Seahawks Lose Two Starters

Yet another hole popped open in the Seattle Seahawks’ free-agency dike.

Ray Donaldson, the team’s 36-year-old center, signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. That surprising news has the Seahawks scrambling to try to sign former New York Jets center Jim Sweeney, who arrives in town today for a visit.

Donaldson’s departure marks the seventh starter to leave through either free agency, waivers or expansion. Left open are starting jobs at receiver, tight end, defensive end, center, middle linebacker and kicker. On Monday, the Seahawks lost cornerback Patrick Hunter to the Arizona Cardinals, but he had been replaced by Corey Harris, a backup formerly of the Green Bay Packers.

“We’ll still be fine by the end of the free agency period,” coach Dennis Erickson said. “Ray’s a good football player, but we’ve developed some options. We can try to get Sweeney.”