The Seahawks signed 26 year old DT/DE Alan Branch yesterday, absconding with the Arizona Cardinals' 33rd overall pick from 2007. Branch was originally drafted to play nose tackle for the Cardinals but didn't impress the coaching staff enough there to earn many starts. He was moved to defensive end last season where he flashed some brilliance, but again was too inconsistent to earn a regular starting position.
He projects to play in a rotation on the Hawks' defensive line and most probably spell Red Bryant at the 5-tech strongside defensive end position. If he impresses enough, he could even make a run at the starting job there. I put together a more detailed look at the pickup over at FieldGulls so go take a look at that if you get the chance but I wanted to bring up some scouting that Doug Farrar did on the Seahawks new DE as well.
Farrar, who writes for Football Outsiders, Yahoo Sports, SportsPressNW, and a myriad of other outlets, had this to say about Branch on his Twitter account:
"Finally got time to watch tape on Alan Branch. Really like him at that big 5-tech position. Rotational sub-package; inside/outside guy, but seals edge at the 5 in 3/4-man fronts. More explosive than quick off the snap. Commands extra attention (at least an xtra chip), allowing others to get through. He will help the 3-tech (Mebane) there. Branch likes pursuit; big body but not stuck at the line, will run up-down-side-side and has some short-area quickness for his size. Not a form target tackler out of the box, tends to flail, but when you see him in a four-man front, it's easy to see what they liked about him as a player who can keep Red Bryant fresh."
Farrar's always provides great analysis so if you're on Twitter give him a follow.
For the latest on free agency, including players to watch and Seahawks transactions, stay with this StoryStream. For full coverage of the Seahawks free agency moves, head over to Field Gulls.