The BBH/Big Hitter's Scouting Report: Seahawks' Defense

[bighitterdalama]

Seattle Seahawks Defense

Clint Hurtt is in his first season as defensive coordinator. He replaced long time Seahawks DC Ken Norton Jr. Norton, a close friend of Pete Carroll, was let go due to three straight years of subpar defense. In 2019-2021, the Seahawks' D finished, respectively, 26th, 22nd, and 28th in total yardage. In 2021, the Seahawks yielded 379.1 yards/game and had only 32 sacks (tied for 23). They also had only 18 takeaways, the team's lowest yearly total in the Pete Carroll era. The 43-year-old Hurtt, who had served the previous four years as the Seahawks defensive line/assistant head coach, was charged with installing a 3-4 defense designed to lower the yards/game average while increasing the sack and turnover numbers.

The transition did not go smoothly. Norton had run a traditional 4-3 defense with a Cover 3 shell, a defense that Seattle had used since Pete Carroll's arrival in 2010. As such, the Seattle defensive personnel were neither used to playing nor best suited to a 3-4. To complicate matters, Hurtt installed a traditional two-gap 3-4 system that was foreign to the one-gap assignments to which the players were accustomed. Leaks sprung big and often, culminating in Weeks 4 and 5 debacles against Detroit and New Orleans where the defense gave up a combined 84 points and 958 yards. Through five games, the Seattle defense, particularly the run defense, was in a shambles. Hurtt, with the help of a closed-door players meeting, made wide-scale adjustments. He dumped most of the two-gap "read-and-react" assignments in favor of the more familiar one gap responsibilities. On run downs, he re-installed the "Bear" defensive front, setting the nose tackle and defensive ends in a "3-0-3" alignment with the edge/OLBs as five or seven techs. He replaced starting weakside edge/OLB Darrell Taylor, who was getting destroyed on run downs and also couldn't cover anybody, with the sturdier and more reliable Boye Mafe. Hurtt relegated Taylor to his better suited role as a situational pass rusher. Hurtt also replaced starting strong safety Josh Jones with Ryan Neal. Jones, who had assumed the starting role after All-World SS Jamaal Adams suffered a Week 1 season-ending knee injury, simply hadn't been up to the task, playing poorly in both run and pass defense. Neal, on the other hand, has played very well in both capacities. Overall, the defense has responded to these changes. In the past two weeks, they have yielded a total of 30 points with an average of 322 yards/game, with 9 sacks for minus 68 yards and four turnovers.

This doesn't mean the Seahawks have junked the 3-4; they have not. Positionally, they average 2.4 defensive lineman/play (0.68 nose tackles, 1.72 DT/DEs), 1.97 edge/OLBs, 1.77 ILBs, 2.70 corners, and 2.17 safeties. They are now playing a more aggressive five-man front on run downs, with the two inside linebackers covering inside gaps, usually assisted by the strong safety and/or slot corner. Pressure is usually generated by a four-man rush. ILB and DB pressures total 73 snaps, while edge drop backs total 81. D linemen do not drop in to coverage (only once all year). The back blitzes mostly come from the inside linebackers (46 total, with Brooks with 28 and Barton 16), while the safeties have blitzed 16 times (Neal 10) and the corners 11 (Bryant 8). Coverage-wise, I see the corners mostly off the line in zone coverage with not much m2m, safeties in a Cover 1 mixed with Cover 3, but also with some Cover 2, particularly on passing downs. Overall, I see a roll up zone with either a five-man under shell and a Cover 2 deep or a four-man under shell with a Cover 3 deep shell.

Defensive Line

The Seahawks rotate two nose tackles who split playing time 50/50. The listed starter is 35-year-old Al Woods, a 2010 fourth-round pick from LSU. In 165 snaps, Woods has 20 tackles (14 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one pass defended, and three QB hits. He earns PFF grades of 64.0 (run)/63.4 (pass rush)/64.3 (overall), ranking him 46 out of 117 qualifying defensive tackles. Woods rotates Bryan Mone, a 2019 UDFA from Michigan. In 168 snaps, Mone has 16 tackles (9 solo), 1 TFL, and one QB hit. He scores 55.7 (run)/65.0 (pass rush)/57.7 (overall), for a ranking of 63/117. Poona Ford, a 2018 UDFA from Texas, rotates along the line in zero, three, and four tech alignments. Bowling ball-shaped at 5'11"/310, Ford is nonetheless a useful and versatile player in both run and pass situations. Year-to-date, he has 16 tackles (12 solo), 3 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 2 PDs, and 2 QB hits. He shows PFF grades of 54.1/61.8/56.5.

