010 and 2012 drafts were homeruns and 2011 was decent on the back end getting KJ, Malcom Smith, Sherman and Maxwell late and getting Baldwin after the draft.
2013 looks like it will easily be the weakest draft in the PC/JS era. Partially because its hard for rookies to crack into the lineup with the depth we have. But still it would be nice to have guys that make more of impact. I wonder if Spencer Ware,Therald Simon and Jesse Williams would have likely been cut if they werent hurt.

Problem is if we make a deep playoff run not only this year but the next couple of years that obviously gives us a worse draft position therefore making it harder to get impact guys.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Unfortunately the cap situation is looking really bad for the Seahawks.

I've thought about making a thread regarding it but I figure it is best to wait until the offseason to address the bad news.

Plus the Seahawks will also have to lock up Wilson long term.

You, me and mostly likely a few others. Lets leave it for the off season. I want to enjoy this ride!

 

[dude82]

The only real way to combat that is to draft well which this regime has done. The 2010 and 2012 drafts were homeruns and 2011 was decent on the back end getting KJ, Malcom Smith, Sherman and Maxwell late and getting Baldwin after the draft.
2013 looks like it will easily be the weakest draft in the PC/JS era. Partially because its hard for rookies to crack into the lineup with the depth we have. But still it would be nice to have guys that make more of impact. I wonder if Spencer Ware,Therald Simon and Jesse Williams would have likely been cut if they werent hurt.

Problem is if we make a deep playoff run not only this year but the next couple of years that obviously gives us a worse draft position therefore making it harder to get impact guys.

Given the guys that Schneider and Carroll have been able to find after the first couple of rounds and in the rookie free agent pool, I'm not particularly worried about being able to find what we want/need late in each round. Will a lot of the more heralded, "sure-fire" impact guys be gone by the time we get to pick in each round if we keep winning lots of games? Sure, but those guys aren't the ones that Schneider and Carroll tend to want anyway.

Besides, the teams that are perennial championship contenders pick low all the time (unless they hoard picks and trade up occasionally) and that doesn't seem to hinder them much, if at all, otherwise they wouldn't be perennial championship contenders. Okung and Thomas, if memory serves, are the only guys that Schneider and Carroll have drafted in the first round who didn't elicit a collective "huh?" or "who?" or "WTF?" from pundits and even fans. They were the only ones that I would put into the category of "heralded, sure-fire" impact guys. Schneider and Carroll specialize in making picks that give "experts" fits because they don't pick guys that "conventional wisdom" suggests they should pick.

As long as they keep nailing those kinds of picks, and at this point there's no reason to doubt that they will, it shouldn't matter that they'll be picking towards the bottom of every round. Yes, they'll have to pay certain guys that they can't afford to part with and they won't necessarily have the flexibility that they currently have, but as long as they keep churning out guys like the ones they've been churning out, it shouldn't be a problem. They should have earned the benefit of the doubt by now.

 

[HawkCity]

Don't we have 3 more years of Wilson before we have to pony up a lot of money???
Or did he only sign a 4year deal, we should be able to keep Thomas, Sherman, and Wilson. Everyone else will be the hard part. But those 3 we can't let go for no reason!!

 

[SonnyCID]

They have to keep Bennett. Carroll has tried to create interior pressure since he got here and Bennett has not only provided that, he's versatile and can move around. Hes 28, so he's got years ahead of him. But most of all, pass rushers like him are hard to come by.