The Seattle Seahawks inked offensive lineman Bradley Sowell to a one-year deal Monday. According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, the contract is worth $1.5 million.
Sowell (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) spent the past three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He started 12 games in 2013, but zero since then. The 26-year-old Sowell was originally an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss. He spent his first year in the league with the Indianapolis Colts.
So how does Sowell fit in? Most likely, he'll operate as the swing tackle, a role occupied by Alvin Bailey in 2015.
The Seahawks still have a hole at left tackle, but it seems unlikely that they're calling on Sowell to be a starter. Russell Okung, Donald Penn and Kelvin Beachum are still on the market. The hope has to be to sign one of those three players or go outside the box with something like a trade for Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns.
Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider both acknowledged after the season that upgrading the offensive line was going to be a priority. Replacing Okung with Sowell would be a clear downgrade and doesn't make sense as Plan A.
Sowell comes as an inexpensive, short-term option who can serve a backup role. But the bigger move at left tackle is still to come.