Rumor Mill: Hawks Interested in LT Jason Peters?

by: Mike Parker

ESPN Insider, CBS Sports and Next Season Sports are all pointing today to the possibility of the Seahawks looking to work out a trade with the Buffalo Bills for left tackle Jason Peters.

Peters, 27, has been voted to the Pro Bowl for the past two seasons. He stands 6-foot-4, weighs in at 340 pounds and has experience in a zone blocking system. If the rumors are true, and the Hawks do have interest in trading for Peters, we could be looking at a couple of different scenarios as a result: (And even though more draft speculation is now making me want to set something on fire, I'm going to talk more about it anyway.)

1.) Walter Jones' health could be more of a concern than we've heard so far. At 35, Big Walt is still one of the best at his role in the NFL, but the reality is he's not getting any younger or less injury-prone. Acquiring Peters would mean getting a younger left tackle with plenty of upside who would fit in nicely under Mike Solari's offensive line. Whether or not that move would be an insurance policy or a more pressing solution remains to be seen.

2.) In return for Peters, the Hawks could swap first-round draft choices with the Bills and focus their sights on acquiring an explosive running back. Having the 11th-overall pick would put the Hawks in a better position to draft a running back, such as Knowshon Moreno or Chris Wells. The more I think about it, the more I think Ruskell is making the rounds at each skill position and bulking it up as much as realism and cap space will allow. Running back is an area that still remains untouched so far in free agency, minus the departure of Leonard Weaver, which doesn't really count. Perhaps that position could be next on Ruskell's checklist, and we may have to wait until April 25 to find out.

Regardless of potential outcomes, the fact that this rumor is being reported on three different sites today says it's at least more credible than the Braylon Edwards rumblings we heard a couple months ago. -END-