Roary
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- Mar 18, 2019
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The Seattle Seahawks are expected to sign former Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah to a one-year deal, a source confirmed to PFT.
The agreement was first reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Ansah is expected to sign the deal with the team on Thursday after flying to Seattle.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said at the conclusion of the NFL Draft that they weren’t done adding to their pass rush this offseason. Even with the selection of TCU’s L.J. Collier in the first round, the trading of Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs had left Seattle lacking proven pass rush ability.
“There is work that we’re engaged in [during] this stage of filling up the roster and we’re very involved in what is coming up next,” Carroll said. “We’re not done, we have work to do. We’re excited about what’s coming up and you guys will see in time.”
Ansah is recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready to go by the middle of training camp at the latest.
Ansah has twice posted seasons with at least 10 sacks during his time in Detroit. He had 14.5 sacks in 2015 and 12.0 sacks in 2017. He appeared in just seven games last season for Detroit due to injuries.
With the compensatory free agent threshold having past, the Seahawks were free to sign Ansah without losing one of four expected compensatory draft picks in next year’s draft.
The last time Seattle signed a former Lions defensive end to a one-year deal, it turned out pretty well. Cliff Avril eventually spent five years in Seattle and compiled 36.5 sacks over his tenure with the team. The Seahawks will be hoping Ansah can provide a similar boon to their defensive front.
UPDATE 11:50 p.m. ET: Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the deal is worth $5.5 million in guaranteed money with roughly $8 million more available in incentives.