Former Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah agreed to a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal is expected to include $5.5 million in guaranteed money, with incentives that could boost it by roughly another $8 million, a source said. Ansah is scheduled to fly to Seattle on Thursday to sign the contract. The Seahawks' acquisition of Ansah will help offset the loss of defensive end Frank Clark, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. By waiting until Thursday, the Seahawks won't lose a 2020 compensatory pick by signing Ansah. Any unrestricted free agents signed after 4 p.m. ET Tuesday no longer count against the formula used to determine comp picks the following season. The Seahawks were projected to receive the maximum of four 2020 comp picks and did not want to forfeit any of them. The Seahawks brought Ansah for a visit in late April, Schefter reported. A source told ESPN they also met with former Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry in late March. Perry was released by Green Bay and thus would have had no bearing on future compensatory picks had he been signed before Tuesday. Seattle also was linked to defensive tackles Al Woods, Corey Liuget, Danny Shelton and Earl Mitchell. Woods appeared in two games with the Seahawks in 2011. Ansah, who will turn 30 later this month, has 48 sacks in 80 career games since the Lions drafted him fifth overall in 2013. His best season came in 2015, when he recorded 14.5 sacks en route to his only Pro Bowl appearance. Ansah played on a $17.143 million franchise tag last season and was limited to seven games by a shoulder injury that required surgery. That could keep him out until the start of training camp or longer; some league sources told Schefter they believe Ansah could miss the first month of the season, at least. Ziggy Ansah was limited to seven games for the Lions last season by a shoulder injury that required surgery. Some league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter they believe Ansah could miss the first month of this season, at least. Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire Defensive line was the Seahawks' top remaining need after the draft. They took defensive end L.J. Collier 29th overall -- the selection they acquired from Kansas City in the Clark trade -- but didn't use any of their remaining 10 selections on edge rushers. The only other defensive lineman they drafted was defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas in the sixth round. With Clark gone, no edge player on Seattle's roster had more sacks last season than Cassius Marsh's 5.5, a career high that he reached with the San Francisco 49ers. The other players the Seahawks have at that spot are 2018 draft picks Rasheem Green (third round) and Jacob Martin (sixth), plus Quinton Jefferson, Branden Jackson, Nazair Jones and Nate Orchard. Barkevious Mingo, Seattle's starter at strongside linebacker, rushed sparingly off the edge in passing situations last season. Orchard, a free-agent addition, received no guaranteed money in his one-year, minimum-salary deal. After the draft, coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider strongly implied that more moves were in the offing to help Seattle up front. "There is work that we're engaged in," Carroll said when asked about where the Seahawks stood with their pass rush after trading Clark and drafting Collier. "[The draft] is this stage of filling up the roster, and we're very much involved with what is coming up next too. So we're not done. We've got work to do. We're excited about what's coming up, and you guys will see in time." Schneider seemingly made reference to the Tuesday cutoff point, saying: "We talk about those phases of free agency, and there's basically three or four different phases, and we're basically now heading into Phase 3." Carroll said at the NFL annual meeting in March that a run-stuffing defensive tackle was a clear area of need for the Seahawks, who let 2018 starter Shamar Stephen leave in free agency and didn't sign anyone to replace him.<doc-sep>Even after using a late first-round pick on defensive end L.J. Collier, the Seahawks needed additional help on the edge considering they shipped their best pass rusher, Frank Clark, to Kansas City in a blockbuster offseason trade. So it should come as no real surprise to hear the Seahawks have landed the best unsigned edge rusher as phase two of free agency kicks off this week. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks have signed former Lions pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah to a one-year deal after emerging as the frontrunners in the Ansah sweepstakes earlier on Wednesday. Ansah was one of the best remaining players available in free agency, but he does come with a decent amount of risk given his injury history. From 2013-17, Ansah racked up 44 sacks. He broke out in a big way with 14.5 sacks in 2015. And in what was a contract season in 2017, Ansah notched another double-digit sack total with 12. As a result, the Lions franchise tagged him. Ansah was only healthy enough to play in seven games with two starts last season, but he did play well during his limited snaps. Clearly, the upside is there. But he has battled shoulder and knee problems. He'll also turn 30 later this month. That makes him a bit of a risk, which is why he went unsigned until Wednesday night. According to Rapoport, Ansah should be cleared to play by mid-August as he continues to rehab his shoulder. There's a clear and obvious fit in Seattle. The Seahawks parted ways with Clark, who was responsible for 13 of their 43 sacks a season ago. Collier could make an impact, but there's no way to know for certain how he'll fare during his first professional season. As it stands, Jarran Reed is the Seahawks' only reliable source of sacks after a 10.5-sack season. The timing also makes sense. Signing him now doesn't impact the compensatory pick formula, which is why phase two of free agency is only just beginning. The Patriots got the party started by signing offensive tackle Jared Veldheer on Tuesday. The Seahawks got in on the action on Wednesday night by inking Ansah to a one-year deal. In the coming days, look for free agents like Ndamukong Suh and Eric Berry to find their new homes. With Ansah now off the market, the best remaining edge rusher for teams in need of pass-rushing help might be Muhammad Wilkerson.