If there’s one thing to criticize on this 11-3 Seattle Seahawks team this season, it has been the pass rush.
Despite offseason acquisitions of Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah, not to mention first round pick L.J. Collier, Seattle has struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long.
Some of that can be attributed to Seattle’s coverage scheme, which allows short, quick passes to be completed, but regardless it has been a disappointing season in that area.
One of the few bright spots has been the emergence of Rasheem Green, a 2018 third round pick who has taken what Pete Carroll likes to call the second-year leap in 2019.
Green is leading the Seahawks with four sacks, along with 20 combined tackles, three forced fumbles and one pass defended.
“He’s doing great,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “I’m just happy that he’s been such a factor now. He’s really playing consistently at run and pass, which is great. Forcing fumbles and being active in the backfield rushing the passer. He’s playing multiple spots. He’s grown into it. He’s a big part of what we’re doing, and I’m really fired up for him.”
Green has lined up off the edge and occasionally as an interior defensive tackle this season – versatility that was a big part of why Carroll and company wanted him coming out of the draft.
Still just 22 years old, Green is younger than many of Seattle’s current rookies, making his progress this season all the more impressive.
“I think when you have younger players, consistency day in and day out, and play after play, usually is an issue,” defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. said on Wednesday. “He’s at a point now where he understands how to be a good player. He likes it, and he knows the routine you have to go through in order to show up each and every week. He’s a guy, if you were to talk to the d-line person by person, if there was one guy they liked where he’s been and where he is now, Rasheem [Green] is a guy they like playing with.”
Green’s emergence as a weapon all across the defensive line has given Seattle a big boost this year, and his continued growth could make him a potential Pro Bowl caliber player in the near future.
For now, he’ll be counted on in a big way on Sunday against the Cardinals, with both Ansah and Clowney still nursing injuries.
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