The Seattle Seahawks have been dealing with the changes after winning the Super Bowl and the team could be looking at free agent targets like Henry Melton, Julius Peppers, Steve Smith, James Jones and Emmanuel Sanders after losing Chris Clemons, Red Bryant and Golden Tate, with the wideout signing to the Detroit Lions.
Melton and Peppers were with the Chicago Bears last season and Melton is coming off of an injury and is a free agent, while Peppers was released by the team this past week. According to Pro Football Talk, Melton is an option after the team released Red Bryant, as he is not going to be signed by the Bears and could be a solid run stuffer for the team. The Seattle Seahawks have some money to spend and could snag a couple of those free agents and they could be in the market for a wide receiver as well with Steve Smith after he was released by the Carolina Panthers. The Seahawks obviously have the best defense in the league and adding a big body like Melton could be a huge move for the team and Peppers may not be in the mix after the team signed back Michael Bennett.
Melton is coming into the season after tearing his ACL last year and that kept him out and now the Seahawks could be looking at him as an option on a one year deal potentially. The Bears are going to speak with Melton, but there is a good chance they will not sign him. The Bears are likely letting both players go, as they signed Lamarr Houston already and now Peppers could be an option for teams looking for a pass rush, including the Giants.
According to ESPN.com, the Bears released Peppers after he was set to be $18.183 million against the cap and now he could sign with the Seahawks, Jets, Giants or Miami Dolphins. Peppers is getting up there in age and he has 7.5 sacks from last season and that was his lowest during his run with the Bears and now he could be moving on after putting together a very solid career with nearly 120 sacks.
The Panthers released Steve Smith and he is getting attention on the market and if he doesn't ask for too much money, joining the Seahawks could be a perfect fit for the team. Golden Tate left as a free agent for the Lions and Smith could come in for him and serve the same role in the offense. Last season Smith put up 64 catches for 745 yards and four touchdowns and now he is moving on. Smith is getting attention from the Ravens and the Giants could be in the mix as well and now the Seahawks are looking to make smart decisions heading into next season.
