The Seattle Seahawks may sign free agent Fred Jackson heading into the season as a backup for Marshawn Lynch, as Robert Turbin is dealing with an injury, but no deal is close to happening yet. The Seahawks have some prime fantasy football players for this season, with Lynch, Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin the best starters for Russell Wilson.
The Seahawks brought in Jackson for a visit soon after his release from the Buffalo Bills and now he could be a veteran depth option for the team. According to Pro Football Talk, Jackson visited with the team and was "expected to sign" with the Seahawks, but there has not been a deal as of yet. Pete Carroll said to the Seattle Times that a deal has not gotten done, but that the team wanted to bring in Jackson and see how he looks following his release.
The Seattle Times writes that Robert Turbin is dealing with an ankle injury and the sprain is "significant" and that could cause the Seahawks to add Jackson for depth. The team has Marshawn Lynch as the starter and also has Christine Michael on the roster, but Jackson is a better player and has more experience. Lynch is one of the most worked backs in the NFL and if Turbin misses time, the Seahawks likely would want some more depth at the position.
The Seahawks are coming into the season with Super Bowl aspirations once again and after adding Jimmy Graham in a trade, the offense could be one of the best in the league. Doug Baldwin had a solid season last year for Wilson and he will get some help with Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett. Wilson has Lynch along with Graham as his two best offensive players and for fantasy owners, those two are as close to sure things as there are in the NFL.
The Seattle Times reports that one reason why the team may not sign Jackson yet is so the Seahawks can have him in under a non-guaranteed deal. According to the Times, in the NFL "vested veteran" players who sign deals ahead of the season have their contracts guaranteed for the year if they are on the roster for the first week. The deals are not if Jackson signs after the first week and that could be the strategy here. The Seahawks run the risk of Jackson signing elsewhere, but they could be confident he won't after meeting with him this week.
Lynch and Jackson have a relationship from their time together in Buffalo and that could be one of the deciding factors for Jackson. The Seahawks likely would welcome a player like Jackson, as he is a veteran with good character for the locker room and with Lynch the mercurial player he is, anything that makes him happy is a positive development. Last season Jackson rushed for 525 yards in 14 games and he put up a total of over 1000 yards receiving and rushing combined.
