| Three-and-out: Seahawks' free agency outlook - USA TODAY (blog) Mar 11th 2012, 21:01 A brief snapshot of Seattle's roster and considerations heading into free agency, which officially begins March 13 at 4 p.m. ET: - Prominent free agents: S Atari Bigby, DE Raheem Brock, DE Red Bryant, TE John Carlson, LB/ST Heath Farwell, RB Justin Forsett, DE Anthony Hargrove, K Steven Hauschka, LB David Hawthorne, LB Leroy Hill, OL Paul McQuistan, FB Michael Robinson, CB Marcus Trufant, OLB David Vobora, QB Charlie Whitehurst, DE Jimmy Wilkerson.
 - Issues: Though the Seahawks don't appear to be a player for free agent QB Peyton Manning, the job of 2011 starter Tarvaris Jackson still seems far from safe. The next-best option for a team that finished 7-9 last season would seem to be Matt Flynn, the erstwhile Packers backup who showed flashes of brilliance in limited opportunities. Of course there's always the draft, which could yield Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill if he's still available when Seattle selects 12th in Round 1. Regardless, Jackson only has a year left on his deal and needs a backup at minimum. While the rest of the offense should remain largely intact, and the secondary is one of the NFL's best, the defensive front seven may need some work. Hawthorne and Hill are headed for free agency so the linebacking corps will likely be depleted; the team could also use another pass rusher to help DE Chris Clemons. Depth at both positions can also be addressed via free agency.
- Our advice: Flynn would certainly be a more cost-effective option than Manning and would allow the team to keep an underrated talent such as Bryant. Having more cash around could also fund the pursuit of Texans DE/OLB Mario Williams, whose presence could further elevate the Seattle defense, which ranked ninth overall in 2011. More speed would bolster the wideout group, where Sidney Rice is returning from surgeries to both shoulders. Several veteran linebackers should be available -- Curtis Lofton and Stephen Tulloch among them -- though the linebacker-deprived Eagles may target multiple players at this spot.
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