Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Seahawks' signing of former Carolina guard Mike Wahle looks like a calculated gamble that Wahle can bounce back from whatever hurt his play last season. Wahle has had some shoulder issues.

While researching a story late in the season, I spoke with a scout who had studied Wahle very closely. The scout said he thought Wahle had lost strength to the point of no longer being an effective player. Wahle was already undersized by NFL standards, having beefed up well beyond his natural weight.

The Seahawks view Wahle as a likely starter at left guard, a player who will help stabilize their front under new line coach Mike Solari. They might be right. But the Panthers weren't exactly flush with great offensive linemen, and they still cut Wahle. What would you rather have? A productive and experienced starting guard who knows the system, or an extra $4 million in cap space?

Wahle's contract now counts about $3.1 million against Carolina's 2008 and 2009 caps, instead of about $7.2 million and $8.2 million, respectively.

The savings helped the Panthers re-sign other players more comfortably. But the move also clearly reflects a belief that Wahle isn't what they want in a starter. The Seahawks disagreed.

I would expect Seattle's line to show improvement either way. The Seahawks have good enough talent, but Chris Spencer and Rob Sims in particular seemed to regress. Adding one of the league's best line coaches could prove to be Seattle's most important free-agent addition of the offseason.