Why Duane Brown makes the Seahawks the NFC team to bet on
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
While Tuesday's trade deadline brought huge news around the NFC - the 49ers landed their potential long-term franchise quarterback at the cost of a second-rounder, the Eagles fortified their backfield with Jay Ajayi, and Ezekiel Elliott's suspension was reinstated - don't overlook the Seahawks' addition of Duane Brown.
Seattle reportedly sent a 2018 third-round pick and a 2019 second-rounder to the Texans for Brown (the deal originally included Jeremy Lane, the same 2019 selection, and a lower 2018 pick, but Lane apparently failed his physical and was dropped from the deal). It may be a steep price for a 10-year veteran, but it makes perfect sense for the Seahawks - and greatly increases their chances of winning the Super Bowl this season.
Unlike many franchises, the Seahawks have been willing to deal early draft picks. They know they are a strong team year in and year out, and their picks are consistently near the end of the round. That's produced mixed results, but this is an aggressive organization that wants to win now.
Whether or not you agree that left tackle is the most important spot on the offensive line, it's inarguably been a huge problem for the Seahawks of late. They are currently playing with Rees Odhiambo as Russell Wilson's blind-side protector, and it's been a disaster. He's been one of the NFL's worst left tackles this season, as was George Fant a year ago.
It's actually Brown's former teammates - namely Jadeveon Clowney - who made it very apparent Sunday that Seattle was greatly in need of an upgrade at the position.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
In a thrilling game in which the Seahawks finally prevailed, Seattle's franchise QB was under constant duress, as he has been for most of the past few seasons. Contrary to popular belief, Seattle has used resources to try to improve their ever-ailing offensive line, but it remains the biggest weakness of an otherwise strong team.
The lack of pass protection is a huge problem, and the lack of a running game is making it worse. While Wilson's amazing escapability helps compensate for the former issue, the Seahawks are playing with fire by consistently putting him under so much pressure.
At home against Houston, Seahawks backs combined for just 5 yards rushing on 16 carries. Think about that for a minute. It is pretty difficult to be that inept on the ground. Before long, the Texans realized that Wilson needed to pass on nearly every down, which, in turn, put Seattle's franchise quarterback in even more peril. Wilson is playing at an MVP level and was up to the task, but it's still a dangerous recipe.
That's why no one should be happier about acquiring Brown than Wilson. The 32-year-old might not be quite the same player he was a few years ago, but he was an upper-tier protector as recently as 2016, and he's still far better than anyone Seattle has had at left tackle for some time. Since returning from his holdout, Brown's shown well thus far this season - another encouraging sign.
Adding him should go a long way toward entrenching the Seahawks as one of the NFC's best teams. If they can get a few years of consistently above-average play from their new left tackle while the rest of the young offensive line presumably improves, their status as contenders should be secure for the next few years. In the meantime, with all due respect to the one-loss Eagles, Seattle's the team to bet on in the NFC.