Seahawks' Top Players to Prioritize in 2021 NFL Free Agency

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The Seattle Seahawks have plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the ball over the next few weeks.

Pete Carroll and his staff know for certain that it will replace Carlos Dunlap, who was released to save cap space ahead of the free-agency period. Seattle could also lose Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar in the secondary.

The Seahawks should make an attempt to keep Griffin, who they decided not to use the franchise tag on. 

Offensively, the NFC West side needs to find more protection for Russell Wilson and attempt to give him more weapons to work with. 

It may be hard for them to retain Chris Carson, so a new feature running back could top the list of offensive needs. 

No matter which players they add, the Seahawks are under pressure to make some splashes within their means after Matthew Stafford and J.J. Watt entered the NFC West. 

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Seattle needs to try to keep at least one of its two secondary free agents. 

Griffin is the better option than Dunbar, but he could also be the more expensive of the two. 

The 25-year-old earned three interceptions, 12 passes defended and 63 tackles in a 2020 campaign that was shortened by four games because of an injury. 

Griffin's coverage skills provide a great complement to Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs at safety, and if the Seahawks retain him, they would only have to replace one key piece of their defensive backfield. 

There could be some concerns about Seattle committing a large chunk of money to its secondary, especially with Adams due for a monster extension before his deal expires next offseason.

However, the Seahawks need to have the best secondary possible to deal with DeAndre Hopkins, Deebo Samuel, Robert Woods and others for six games each season. 

Shutting down one of the top wide receivers in the NFC West could be the difference-maker between winning the divisional crown and settling for one of the wild-card positions. 

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

If the Seahawks fail to retain Griffin or Dunbar, they could look within their own division for their replacement. 

Troy Hill is coming off the best season of his career for the Los Angeles Rams in which he recorded three interceptions and 77 tackles. 

The 29-year-old is a bit older than Griffin, but he does carry experience covering the top targets in the NFC West. 

Hill's on-the-ball mentality could be the perfect fit for the aggressive duo of Adams and Diggs, who excel at getting into the backfield and halting wide receivers from earning extra yardage. 

Hill's age and his lack of 16-game seasons over a six-year career could make him a bit cheaper than Griffin on the free-agent market.

That could make a significant difference for the Seahawks, who only have $18 million in salary cap space to work with, per Over the Cap.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Seattle needs to make improvements on the offensive line within the constraints of its budget. 

Daryl Williams could be the perfect find on the market since he could have some teams turn away from him because of his injury history.

The offensive tackle has started 16 games in two of his six seasons, but he is coming off a strong campaign in his lone year with the Buffalo Bills. 

Seattle is not losing anyone important on the offensive line to free agency, but it was hurt by the retirement of Mike Iupati. 

Williams could be one of a few additions that helps protect Wilson better than he was in 2020. The quarterback was taken down on 47 occasions in 2020. In fact, Wilson was sacked at least 47 times in each of the last three seasons.

Seattle needs to make improvements over its current group, and Williams could be a solid complement to Duane Brown after he turned in a solid campaign blocking for Josh Allen in Buffalo. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.

Contract information obtained from Over the Cap.