Dwight Freeney brings much-needed depth to Seahawks’ pass rush

Dwight Freeney is finally getting his chance to play football this season. The 37-year-old edge defender has signed with the Seahawks, who are thin at the position after Cliff Avril’s neck injury.

A year ago, it felt as though Freeney’s time in the NFL could’ve been coming to a close. But the veteran edge rusher showed he still has some game left after helping the Atlanta Falcons make a Super Bowl run that ultimately fell short.

The seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro was a solid rotational pass rusher for Atlanta last year, tallying three sacks in 15 games. He’s no longer the three-down defender he once was early in his career, but Freeney can still make a difference, even at his advanced age.

Freeney should have a chance at similar production with the Seahawks. He didn’t play tons of snaps in Atlanta, averaging 28 per game. Injuries pending, he’ll be providing relief to Frank Clark and Michael Bennett. Clark has played in place of Cliff Avril, who suffered a neck injury in the first quarter of the Seahawks’ Week 4 game against the Colts. Avril was later placed on injured reserve. Bennett has also been dealing with a plantar fascia injury, so Freeney is a nice insurance policy in case that goes south.

He seems ready to go:

Russell Wilson was also excited that his team’s defense was getting some needed help:

With 122.5 sacks on his resume, it’s safe to say Freeney is already a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But the Seahawks are also 27th in sacks on the season, so it helps having somebody in the building who knows a thing or two about getting to the quarterback. There haven’t been many to do it better than he has.

At this point in his career, there’s no question he would like a second ring to wear alongside the one he won as a member of the Indianapolis Colts a decade ago. The Seahawks have proven to be a contender for one since Pete Carroll took over as head coach. Through seven weeks, they’re right in the mix at 4-2.

Freeney is only a year and change removed from an eight-sack season with the Arizona Cardinals, so there’s reason to believe he can still be an effective pass rusher for the remainder of the season in Seattle.