The Seahawks rotate three players at three tech DT/five tech DE. 31-year-old Shelby Harris came to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson trade. Originally a 2014 seventh-round pick of the Raiders, Harris played five seasons in Denver, recording 6 sacks in 2021. Year-to-date, in 214 snaps, Harris has 16 tackles (8 solo), 3 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 2 PDs, and 2 QB hits. His PFF grades are 67.0 (run)/66.6 (pass rush)/71.5 (overall), ranking 26 out of 117. Quinton Jefferson, who played his first four seasons for the Seahawks, returned this season to Seattle after a two-year hiatus split between Buffalo and Las Vegas. In 270 snaps, Jefferson has 16 tackles (9 solo), 3 TFL, 3.0 sacks, and 6 QB hits. He grades poorly against the run (40.9), middling as a pass rusher (59.2), with an overall grade of 50.5 (88/117). Myles Adams, a 2020 UDFA from Rice, has played 85 snaps, including 30 snaps last week against the Chargers. He has 4 tackle assists and one QB hit, with PFF grades of 55.8/71/5/66.7.

Edge/Outside Linebackers

Seattle began the year with Darrell Taylor, a 2020 second-round pick from Tennessee, starting at weakside edge/OLB. Taylor proved to be awful in both run defense and in pass coverage.  His poor play in these areas caused him to lose the starting job to rookie Boye Mafe. Taylor is now utilized as a situational pass rusher, a position in which he has played well. Year-to-date, Taylor, in 291 snaps, has 13 tackles (all solo), with 3 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 4 QB hits, 3 forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Taylor grades 36.6 (run), 70.2 (pass rush) 33.7 (coverage), with an overall grade of 48.1.  Mafe, a second-round pick from Minnesota, plays predominantly, but not exclusively, on run downs. In 192 snaps, Mafe has 23 tackles (17 solo), 1 TFL, 1.0 sacks, and 2 QB hits. He grades 69.9 (run)/54.1 (pass rush)/51.6 (coverage)/61.7 (overall). Strong side edge/OLB Uchenna Nwosu has been solid in all phases. With 392 snaps, he has 29 tackles (16 solo), with 4 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 3 PDs, 10 QB hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He grades 73.3 (run)/69.0 (pass rush)/61.5 (coverage)/69.5 (overall).

Lower on the depth chart is 31-year-old veteran Christian Jones. Active for the past two games, he has registered 2 tackles on 20 defensive snaps. Backup edge Darryl Johnson suffered a Week 4 ankle injury that landed him on the IR. Prior to the injury, in 52 snaps, Johnson had 4 tackles (2 solo), one TFL, and one QB hit, with an overall PFF grade of 57.5. To replace Johnson, the Seahawks signed 35-year-old veteran Bruce Irvin. An integral member of the Seahawks early 2010s' "Legion of Doom," Irvin is in his third go-around with Seattle. Elevated to the active roster for last week's Chargers game, Irvin played 24 snaps, registering 2 tackles. If nothing else, Irvin brings experience and direction to what is clearly a young and evolving defense.

Inside Linebackers

Left inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks, a 2020 first-round pick from Texas Tech, is a solid all-around backer. Brooks almost never comes off the field, having played 490 out of a possible 492 defensive snaps. A tackling machine, he has to-date 73 tacklers (48 solo), 1 pass defended, 2 QB hits, 1 forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. His PFF grades are 69.3 in run defense, 64.0 for pass rush, 50.8 in coverage, and 59.8 overall, ranking him 42nd of 78 qualifying ILBs. Starting at right inside linebacker is Cody Barton, a 2019 third-round pick from Utah. Barton has played 370 (75%) of the defensive snaps. He currently has 53 tackles (32 solo), 2 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 1 PD, and one QB hit. Barton, whose play was not good early in the season, is playing better of late. He grades 55.1 in run defense, 62.4 in pass rush, 47.5 in coverage, and 59.8 overall (ranked 66 of 78). Nick Bellore is the top back up. Primarily a specialty teams ace (144 snaps on STs), he has 9 defensive snaps, earning an obviously bloated overall grade of 80.8. Bellore is on concussion protocol and has been ruled out for Sunday.

