The Seattle Seahawks find themselves in an unusual spot heading into the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
On one hand, they are still in first place in the NFC West, tied with the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals, thanks in no small part to a very strong September. With that being said, their lead has been eviscerated, Mike Macdonald's defense has seemingly been exposed, and the Seahawks are a Week 9 loss away from tumbling down to last place if everyone else pulls out the win.
Come Tuesday morning, the Seahawks could be in last place or first, look promising or maddening, and will have to deal with the ramifications of their decisions for an extra week, as they have a bye in Week 10.
Will the Seahawks use their extra week off to teach a new player their scheme as they look to reload the roster down the stretch? Or will fans complain that their team hadn't done anything when they needed it most after Week 9? Well, while they have already made one move, the Seahawks shouldn't take their finger off the trigger heading into the deadline, as there are a few players who fit what the team likes to do at positions of need.
1. Trade a sixth-round pick for K.J. Osborn
Heading into the 2024 NFL season, it looked like the Seahawks were going to be pretty good at wide receiver. They had a great starting trio, a giant reserve in Jake Bobo, a dynamic return man in Laviska Shenault, and a wildcard in Dareke Young, who largely plays on special teams.
Oh, what a difference two months can make.
While Shenault was given the go-to play in Week 9, DK Metcalf has been officially ruled out against the Rams alongside TE1 Noah Fant, leading to an undermanned offense facing off against one of the hottest units in the NFL.
Should the Seahawks fortify the position moving forward? That depends on who you ask, but if they decide to pull the trigger, the name they could target is K.J. Osborn, the long-time Minnesota Vikings player who signed with the Patriots on a $4 million contract.
Asked about potentially being on the block heading into Week 9, Osborn admitted the situation was different but not something he's trying to focus on.
“It’s different. First time in my career I’m dealing with something like this,” Osborn told the Boston Herald. “I can’t really control so try to come out here, have a good practice, try to focus to be my best on Sunday and the rest of that stuff, people that make those decisions make those decisions, but you can’t really wrap your mind around stuff that you can’t control. You drive yourself crazy.”
After averaging 615 yards and five touchdowns over his final three years in Minnesota, Osborn really hasn't done much for the Seahawks in 2024, catching just seven of the 17 passes thrown his way for 57 yards and a touchdown. With no real reason to stick around in New England ahead of 2025 free agency, Osborn is an ideal buy-low candidate who could serve as a flex three/four wide receiver who can help while various players are on the mend and rotate in for a team with playoff aspirations.
2. Trade a sixth-round pick for Tre'Davious White
Turning attention from the offensive side of the ball to defense, if the Seahawks want to help out their secondary and upgrade the CB2 spot filled by Tre Brown, they could stay within the division and acquire Tre'Davious White from the Los Angeles Rams.
What? An intradivision trade between two teams vying for the NFC West crown? Why would the Rams do that, let alone the Seahawks pursue it? Well, considering Sean McVay has already said White is on the block, and they are willing to move him to a better role, maybe an unlikely trade could happen after all.
“Yeah, he's been such a pro about the way he's handled obviously a not ideal situation for him. If you guys saw the way he's practiced, the way that he's been a pro in every sense of the word and approached some things where he hasn't been active for the last three weeks, and the guy wants an opportunity to be able to go compete,” McVay told reporters.
“We love him here and we'd like to be able to keep him here, but if that is something that he and his agent want to be able to explore, we're respectfully understanding of that. The answer is yes, we've allowed them to be able to talk to some teams and see if that's a possibility. As far as any updates, I haven't spoken to [General Manager] Les [Snead] about that. There is truth to that in terms of that being a possibility for Tre.”
Full disclosure: White has played very poorly in 2024, something McVay attributes to coming back from a season-ending Achilles tear a bit too early back in Buffalo. With that being said, he's still a former All-Pro and could play better on a team that has a more compatible defensive scheme. Considering some of the corners who succeeded in Baltimore under Mike Macdonald's leadership, White has the athletic profile to fit what the Seahawks like to do, and could be a solid enough stop-gap in 2024 and potentially beyond.
Seahawks Bonus: Acquiring Ernest Jones IV was a very good idea
No matter how the next few days shake out, the Seahawks are already major winners of the 2024 NFL trade deadline thanks to the addition of Ernest Jones IV, who was a cornerstone defensive player for the Rams before being traded to the Seahawks earlier this year.
Standing 6-foot-2, 233 pounds with an interesting athletic profile, Jones was drafted by the Rams in the third round out of South Carolina and immediately hit the ground running, appearing in 47 games with 33 starts in LA. Though he couldn't agree to terms on a new deal with the Rams and was ultimately traded to the Tenessee Titans shortly before the season, Jones proved he could play well on any team in the NFL, even if, again, he was traded before he hit the open market.
Will the Seahawks re-sign Jones IV and make him their new middle linebacker long-term? Maybe yes, maybe no, but when they were at their best, Seattle employed players like Bobby Wagner to hold things down over multiple years. With that being said, getting Jones IV for Jerome Baker and a 2025 fourth-round pick is darn good business, no matter how you slice it, especially since he gets to seek revenge on Les Snead and company in Week 9.
