A healthy Ansah just what the doc ordered
How about a gig where you pocket $93,750 just for showing up to work?
That’s one day, we’re talking about.
You’d probably jump at the job, but it’s not likely you could rush NFL passers quite like Ziggy Ansah.
That’s why the Seahawks filled a crying need at what they call their LEO position by signing Ansah, a six-year veteran, to a free-agent deal in May.
Ansah was one of the league’s premier pass rushers in his time with Detroit, but suffered a severe shoulder injury in the seventh game last season.
He had surgery to repair a torn labrum last December, and was available when the Seahawks were on the hunt after trading Frank Clark (and his 13 1/2 sacks) to Kansas City.
And by the way, Ansah is going to earn a heck of a lot more than that $93,750 per game, a possible $3 million which he banks just for being on the roster — or even the taxi squad on game days.
He’s guaranteed $6 million with a combination of base salary and signing bonus.
The rest is for remembering to show up.
THE HAWKS obviously will be thrilled to pay that roster money every week, since it means they’ll have Ansah getting after opposing passers.
There’s good news on that front, too.
It was expected that Ansah would be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list when the Seahawks reported for training camp on Wednesday.
But his name, happily, was missing.
No doubt Ansah will be brought along slowly as he wraps up rehab from that surgery, but the fact that he’s on the active roster right from the start is great news around Seattle — for a couple of reasons, in fact.
The Seahawks were stung last week by the news that defensive tackle Jarran Reed (10 1/2 sacks in 2018) must sit out a six-game suspension for running afoul of the NFL’s “personal conduct policy.”
Reed has been tagged for his participation in an incident at his Bellevue home that occurred in April 2017. He’s accused of an abusive physical encounter with a young woman.
With Reed out for the first six regular-season games, the Seahawks have a problem along the defensive line — so the fact that Ansah is recovering perhaps a bit ahead of schedule is desperately good news.
Seattle has signed 10-year veteran Earl Mitchell, who spent the last two years with the 49ers, as insurance at defensive tackle.
Only Poona Ford is a guaranteed starter at an interior line spot, so Mitchell may well wind up in some sort of rotation until Reed gets back.
THE OTHER reason for the Seahawks to cheer the news about Ansah is that, for the first time in ages, defense could potentially be an issue this year.
Obviously, missing Reed for six games — several of them against high-octane offenses — could mean trouble.
It could matter immensely what Mitchell can add to a tackle group that includes Ford, vet signees Al Woods and Jamie Meder, plus sixth-round pick Demarcus Christmas and undrafted free agents Bryan Mone and Jay-Tee Tiuli.
Pete Carroll is famous for creating defensive magic, and he may have to do it with his safeties as well as that line.
Carroll ?seemed to have a wealth of candidates on the back end, since Bradley McDougal can play either safety position.
Lano Hill and Tedric Thompson are back from last year, and the Seahawks really like draftees Marquise Blair and Ugo Amadi.
Unfortunately, Hill is opening camp on the PUP list. Blair was just activated off the PUP list.
Amadi, whom the staff was hoping might develop into a do-it-all DB playing both safety and nickel back, suddenly may have some serious safety work on his agenda — at least for the time being.
So much for the days of Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and the Legion of Boom.
Gotta do it again, Pete.
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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Steve also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball once monthly during the offseason.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com