Looking to bolster their pass-rush depth, the Seahawks are adding veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney to the mix, with the two sides agreeing to terms on a deal Tuesday night.
Freeney, 37, spent the first 11 seasons of his career in Indianapolis, earning Pro Bowl honors seven times and first-team All-Pro honors three times. Freeney's 122.5 career sacks rank 18th all-time, and second among active players behind Carolina's Julius Peppers, and he also has 47 career forced fumbles. Following an 11-year run with the Colts, which included a Super Bowl championship, Freeney spent two seasons in San Diego, one with Arizona, where he had 8.0 sacks in 11 games as an in-season signing, and last year he appeared in 15 games for the Atlanta Falcons, recording 3.0 sacks. Freeney also recorded a sack in Atlanta's Super Bowl loss to New England, one of his 11 career postseason sacks.
Freeney gives the Seahawks an extra pass rusher to help compensate for the loss of Cliff Avril, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a neck injury. Frank Clark took over Avril's starting role, and Marcus Smith and Branden Jackson have provided depth behind Clark, but as Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has been known to say, a team can never have too many pass-rushers, and Freeney gives the Seahawks yet another option in that defensive end rotation.
No corresponding move will have to be made to add Freeney to the roster, as Seattle has only had 52 players on the roster since Avril went on injured reserve last week.