Cornerbacks

Starting left cornerback is fourth-year player Michael Jackson. A 2019 fifth-round pick by Dallas, the U of Miami alum bounced around for three seasons on the practice squads of Detroit, New England and Seattle, playing in only four games total. Jackson, who came close to not making this season's 53-man cutdown, has, mostly by default, emerged as a starting edge corner. He has started all seven games, playing 432 defensive snaps. Jackson has 27 tackles (26 solo), 2 TFL, 4 PDs, and one fumble recovery. He grades 55.0 in coverage, a fine 78.4 against the run, 57.7 pass rush (only 2 pass rushes to date), and an overall grade of 59.7. He ranks 64 out of 105 qualifying corners. Starting opposite Jackson is rookie Tariq Woolen, a fifth-round pick from UT-San Antonio. Woolen, who has played 473 out of a possible 492 snaps, has been a very pleasant surprise. To date, Woolen, a big corner at 6'4"/205, has 24 tackles (20 solo), 2 TFL, 6 passes defended, 3 QB hits, and 4 interceptions, including one 40-yard interception return for a touchdown. He grades 72.3 in coverage/63.3 run defense/72.0 overall, ranking 23rd of 105. Starting at slot corner is the electric rookie Coby Bryant, a fourth-round pick from Cincinnati. A dynamic if improving playmaker, Bryant, who plays all over the defensive front, has played 306 total defensive snaps. He has 28 tackles (19 solo), 2 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 1 PD, 2 QB hits, and 4 forced fumbles. He grades 60.9 coverage/48.6 run support/57.5 pass rush/ and 57.0 overall, ranking 70 out of 105.

Seattle has several backup corners who have seen playing time. Artie Burns, a 2016 first-round pick of the Steelers, was likely the original plan as starter until he suffered a groin injury during camp. That injury has limited him to a season total of just 16 snaps, all in Week 5 against New Orleans. Burns, whose health has improved each week, did have a full practice Thursday and may see action against the Giants. Justin Coleman, a 2015 UDFA from Tennessee, played 51 snaps in Week 1 against Denver. He has since played in only 2 games, all on special teams. Against the Broncos, he earned a 54.3 cover grade/57.2 overall. To date, he has six total tackles (3 solo). Former Eagle Sidney Jones, a 2017 second-round pick from Washington, has, career-wise, been a disappointment. This season, he has played 45 defensive snaps over three games, recording 5 tackles (four solo), with an overall grade of 58.3.

Safeties

Seattle's defense took a huge hit when All Pro strong safety Jamaal Adams suffered a season-ending knee/quad injury just 15 plays into the Week 1 win over Denver. Josh Jones, a 2017 second-round pick from North Carolina State, took Adams spot at SS. Jones started Weeks 1-5, recording stats of 22 tackles (18 solo), 1 PD, and 1 QB hit. Jones' overall play was poor. To date, over 298 snaps, he posts PFF grades of 49.5 for coverage, 51.4 in run defense, and 64.9 in pass rush. His overall grade of 48.8 ranks him 75 out of 85 qualifying safeties. After the Week 5 debacle against New Orleans, DC Clint Hurtt decided to bench Jones in favor of Ryan Neal. The change has been dramatic. Now with 261 snaps, Neal has 23 tackles (16 solo), 1 TFL, 6 PDs, 1 interception, and 1 QB hit. His PFF scores of 78.6 (coverage), 57.0 (run defense), and 58.6 (pass rush) yields an overall grade of 75.5, ranking 16th out of 85 qualifying safeties. Free safety Quandre Diggs, a 2015 sixth-round pick from Texas, has played all 492 defensive snaps. Diggs' play has been solid, scoring grades of 60.6 (coverage)/65.5 (run support) and 61.7 (overall). To date he has 33 tackles (22 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 forced fumble. He ranks 53 out of 85 qualifying safeties.

Special Teams

T.J. Lockett was once an All-Pro kick returner, but in recent years his role in that capacity has diminished. Lockett, who has three career touchdown returns, now splits punt return duties with Xavier Crawford. Lockett has a single return for 7 yards; Crawford one return for zero yards. Dee Jay Dallas is the primary kickoff returner. He has 9 returns for 196 yards, a 21.8 average, with a long of 30 yards. D'wayne Eskridge has 2 kickoff returns for 45 yards, a 22.5 average, with a long of 25 yards. 31-year-old veteran Jason Myers is the kicker. To date, Myers has hit 15/16 field goals (3/3 on kicks of 50+) and has made 18/19 extra points. 26-year-old punter Michael Dickson has 21 punts. He has a gross average 48.8 and a net average of 44.4. He has had 7 punts inside the 20, 1 touchback, and 6 fair catches, with a return average of 7.2 Y/R.

[Jclayton92]

Great work 👍