Seahawks add to Offensive Line; Sign Luke Joeckel
By ColPatnode
The Seattle Seahawks made a rare “Day 1 signing”, adding Offensive Guard Luke Joeckel to the fold. How much does Joeckel’s signing improve the offensive line?
Luke Joeckel is the former no. two overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2013 NFL Draft. The 25-year-old stands at 6’6″ and weighs 312 pounds. At the combine, he showed he was solid athlete, with quick and nimble feet. He also has above average strength.
Joeckel has no doubt been a disappointment in Jacksonville, particularly as a left tackle. He moved inside to play at guard in 2016, but his season was cut short due to injury, and he only played in 4 games. He actually graded out decently, according to Pro Football Focus, with a final grade 68.3. By comparison, Mark Glowinski got a 69.4 grade.
The exact terms of the deal are a bit of an unknown. It is a one-year contract worth “up to” $8 million. The inclusion of those two words seem to indicate the deal has performance escalators, which are unknown at this time.
Seahawks Twitter is already melting down over the signing, berating the Seahawks for being cheap on its offensive line. But what would you prefer the Seahawks do? The current price tags on the free agent lineman have been astronomical, and Seattle simply cannot afford to play in that neighborhood.
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There is no question that Joeckel is an upgrade today over George Fant. The Seahawks can still add to the offensive line, and are reportedly bringing Packer guard T.J. Lang in for a visit. The assumption is that Joeckel will play left tackle, but he could easily slide inside.
If the Seahawks added a lineman like Lang, Germain Ifedi could be asked to bump outside to right tackle, while Garry Gilliam, Rees Odihambo, and George Fant battle it out for the LT job.
Joeckel doesn’t need to be an All-Pro LT to justify this contract. He just needs to not be terrible. After a year of Bradley Sowell and Fant, is it really an unrealistic hurdle to clear? Taking a chance on a 25-year-old former no. two overall pick on a one-year deal is what great franchises do.
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The Joeckel deal by itself, will not move the meter of most Seahawks fans. That is okay. But to judge the rebuilding of the offensive line as a failure on Day One of the off-season? That is crazy, even for the 12’s.