Possible FA Targets: DE Charles Johnson

Guest Contributor:  Kyle Schmozter.
Charles Johnson, Carolina

Another tough Defensive End.  He had a breakout year in 2010 after playing behind Julius Peppers in 2009, racking up 11.5 sacks and 62 tackles. In his four years as a Panther he has 21.5 sacks with 4 forced fumbles. Aside from his huge year last year he has gotten better every year and has consistently put up good numbers as a pass rusher. He is a young (24) talented End that will be looked at by many teams this off season.



He will most likely command a large payday, and this of course could affect which teams go after him.  At this point in the offseason, it's impossible to guess which positions the Hawks will seek to bolster in Free Agency, but in his season closing press conference, Pete Carroll stressed the need to get better on the Offensive and Defensive Lines.  This could mean they are willing to spend big money to bring in the personnel to make significant improvements.

The Seahawks didn't exactly suffer in the sacks category.  As a team, they came up with 37 on the year, to finish in the middle of the pack.  The defensive end duo of Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock came up with 20 combined sacks, which was good for 6th best in the league.  That being said, with Brock in limbo, the Hawks wouldn't be hurting themselves by adding depth.

Although Johnson doesn't possess a huge, physical presence for a defensive lineman at 6-foot-2 and 275-pounds, teammate Tyler Brayton has high praise:

He’s a naturally explosive, naturally strong person.  He has great use of his hands and has great leverage. That is a great combination for success as a D-lineman. He’s always had great physical skill and now he’s really applying himself to the game. I think that came with experience. He’s doing a great job going out there and knowing how he can beat people at the line.

Is he on the Hawks' radar?  I would think so, considering his production and age.

This is the best Charles Johnson video I could find on YouTube.


For actually relevant videos showing Johnson's skill-set, see here, here, and here.

Also, check out this video:  it looks like Johnson moves pretty well as he drops into coverage against the Hawks; Hasselbeck throws an INT, but the best part of it is when Russell Okung just LAYS THE HAMMER down on C. Munnerlyn and flat backs him.  Then he gets up and talks some smack.  God I love that guy.