Seattle Seahawks Free-Agency Tracker: Updated Signings, Rumors and Grades

The Seattle Seahawks have upwards of 20 players set to become free agents, per Spotrac, when the new league year begins on March 10. Several of these players were key contributors to the team's strong play throughout the year. The start of the new league year also marks the first opportunity for general manager John Schneider to sign some other teams' free agents.

With just a few hours left to re-sign some of the team's key free agents, head coach Pete Carroll and Schneider have a little time left to discuss their options. Byron Maxwell and James Carpenter lead the list of impending free agents, with Maxwell having already agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to multiple reports.

Let's delve into some of the moves the franchise has made to improve the overall roster and give themselves the best opportunity to make a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. According to Spotrac, the Seahawks will have an estimated $24.7 million in cap space.

CB Will Blackmon

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The Seahawks have agreed terms on a contract with cornerback Will Blackmon, after the departure of Byron Maxwell and major injury to Jeremy Lane, per NFL.com. Blackmon, 30, has played the last two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent an offseason with the Seahawks prior to that.

Blackmon struggled mightily in coverage as the Jaguars' primary nickel corner through the first eight weeks of the season. Blackmon finished the year with a -9.6 in Pro Football Focus' pass coverage ratings for 2014, but he was a much more acceptable -0.1 in 2013.

Blackmon provides Seattle with some solid depth to add to its Legion of Boom.

CB Cary Williams

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

While Byron Maxwell is headed to Philadelphia to take over the No. 1 cornerback role for Chip Kelly's defense, former Eagle Cary Williams has agreed to terms with Seattle to become the team's new right corner, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (h/t Sports Illustrated). Playing second fiddle to Richard Sherman is no easy task, as opposing quarterbacks will constantly test Williams.

Williams performed admirably in a subpar pass defense for the Eagles last season, scoring a 0.9 in Pro Football Focus' rating for pass coverage. When combined with the signing of Will Blackmon, the position is no longer an area of immediate need in the upcoming draft.

TE Julius Thomas

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Despite several sources claiming tight end Julius Thomas has agreed to terms on a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has heard otherwise:

"

@CharlesRobinson Heard at the Combine the Seahawks would make a major push. Looks like that's happening.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 9, 2015"

Seattle recently cut Zach Miller from its roster after he failed a physical, so the signing would make absolute sense with there being a major need at the position. Seattle re-signed Anthony McCoy to the roster on Sunday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

OLB Jabaal Sheard

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Yahoo's Rand Getlin mentioned the Seahawks, along with the Bengals, Patriots and Buccaneers, as being "in the running" for the services of outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard. The Seahawks are pretty set at linebacker with K.J. Wright and Bruce Irvin already in place on the outside, but Sheard could make the switch to a rotational pass-rusher.

At 6'3" 264 pounds, Sheard has the size to play with his hand on the ground and potentially add to what was a moderate pass rush for the Seahawks in 2014. Sheard has totalled 23 sacks in four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, adding just two to his total in 2014.