We did this a year ago. Time for the 2017 version.

— Nothing should be off the table. The Seahawks finished 9-7 for a reason and it wasn’t just down to a few missed field goals by Blair Walsh. Changes to the defense appear to be inevitable but practically anything should be considered, especially if it helps repair the struggling running game. This is a vital off-season.

— Get younger on defense. According to ESPN the Seahawks fielded the fourth oldest defense in the NFL in 2017. In comparison, they had the second youngest offense. The injuries are starting to pile up, fewer players are practising during the week. This has to change in 2018.

— Get cheaper on defense. The Seahawks are paying a disproportionate amount of money to their ageing unit. In 2017 the Seahawks spent $93,714,666 on their defense, more than any team in the NFL. The split between offense and defense was 36.37% vs 55.98%. They spent $60,885,063 on the offense — 29th highest in the league. Of the 12 biggest cap hits on the roster, nine were defensive players. The three offensive players were Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Luke Joeckel. Graham and Joeckel are both free agents. There has to be a greater balance in spending between the two units.

— Prepare to make a tough call on Earl Thomas. The Seahawks can’t afford a long drawn out battle. Do they believe they’re going to get their money’s worth from a big extension? If they have doubts or if Thomas simply asks for too much money, they have to be willing to see what’s out there via trade. One way or another a big decision is coming. Earl will either sign a contract extension before the draft or he’ll be traded.

— Check out the market for Richard Sherman. A year ago the Seahawks made it quite clear they were willing to listen to offers for Sherman. It’s worth reviewing the situation again. His age, injury and contract status might not scream ‘trade value’ but if this is his last year in Seattle anyway, you might as well see what’s out there. A weak cornerback draft class might aid the situation.

— Dion Jordan, Justin Coleman and Bradley McDougald all performed well in 2017 and should be retained. Jordan and Coleman are restricted free agents and it’ll be fairly straightforward to keep both. McDougald is an unrestricted free agent but played well filling in at both free and strong safety. With uncertain futures for both Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, they could do with keeping McDougald around.

— Come up with a solution to the Sheldon Richardson dilemma. They could transition or franchise tag him, essentially providing another ‘prove-it’ situation for Richardson. They could let him walk and hope to get a decent comp pick. They could let him test the market and hope to re-sign him for a reasonable amount. Richardson is clearly talented but it’s difficult to project how the Seahawks will approach his future.

— Acquire extra picks. The Seahawks can’t afford to pick once in the first four rounds of the draft. There’s too much work to do. One way or another they need more. Either trade some veterans or trade down from #18. Or both.

— ‘Value’ and ‘opportunity’ should be the two key words in free agency. No big splashes. Firstly, to protect any worthwhile 2019 comp picks. Secondly, it’s time to work this roster 2010 style. The Seahawks need to start looking for the next core. A highly competitive environment is required, with players fighting to prove a point and get the opportunity to earn big money. Seattle has carried too many big contracts in recent years and they need to rekindle some of that scrappy, gritty personality.

— The San Francisco pair of Eric Reid and Carlos Hyde could be acquired. Reid is every bit as athletic as Derwin James but some teams might be put off by his connection to the protest movement. That won’t be an issue in Seattle and he could be willing to sign a one or two year ‘prove-it’ deal to play strong safety. Hyde would be a perfect hedge for the draft and might be cheap given his age and production. Another option could be Marqise Lee. In a competitive receiver market, Lee could be forced to sign a one-year deal similar to Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor a year ago.

— The strength of the draft in the early rounds is clear — OL, RB, LB. The Seahawks might take one of each if they acquire extra picks. The third day of the draft appears set to provide some value on the D-line and secondary. So use the early picks to finally repair the run and consider either some help for Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright or a SAM/LEO.

— Seriously consider selecting Billy Price, Isaiah Wynn or Ronald Jones II with your first pick. These three players stand out in a big way and would significantly boost Seattle’s offense and running game. Repairing the run has to be a key priority this off-season.

— Adding a LEO also seems crucial, especially if Cliff Avril departs. There are options in this draft. If they want to take one early, they could look at Boston College’s Harold Landry. Rutgers’ Kemoko Turay and Georgia’s Lorenzo Carter could be good options in the middle rounds. Keep an eye on the 10-yard splits at the combine (especially anyone who runs in the 1.5’s).

— Make a point of drafting another ‘Y’ tight end. Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson are both free agents so this position requires some attention. The jury’s still out on Nick Vannett. They could look for another athletic mismatch in the passing game or a red zone dynamo to replace Graham but if they’re serious about fixing the run — another in-line TE who can block wouldn’t go amiss. Stanford’s Dalton Schultz and Notre Dame’s Durham Smythe are two great options. I’m going to study Washington’s Will Dissly this week.

— Use the middle and later rounds to bring in highly competitive, young defensive players. Speed, toughness, size, length, attitude — the foundation of Seattle’s initial charge under Pete Carroll. If the early rounds are rich for interior offensive linemen, running backs and linebackers — the later rounds will provide some options at cornerback, safety and D-line. Would they work with a misguided talent like LSU’s Kevin Toliver at corner? He’s a former five-star recruit who might last into their preferred range for cornerbacks (R4-6). Will they find the athleticism of Virginia’s Andrew Brown, NC State’s Kentavius Street or Florida State’s Josh Sweat appealing? How early will Georgia’s Lorenzo Carter and South Carolina State’s Darius Leonard go? Is there a safety or two they like, possibly Jessie Bates III, Terrell Edmunds or Kyzir White for example? Is Kemoko Turay a great option to play LEO? And will they see new potential leaders in players like Ohio State’s Tyquan Lewis or Auburn’s Jeff Holland?

— Create a proper competitive environment. The draft and free agency needs to be the starting point. Heated competition needs to return to Seattle across the board. Look at the way they churned in 2010 to find the initial pieces to build around. That continued deep into 2012 when Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson to start at quarterback. It’s been a great run but with so many established starters, there wasn’t much room for competition apart from the jobs on special teams or deciding who was the fourth or fifth running back on the roster. True, legitimate competition needs to return. Multiple starting positions need to be up for grabs.

— Lean on key players during what could be a transition year. The Seahawks under Carroll will never have an accepted ‘off year’. They will go for it every season. They also think long term. Change is coming and it’s time to find new stars and move on from some of the older players. It might benefit the Seahawks to have some new names fighting on the field to make an impression. They’ll still need to depend on some key veterans. Bobby Wagner, Doug Baldwin, Duane Brown and Russell Wilson could be tasked with this challenge.

— A possible plan could be: R1 — OL or RB (Price, Wynn, Jones II), R2/3 — OL or RB (Ragnow, Corbett, Chubb), LEO or SAM/LEO (Turay, Carter, Leonard), R4 — TE (Schultz or Smythe), R5-7 — DL, DB. This would obviously depend on picks being acquired. It would allow the Seahawks to address their running game early and add young talent to the defense.

— Unlike in previous years, however, there’s still a lot of clarity needed before projecting what could happen. Who is staying/going? What picks are they going to have? That ‘plan’ above could look very different in a month.

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