Last season, the Seattle Seahawks broke from their norm and made a splash into free agency. They signed former Denver Broncos defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones to a lucrative three-year, $51 million contract. With that kind of cash, the expectations were certainly high for Jones to make an impact.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks did not get much of a return on investment. At least, not in year one. Jones was not terrible, but he was hardly the difference maker you’d expect from a defensive lineman with a contract such as his. Jones only had 4.5 sacks and 26 solo tackles.
Still, there is plenty of hope for Jones to turn it around in 2024. Head coach Mike Macdonald is reportedly planning to use Jones in a much more versatile way than he did last year, per Brady Henderson of ESPN. According to Henderson, Macdonald’s new scheme in Seattle won’t be a “copy-and-paste version of the scheme he coordinated in Baltimore over the last two seasons” but rather an amalgamation of several concepts.
Assistant general manager Nolan Teasley, quoted in the article linked, spoke to this desire to move players and pieces around the defense, specifically highlighting Jones.
“I know a player that we’re really excited about, that they’re excited about moving around is Dre’Mont Jones because of his ability off the edge,” Teasley said, “his ability to rush anywhere from the three-technique to the six, maybe even out to the nine.”
It is no secret Seattle’s defense has been attrocious the last few seasons. What has made the struggles far more frustrating has been the fact this defense is not bereft of talent. They may not have as many difference making playmakers like San Francisco, but the cupboard has hardly been bare. This leads me to the belief the issues were more rooted in coaching and scheming players to be in the right fit.
Hopefully, Macdonald will be able to sort these issues out, and be able to truly utlize the potential of players like Dre’Mont Jones.
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