Seahawks Predicted To Bolster D-Line In Trade For Former First-Round Pick

The Seattle Seahawks could quickly find at least a temporary replacement for interior defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins.

The Seahawks were predicted as the landing spot for Mazi Smith, a 2023 first-round pick, by ESPN.com NFL writer Bill Barnwell in a potential trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

Hankins signed a one-year contract worth about $2.1 million but has been on the reserve/non-football list since the start of training camp while dealing with a back injury. He played all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2024, starting eight, and had 30 tackles, one sack, one interception and one pass defended.

The 33-year-old has played 169 NFL games over 12 seasons with the Seahawks, Cowboys, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders.

Who Is Mazi Smith?

Smith was a standout interior lineman at the University of Michigan and a first-team All Big-Ten player in 2022. That led to the Dallas Cowboys picking him with the 26th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Yet, so far the Cowboys have ruined him. The 6-3, 337-pound defensive tackle has two career sacks, 54 tackles and seven tackles for loss while playing every game in his two seasons with the Cowboys.

He started all 17 games a year ago yet earned just a 34.8 overall grade (208th out of 220 interior linemen) from Pro Football Focus and a 35.9 run-defense grade (202nd). Plus, as Barnwell noted, Smith played all three preseason games for the Cowboys this year, which is seen as a potential red flag and could indicate their willingness to part ways with him.

“The Cowboys used a Round 1 pick on Smith in 2023 in the hopes the nose tackle would be a valuable player in their run defense, but he has been a major disappointment,” Barnwell wrote. “Dallas has played him regularly in the preseason, which hasn’t been the case for its other prominent defensive tackles.”

Why Are The Seahawks Linked To Mazi Smith?

Smith has two more years on his contract, including 2025 which has a cap hit of about $3.6 million according to Over The Cap, but the Cowboys could save about $2 million in cap space by trading him.

Barnwell predicted the Seahawks would acquire Smith and a sixth-round pick for just a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft. He also figured Dallas could further sweeten the pot.

“The Cowboys might have to kick in some money to get a deal done,” Barnwell wrote.

Seattle has cap space of about $25 million but also has Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu on its D-line. That trio, plus Hankins’ inevitable return, would mitigate much of the risk of having a suspect fourth player in the 4-3, especially given the massive bargain.

Plus, as Barnwell noted, there’s the chance for Smith to blossom with a change of scenery, especially by playing for a familiar face that had a hand in helping him become a first-round talent.

“There’s no timeline for veteran Seahawks tackle Johnathan Hankins to return from a back injury, creating a need for help on the interior,” Barnwell wrote. “Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald worked with Smith when the two were at Michigan in 2021.”