The Seattle Seahawks are slightly weaker in depth at the middle linebacker position as they traded away linebacker Barrett Ruud to the New Orleans Saints for an undisclosed draft pick earlier today.
The Seahawks acquired Ruud in April and planned to have him compete for the starting position against rookie linebacker Bobby Wagner, which they drafted 47th overall in the second round of the draft. The 29-year old Ruud has earned 642 tackles and 7 interceptions in his eight year career.
Wagner played four years at Utah State where he totaled 445 tackles, 4 interceptions and came into the draft ranked as the fourth best middle linebacker. Wagner has played the last two games with the first defensive unit in which he recorded 6 tackles including 5 solo tackles against the Tennessee Titans and the Denver Broncos.
With the rookie linebacker performing with the first unit, the need for keeping an older linebacker in Ruud becomes obsolete. Wagner will get more snaps and grow in his first season with the team in order to take over the middle linebacker position and allow Seattle to focus on improving other positions on the team, like the offensive line.
The Seahawks get an undisclosed draft pick and with all the questions in New Orleans on how well they will do this year, the pick could be valuable in the end.
As Seattle prepares to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs this Friday, look for Wagner to continue to be effective on defense with confidence the organization has put in him as the starter.
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