Seattle Seahawks sign Ziggy Ansah: Grade, reaction and more
Pete Carroll’s team was looking for some pass rush help and may have gotten it with the signing of former Pro Bowl defensive end Ziggy Ansah.
Seattl led the NFL in rushing yards per game and quarterback Russell Wilson had another big year, the Seattle defense was inconsistent. It struggled to get off the field in the ‘Hawks 24-22 wild card loss at Dallas last season.
That defense still has question. While it had a respectable pass rush (43 sacks) to go with 26 takeaways, it was ranked 16th in total yards per game allowed. The organization dealt away defensive end Frank Clark and his team-high 13 sacks to the Kansas City Chiefs a few days before the draft. Now after using a first-round selection two weeks ago on TCU’s L.J. Collier, the Seahawks are taking a chance on former Detroit Lions’ defensive end Ziggy Ansah.
Contract Details
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ansah is set to sign a one-year contract with the Seahawks on Thursday.
National Reaction
The @Seahawks are signing pass-rusher @Ziggy_Ansah to a 1-year deal. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/XPHiWMnMkc
— NFL (@NFL) May 9, 2019
Huge move by the Seahawks to sign Ziggy Ansah. They get a Pro Bowl defensive end to replace Frank Clark at the Leo position. Despite his shoulder problems, he goes to team where he is No. 1 pass-rusher and could cash in on 10 sack season. Perfect fit.
— Family of John Clayton (@JohnClaytonNFL) May 9, 2019
Seahawks lost Frank Clark and gained:
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) May 9, 2019
Ziggy Ansah
LJ Collier (first-round pick from Chiefs for Clark)
2020 second-round pick
All for less salary cap space than Clark will cost the Chiefs. (I deleted a previous tweet that had the trade terms wrong.)
More fansided.com: NFL Draft: Best all-time pick for each team
Grade
Via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the addition of Ansah comes with a bit of a disclaimer:
New Seahawks’ DE Ziggy Ansah still is recovering from shoulder surgery that is expected to keep him out of training camp or longer; some league sources believe Ansah could miss the first month of this season, at least.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2019
This past season, the 29-year-old performer was limited to only seven games, making just two starts. He finished with 11 tackles and four sacks. In six seasons and 80 regular-season contests with the Lions, the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft has 48 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. And Ansah also has three QB sacks in two postseason contests with Detroit.
It’s tempting to give this an incomplete. But the 2015 Pro Bowler gets a slight benefit of the doubt based on his performances when healthy.
Grade: B-
The Seahawks were a much different team in 2018, relying on their offense more so than in years past. But the club still needs defensive playmakers. Carroll’s club is apparently hoping Ansah can eventually emerge as a factor as the season unfolds.