Seahawks Q&A: What’s next for Seattle at the kicking position?

The Seahawks’ signing last week of kicker Blair Walsh led to a few more questions from readers.

So consider this a special kicker-only edition of the Seahawks Twitter mailbag. I’ll get to a few more non-kicker questions over the next few days, and as always you can send additional questions to @bcondotta.

Q: @andlux asks: Has Walsh been brought in due to Steven Hauschka’s pending FA? Will there be a kick off between Hauschka and Walsh?

A: The short answers to each of those questions is definitely, and probably not.

To expand on the first question, Hauschka will indeed be an unrestricted free agent beginning March 9 and Seattle signed Walsh as a pre-emptive solution to what appears to be their decision to let Hauschka try free agency and likely sign elsewhere.

Hauschka made $2.7 million last season. Walsh’s exact contract numbers had yet to be revealed as of Monday morning but he’s undoubtedly going to make a lot less, which will give the Seahawks that much more cap room for the 2017 season. Essentially, Seattle is banking on getting similar production at kicker from Walsh for less money than they were paying Hauschka.

I don’t know if the Seahawks have for sure ruled out any attempt at keeping Hauschka, but they certainly wouldn’t give him a contract anywhere near his old deal — three years for $8.55 million — now that Walsh is in the fold. So I don’t really envision those two competing.

What I do think could happen is Seattle bringing in a rookie or a younger, inexpensive kicker to compete with Walsh.

Which brings us to question number two.

Q: @SeattleNYRanger asked: Does it make sense for the Seahawks to put former Arizona State kicker and NCAA record holder Zane Gonzalez on their draft board?

A: Gonzalez is pretty much regarded as the top kicker available this year and I’m sure the Seahawks will take a long look at him. But I think I’d be surprised if after signing Walsh they would then draft a kicker.

It’s worth remembering that teams rarely draft kickers — only five have been drafted since 2012 — more often preferring to go the undrafted free agent route at that position.

The Seahawks have drafted just four kickers in their history and none under the current John Schneider/Pete Carroll regime — Don Bitterlich, third round in 1976; John Kasay, fourth round in 1991; Josh Brown, seventh round in 2003; and Brandon Coutu, seventh round in 2008.

As noted in the first answer, I think Seattle will definitely add another kicker to compete with Walsh. But rather than drafting a kicker I would think the more likely scenario would be waiting to see who goes undrafted and snatching up one from that list pretty quickly — or simply signing one of the other out-of-work kickers who may be available.

Q: @jaskline2007 asks: Who are some of the top kickers in this year’s draft and what round are they likely to go?

A: As noted above, Gonzalez is the consensus top guy and maybe the only kicker who would be assumed to be pretty much a lock to get drafted, though probably no higher than the fifth round

Two others generally considered as having the potential to sneak into the draft are Jake Elliott of Memphis and Adam Griffith of Alabama.

Another with Pac-12 ties who some list as potentially draftable is Andy Phillips of Utah.

Q: @khallison14 asks: Can you have two kickers on the roster ? If so would they keep both kickers ?

A: The answer to the first question is yes. Teams can construct their 53-man active roster however they want. The Seahawks, in fact, did famously (or infamously) keep two kickers, as well as a punter, on their active roster for all of the 2008 season — the aforementioned Coutu, and veteran Olindo Mare, who won a training camp battle to replace Brown, who had departed via free agency.

Coutu, though, never kicked in a game that season and was released the following year, never officially playing in a game for Seattle (and just one in his entire NFL career, with Buffalo in 2011, serving as another example that even with kickers, there’s no sure thing in taking one in the draft).

I don’t see Seattle keeping two kickers on their active roster next season. I think they’ll keep Walsh — or whoever wins the job — and then have a ready list of other kickers who are available if they suddenly need another one.