2022 NFL Free Agency: Tackle market remains slow as Trent Brown returns to Pats

While the market for quarterbacks across the NFL has been heated for much of the month of March, the tackle market has been just the opposite. So, while Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Deshaun Watson and other quarterbacks have found new homes, the majority of the big names available at tackle remain available.

The exception to that, of course, is Trent Brown, who reportedly spent the latter part of last week and the weekend visiting the Seattle Seahawks, with the team hoping that they could close a deal to bring Brown aboard. Unfortunately for Seattle fans, however, according to reports Monday, Pete Carroll and John Schneider were unable to close to the deal.

Thus, while Trent Brown returns to the New England Patriots, the Seahawks are left to continue searching for the replacements for both starting tackles from 2021, Duane Brown and Brandon Shell. Duane Brown has been linked to the Carolina Panthers, and of course, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer knows Brown from their time together in Seattle.

That said, the market at the position has been slow to get started this offseason, in part because one of the top available players at the position, Terron Armstead, reportedly wanted to see how the Deshaun Watson saga played out and whether Watson ended up with the New Orleans Saints. With Watson now with the Cleveland Browns and not the Saints, Armstead is reportedly visiting the Miami Dolphins, with reports indicating a high likelihood that a deal is reached during the visit.

It’s a position group at which there is not a lot of depth behind the top names, as just three tackles under the age of 30 who played at least 30% of the offensive snaps for their team in 2021 remain available, Geron Christian, Brandon Parker and Germain Ifedi.