The Seattle Seahawks have a few different paths they can take to fill the quarterback position for 2022. One option is the Seahawks exploring how Drew Lock can play after a change of scenery.
The Seahawks would still need a veteran quarterback as a backup who could potentially compete with Lock to be the team’s QB1. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes the Seahawks should explore adding Andy Dalton as a “bargain-bin” option. Dalton has experience as an NFL starting quarterback in Cincinnati, Dallas and Chicago.
“Quarterback Andy Dalton shouldn’t be viewed as a long-term starter,” Knox wrote on March 26. “However, the 34-year-old has enough left to be a serviceable one- or two-year bridge option.
“Dalton shouldn’t be expensive either. He played on a one-year, $10 million deal in 2021, but he’s likely looking at a lower price point. Mitchell Trubisky, 27, is seven years younger than Dalton and only got a two-year, $14.3 million deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
“For a team like the Carolina Panthers—who failed to land Deshaun Watson via trade—or the Wilson-less Seattle Seahawks, Dalton could start until a 2022 or 2023 rookie quarterback is ready. He’d also be a high-end backup for just about any franchise that needs one.”
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Schneider: ‘We’ll Continue to Explore Options, But We Have a Ton of Faith in Drew’
Knox estimates that Dalton would command a new $7 million deal which would be less money than trading for Baker Mayfield’s $18.8 million salary. Dalton also possesses far less upside than Mayfield with little chance of becoming the team’s future quarterback. Seahawks general manager John Schneider admitted the team would explore additional quarterback options but praised Lock’s potential.
“We’ll continue to explore options, but we have a ton of faith in Drew,” Schneider noted during a March 16 press conference. “We’re excited about it. We’re excited about a change of scenery for him. I know a couple of my buddies that were trying to acquire him all last spring into the fall.
“So, he’s a guy that, in my opinion, the media’s beat down a little bit. So, we’re excited to get him into our culture with our coaching staff, and we’ll continue to look for guys to compete with him. As Pete has stated earlier, Geno [Smith] did a nice job for us. There’s a number of guys that are still available, and we’re going to continue to work through that.”
Dalton Is a Three-Time Pro Bowl Quarterback
Dalton threw for 1,515 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63.1% of his passes in eight appearances last season, including six starts. The veteran quarterback put up better numbers filling in for an injured Dak Prescott in Dallas during the 2020 season. Dalton notched 2,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 64.9% of his passes during his 11 appearances with the Cowboys in 2020.
While with the Bengals, Dalton made the Pro Bowl three times. As for the Seahawks’ next move at quarterback, head coach Pete Carroll indicated that everything is on the table, including a potential blockbuster trade.
“I really appreciate you bringing it up. Of course we’re up for that kind of stuff,” Carroll told Seattle 950 KJR’s Dave “Softy” Mahler during a March 23 interview. “We’re up for everything. Like we said, it puts [Seahawks general manager John Schneider] back in the wheelhouse. He’s got some ammunition now. He’s got some stuff he can work with.
“We’ll be up for everything. I mean, we’re looking at every position. It’s not just the quarterback spot. That’s one of them, but there’s some other stuff that could happen, too. We will be wide open. Those phones will be ringing, and we’ll be cooking on game day.”
Is the Seahawks roster good enough to make the postseason with Dalton at quarterback? It would likely be a long shot, and the Seahawks would be better off exploring younger options who can be the team’s QB1 of the future. As a potential backup to Lock or a rookie quarterback, the Seahawks could do a lot worse than Dalton.
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