The Seahawks defense was atrocious last year in a lot of ways. While their secondary did a solid job locking down the back end, Seattle’s defensive front-seven struggled against the run, could not get pressure and only had one consistent high performer throughout the season.
Good news: Bobby Wagner is back in the center of the defense, and the entire interior defensive line has been turned over with an eye on improving against the run. If they can get a couple of their younger edge rushers to step up, it’ll go a long way towards boosting the pass rush, as well.
Perhaps the biggest x-factor on that score is second-year outside linebacker Boye Mafe. One of the most athletic players on the team, Mafe showed a ton of promise in his preseason debut last year but didn’t see many snaps during the regular season. Looking ahead, Mafe should be seeing the field a lot more in 2023.
For one thing, Alton Robinson is now out of the picture, having been waived just before training camp began. The Seahawks have added another second-round pick in Derick Hall, However, Mafe has a full year’s worth of experience on him and should be higher on the depth chart – at least at the start of the regular season.
Mafe has a fan in head coach Pete Carroll, who says he’s probably the most-improved player on the team from last year.
Pete Carroll said Boye Mafe is probably the most improved player from last year to this year.
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) August 3, 2023
Mafe will likely not be part of the starting defense Week 1. Uchenna Nwosu is locked in as a starter on the other side, and for now Darrell Taylor is still ahead of Mafe in the pecking order.
While Taylor posted 9.5 sacks last season he’s been a liability against the run and his pressure has been inconsistent. If Mafe can show he’s a better run stopper and match Taylor’s potential as a pass rusher he could surpass him sooner rather than later.
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