<doc-sep>ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky saw up close the impact Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah can make on a football team. Report: Seahawks to sign Ansah | Seahawks 2019 free agency tracker A quarterback with five teams in the league from 2005 to 2017, Orlovsky spent three seasons as Ansah’s teammate with the Detroit Lions. Orlovsky joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk (with Jake Heaps, another former teammate of Ansah’s, filling in as Brock Huard’s co-host) to share what he knows about the reported new Seahawks defensive end. “He instantly makes everybody on the defense better when it comes to Monday through Friday. The way he practices, the effort that he practices at, the commitment to the craft that he goes about on a day-to-day basis, is outstanding,” Orlovsky said about Ansah. “He is one of those guys that is incredibly motivated, self-starter, tireless worker, and that will pop on tape. He will match the standard and even elevate it (from) what has already been laid in Seattle. “… If it was Saturday morning and Ziggy was running around in walkthrough and you got word from the doctors and whatnot that Ziggy was playing, you were like, woo, we’re playing with an extra guy in a way. He is that good of a player, impactful of a player – not just getting home to the quarterback. Again, the relentless effort, but also in the run game. So he was one of those guys that gave you a boost just knowing, alright, Ziggy’s going to be up in pads playing for us.” While Ansah is coming off a significant shoulder injury and some have insinuated that he isn’t as in love with playing football as others, Orlovsky said he saw the exact opposite when he shared a locker room with the No. 5 overall selection from the 2013 NFL Draft and 2015 Pro Bowl selection. “That’s just made-up stuff. I’m telling you, this guy practices like an absolute animal,” Orlovsky said about Ansah’s commitment level. “… (Ansah is) an introverted, quiet person. ‘I’m here at work to do my job, I’ve got things that I need to get done to do my job.’ You’re going to see he has a great routine, getting to work at a certain time and getting his body prepped and rehabbed. … He’s going to be a guy that goes about his business on his terms and that he’s very much focused on doing his job when he’s in the building.” You can hear the full interview with Orlovsky in the player embedded in this post or download a podcast version at this link. Report: Seahawks expected to sign nickel CB Jamar Taylor<doc-sep>
According to a report Wednesday night from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, free agent defensive end Ezekiel Ansah will sign with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. Former Lions’ DE Ziggy Ansah is expected to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, per a league source. Seattle lands a veteran DE to help offset the loss of DE Frank Clark, who was traded to KC. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2019 Selected by the Detroit Lions with the fifth overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, “Ziggy“ Ansah, 29, was the second defensive end (behind Dion Jordan) taken that year. More than a few Kansas City Chiefs fans would have preferred for the team to take Ansah instead of tackle Eric Fisher, whom the Chiefs selected with the first pick that year. In the last few months, we’ve seen that more than a few still feel that way, identifying Ansah as a player the Chiefs could have targeted in free agency — and considering that he is a product of Andy Reid’s alma mater Brigham Young University, it wouldn’t have been all that surprising for the Chiefs to have made a move for him. The Seahawks and Chiefs' defensive lines are going to be fascinating to watch in 2019. The Seahawks ultimately utilized the plan the #Chiefs would have followed if they didn't trade for Frank Clark. Going to be an interesting comparison all season. — Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) May 9, 2019 To be sure, Ansah has been more than reliable in Detroit. Over his first five seasons, he notched 44 sacks, 103 quarterback hits, 57 tackles for loss and 10 forced fumbles. But in 2018, he played in just seven games for the Lions and started only two. He’s undergone shoulder surgery, and according to Schefter, there’s a serious question if he’ll be ready to play before the season begins. New Seahawks’ DE Ziggy Ansah still is recovering from shoulder surgery that is expected to keep him out of training camp or longer; some league sources believe Ansah could miss the first month of this season, at least. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2019 Clearly, this move by the Seahawks is meant to help fill the void left by the departure of defensive end Frank Clark, who was traded to the Chiefs in the week before the draft. It will be interesting to see if the reported one-year deal the Seahawks made will work out for them.