Seahawks place Marshawn Lynch on reserve list, sign two

The Seahawks have placed holdout Marshawn Lynch on the reserve/did not report list, giving them a roster exemption. They also released DT Dewayne Cherrington, then signed two players to fill those spots: DE Brandon Denmark and FS Steven Terrell.

Denmark is a LEO type at 6'3, 244 pounds, that hails from small-school Florida A&M (via Illinois) and is an absolute monster of an athlete -- better per our SPARQ metric than even Bruce Irvin, though very obviously a raw, developmental prospect. Denmark signed in Green Bay after the draft but was recently released.

Steven Terrell is another inhuman athlete, and when he came out of Texas A&M in 2013 he ran a 4.34 40, with a 38" vert, 10'10 broad jump, 6.84 3-cone, and 4.22 short shuttle at 5'10, 197. He's listed with the Seahawks as a free safety, so you could probably comp him to the type of athlete that Chris Maragos was. He's spent time with both the Jags and Texans.

Our SPARQ guru, Zach Whitman, had identified Denmark prior to the draft because of his freakish athletic ability, and had this to say about the now-Seahawk (from April 11th):

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Brandon Denmark, OLB, Florida A&M, 135 rSPARQ, 145 pSPARQ

Brandon Denmark is one of the most gifted athletes in the draft, and probably the league. He's tall, has long limbs, and explodes into tackles. His broad jump is 11'4", which is stupid, and it's not just that he can test well; the way he plays seems to support the test result.

Take a quick look at the highlight reel his agent put together for him. I'm particularly interested in the last minute or two.

He uses his ridiculously long legs to "ground" himself into the turf and launch into a tackle. By doing this, he's both increasing the velocity with which he impacts the ballcarrier and decreasing the inelasticity of the collision (i.e., more like dropping an egg on concrete than carpet). Does this remind you of anyone?

Hint: it's Brandon Browner.

Broad jump is a great way to measure how a player can drive laterally, as both a tackle and the broad jump require similar musculature in one's core and lower body. Chancellor and Browner are both big hitters because they use their base to drive into the tackle. Marshawn Lynch is a great running back (in part) because he hits people when they're off-balance. The effect of this is that he always seems to fall forward.

I love that Denmark is so proficient at this kind of tackle. He doesn't allow his height to take away from his ability to deliver a compact hit.

Now, there are negatives. It's rumored that he transferred to FAMU from Illinois because he saw himself as a linebacker and not a defensive end. Even though he has great agility in drills, I'm a little dubious that he's an effective player in coverage. While a player like Richard Sherman moves his feet with complete assuredness and confidence, Denmark is inefficient in his lateral movement. He takes three erratic steps where two might be more effective.

But, all that being said... he's a freak. It seems like he'd at least be effective for around 20 snaps a game where he has the sole purpose of running as fast as he can at the quarterback. It's just really hard to know if off-field stuff makes him a stay-away.

And yes, Seattle was at his pro day. Check that box.

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