Seattle Seahawks Sign DTs Ahtyba Rubin, D’Anthony Smith

The Seattle Seahawks have a successful defense for the most obvious reason ever: everyone’s a star. Michael Bennett? Star. Earl Thomas? Star. Cliff Avril? Kam Chancellor? Bobby Wagner? Stars. Richard Sherman‘s a phenomenon. Everyone’s excellent, and it’s made for a historically dominant group.

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Everyone’s a star, that is, except for the tackles. One of the most star-studded defenses in NFL history also features Tony McDaniel and Kevin Williams at the tackle positions. Or at least, it might. Because the Seahawks just brought in a pair of alternatives, all in an afternoon’s work. Welcome back, D’Anthony Smith. Welcome to Seattle, Ahtyba Rubin.

In Smith we have a guy who spent some time in Seattle last year but still has very little professional experience. He’s probably not a difference-maker, at least not right away. Rubin, on the other hand, is a probable starter and a good bet to provide some real value. His signing is exciting news.

Rubin is a 28-year-old with eight years of experience in the NFL. He’s never been to the playoffs, but was something of a standout on some middling-at-best Cleveland Browns teams. He dealt with nagging injuries last year, but had a great run from 2010-2013.

As a lineman there’s a lot to like in Rubin’s profile. He’s massive, checking in at 6’2″ and 325 pounds. He’s known for going all-out, chasing dudes down the field for tackles. His physicality and willingness to leave it all on the field have made him a favorite over the years, though his hard-nosed playing style caught up to him a bit last year when he battled a hobbling ankle injury.

With this pair of signings, Seattle improves a defensive line that needed to be improved. Rubin’s no superstar, but he’s a very good player who fits well with the pieces the organization already has in place. If the ‘Hawks can keep him healthy he should be able to bounce back to the form he’s showed throughout this decade. That’s no guarantee, but the team now has the bodies needed to rotate their tackles and keep everybody fresh.

The Seahawks just keep checking things off their offseason to-do list. I still wouldn’t be surprised to see them continue to build up depth at tackle (and corner, for that matter), but signing Ahtyba Rubin and D’Anthony Smith means less to do later. Good work, ‘Hawks. Welcome to town, guys.