Offseason going as planned for Seahawks, movement on the offensive line

[travisduncan]

Breathe a sigh of relief. A man very much responsible for the Seahawks dominating defense last season has re-signed with the Seahawks.

Defensive end Red Bryant and the Seahawks have agreed to a five-year $35 million deal.

The Seahawks have done what they needed to do: Sign two of their top players back.First Marshawn Lynch now Bryant. The focus shifts to shoring up other positions through the draft and free agency.

The offensive line continues to undergo changes for yet another offseason; the Seahawks may be going after a free-agent QB to replace Tarvaris Jackson and a free-agent veteran tight end, now that John Carlson has signed with Minnesota. We'll get to that in a moment.

Bryant is a great run defender and can also disrupt passing lanes with his 6-foot-4 frame and vertical leap. But not to be forgotten is the fact Pete Carroll called him the emotional leader of the team. The presence of the 27-year old gets people to work and keeps the younger players focused.

Bryant's value the Seahawks though apparently had limits, as they did not exercise the franchise tag on him (at $10.6 million per) and allowed him to go onto the market, with the New England Patriots, most notably, making a surge after the big man. The risk paid off and the Seahawks have him under contract.

"He has totally transformed his role on our football team, to the point where we look for players to play like him," Pete Carroll recently said of Bryant, via the team's official website.

"He’s a monster playing on the tight-end side. He has been a big factor in the way we played."

Although the Seahawks said they did not expect to see major roster changes, there has been some attrition, and with that salary cap dollars are leaving as well. The offensive line continues to be a major point of emphasis.

Left guard Robert Gallery has been released. Gallery came from Oakland last summer at the cost of $15 million over three-years. The Seahawks will save $5 million on Gallery and many believe he won't be missed much on the field. Last season he suffered from knee and groin injuries missing four games early in the season.

Injuries allowed Paul McQuistan to emerge and he started 10 games for the Seahawks. McQuistan and the team agreed to terms on Wednesday. Details of McQuistan's deal were not immediately available.

The team is also interested in free agent offensive tackle Frank Omiyale, a 29-year old veteran who has played the last three seasons with the Bears, on a dreadful offensive line.

Yet another free-agent offensive linemen the Seahawks could sign is former Seahawk offensive guard Steve Hutchinson. Hutchison was released this week by the Vikings.

Speaking of the Vikings.

Reportedly the Seahawks are interested in veteran tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and he will visit with the Seahawks sometimes in the next few days according to the NFL network. Shiancoe played with Jackson in Minnesota and under Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

One thing that really stands out about the 31-year old free-agent is that he has never missed an NFL game in his nine-year career. And if you are one to believe the Seahawks could use a guy who is not injury prone, he could be a nice change pace target for Jackson and backup for Zach Miller.

Free-agent tight end John Carlson signed a five-year deal reportedly worth $25 million with the Vikings. The Seahawks did not want to shell out a ton of cash for a player who missed all of last season with an injury with Zach Miller already signed to a large contract and having yet scratched the surface of what they would like to do with him on offense because he has been held back to protect Jackson.

Free-agent linebacker David Hawthorne has a free-agent visit scheduled with the Saints this week, according to the Seattle Times.

Hawthorne tweeted Thursday "No no no, no serious decisions yet. just living in the moment right now letting things sort them self out! ya kno"

Hawthorne has led the team in tackles for each of the last three seasons.

All things considered the Seahawks are right where they want to be, not overpaying keeping the core in tact, staying young. But the job is not over yet, they need to make decisions on Shiancoe and on the offensive line, oh and the quarterback position.

About the quarterback position. The Seahawks appear to have some interest in former Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne as Jackson's backup.

The NFL Network reports that free-agent quarterback Matt Flynn will visit the Seahawks. If that is the case, then the whole business that this is Jackson's team is conditional, as Flynn only comes as a starter and a high cost.

Stay tuned.

Caption: Defensive end (79) Red Bryant of the Seattle Seahawks lines up against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of the Seahawks 22-17 victory over the Ravens at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, WA.