Brian Nemhauser·
Free AgencyOffensive LineOffseason
··2 min read

Big Board: 17 Free Agents Guards & Centers

Free Agent Big Board

After nearly completing my offseason analysis for the Seahawks, I am now in the process of building out my free agent big board. The big board ranks players, based on a variety of criteria, to determine which make the most sense for the Seahawks to pursue in free agency.

I ranked about 60 players last year, and found it a useful reference once free agency started. This year, I plan to rank many more, and am doing it position-by-position.

Scoring factors

Impact – How much can the player impact the Seahawks in 2016?
Longevity – How much can the player impact the Seahawks over the next 3+ years?
Scheme fit – How well does the player fit how Seattle plays, and what they ask of that position?
Need – How much do the Seahawks need to add a player that possesses these talents? This may differ by position. For example, the Seahawks need a left tackle more than center.
Affordability – What are the chances the Seahawks can afford this player?
Risk – How likely is this player to earn the contract they would command? This takes into account confidence in a player’s performance, injury, off-field, and other things that could impact that question. A higher score means more risk.

 

The formula:

(impact * 2) + (longevity * 2) + (scheme fit * 2) + (need * 1.5) + (affordability * 5.5) – (risk*5) = Score

 

Guards & Centers Big Board

freeagentguardcenterbigboard

 

No surprise that I have Osemele at the top. He’s my number one overall free agent target for the Seahawks. His ability to play either guard or tackle at a high level makes him an ideal fit for what Seattle needs.

Sweezy grades higher than many fans would expect. That is due to his youth, scheme fit, and ratio of affordability to risk. Should his price climb into the higher tier guards range, his score would drop significantly.

Evans and Mathis are similar vets who can be added for short-term deals, and add some quality experience and talent to the interior. Adding someone like that makes a lot of sense from a cap and immediate impact comparison.

Ryan Wendell is an interesting one. He played for the Pats and has started at both center and guard. That increases his value to Seattle.

Boone and Allen are nice players, but their cost is likely to outpace their value by more than I am comfortable with.

The top pure center on the list is Alex Mack. The centers, overall, we graded lower, in part, due to the fact the Seahawks have less of a need there with Patrick Lewis in tow.

Richie Incognito comes in at the bottom of this list (there are many more free agent guards that I chose not to grade that would be below him) because of his age, his cost, and the risk he represents both on and off the field.