The Seattle Seahawks notably had one of the worst defensive lines in the NFL last season, ranking dead last out of 32 teams according to Pro Football Focus. As such, fans were expecting to see the Seahawks make some significant changes to the unit over the offseason, particularly in the pass rush – first, however, they had to re-sign defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who was a force to be reckoned with in the 15 total games that he played with the team in 2019.
Although the ups and downs of Clowney’s free agency saga lasted all the way until final roster cuts on Saturday, when he agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with the Titans that also includes up to a further $3 million in incentives. According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Seahawks continued to call late into the evening:
This is true. The Seahawks were calling late too. There's definitely a whole lot more to how they were attempting to potentially get Clowney back last night too, but I'll leave it at that. https://t.co/gWOWbDf41k
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 6, 2020
Even before the Clowney news broke, the Seahawks needed to make some major moves if they hoped to bolster their defensive line before the start of the 2020 season – after all, their pass rush wasn’t the only thing that needed adjusting, as Seattle placed No. 22 in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (117.3). The current defensive line roster as of Sept. 6, 2020, is as follows:
DE L.J. Collier
DE Rasheem Green
DE Benson Mayowa
DE Damontre Moore
DE Alton Robinson
DT Poona Ford
DT Bryan Mone
DT Jarran Reed
Reserve/Injured: DE Branden Jackson
Reserve/Non-Football Injury: DE Darrell Taylor
The Seahawks will be placing more of an emphasis on their defensive backs this year with the increased implementation of the nickel defense, but a strong effort at the line of scrimmage will nonetheless prove vital in a make-or-break situation.
Of the Seahawks’ current defensive linemen, only Green and Ford saw more than 500 defensive snaps last season in Seattle. Currently, the plan for the defensive line appears to rely on hoping that somebody – 2019 first-round draft pick L.J. Collier, perhaps, or 2020 fifth-round pick Alton Robinson – will step up to the plate to provide that much-needed consistency in the trenches.
That may very well happen, yet banking on the wait-and-see approach – particularly after letting a stud like Clowney walk – may make fans question the Seahawks’ commitment to addressing the team’s definitive weaknesses.
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