Tag: alton robinson

Seahawks DE Alton Robinson worked with Cliff Avril this offseason

One of the few bright spots was the performance of second-year defensive end Alton Robinson.

The Seahawks defense was generally putrid against the Raiders last night in their preseason debut. They couldn’t stop the run and somehow made Zay Jones look like a superstar. One of the few bright spots was the performance of second-year defensive end Alton Robinson. He got a few pressures on Nathan Peterman, including a hit that resulted in an interception for safety Ryan Neal. Robinson also looked stout against the run.

Basically, he excelled in every part of the game except when he was asked to carry a receiver all the way downfield for some odd reason. After the game, Robinson said he’s been learning from older players and coaches. He’s also worked with Cliff Avril some this offseason.

Avril was arguably the most underrated piece during Seattle’s peak run, totaling 34.5 sacks from 2013-2017 before a neck injury cut his career short. The more Robinson can learn from him, the better.

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Seahawks Highlights: Ryan Neal picks off pass by Nathan Peterman

Watch safety Ryan Neal pick off a pass from Nathan Peterman thanks to an assist by Alton Robinson’s pressure.

It’s been an ugly first half for the Seahawks against the Raiders. Our first highlight of the evening for Seattle is a defensive one.

Watch safety Ryan Neal pick off a pass from Nathan Peterman thanks to an assist by Alton Robinson’s pressure.

Las Vegas leads 10-0 at the two-minute warning.

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The good, the bad, and the ugly from Seahawks’ win over Cowboys

Seattle’s 38-31 victory over Dallas was anything but boring, and featured both the best and the worst that the Seahawks had to offer.

The Seattle Seahawks entered Week 3 with two wins under their belt and an eagerness to test themselves against the Dallas Cowboys’ potent offense. An eventful 60 minutes later, the Seahawks had triumphed, 38-31, to stand alone atop the NFC West with a perfect 3-0 record. There was good, bad, and even ugliness to be found in just about every aspect of the game – here are just a few things that stood out . . .

THE GOOD

Ability to capitalize: The Seahawks offense in Week 3 was not as effective as it was in Weeks 1 and 2. Although Russell Wilson threw for five touchdowns, three of them to receiver Tyler Lockett, much of Seattle’s momentum was generated from Dallas penalties as opposed to stringing together precise throws or long runs. The Cowboys relinquished 59 yards on 10 flags, one of which negated a Wilson interception and another of which gave Seattle a second shot at a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. In future weeks, the Seahawks cannot rely on the opposing defense to play sloppily; however, Seattle definitively showed on Sunday that this team will find a way to create and take advantage of key opportunities to score.

Alton Robinson: Robinson, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, bullied Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throughout the entire game. The rookie defensive end was responsible for a late-game sack and two tackles for loss in his NFL debut and nearly had more were it not for Prescott’s ability to scamper when needed. The Seahawks will likely be giving Robinson more action in the coming weeks, especially with their noted issues in the pass rush.

THE BAD

Tre Flowers: Flowers, filling in for the injured Quinton Dunbar at cornerback, was only saved from the “ugly” category this week due to an early pass breakup and an extra-point block. The rest of his performance was less than stellar in just about every way: a dropped interception, two (declined) penalties, key missed tackles, and losing Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup on a 43-yard touchdown pass. The Seahawks’ issues in the secondary were only amplified by Flowers’ woes, as Prescott made them pay with 472 passing yards – 294 of which came on 13 throws of 10 or more yards.

THE UGLY

Metcalf’s gaffe: As the first quarter wound down with the score tied 9-9, Russell Wilson unleashed a superb 62-yard bomb to D.K. Metcalf, who trotted towards the end zone for a no-doubt touchdown. The problem –  Cowboys rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was not as far behind as Metcalf had thought. Just before the goal line, Diggs reached his arm out and punched the ball out of Metcalf’s arms, where it bounced through the back of the end zone for a Dallas touchback. Metcalf has been such a prolific pass-catcher for the team that it can be difficult to remember that he is only in his second year as a pro, and thus susceptible to the occasional mental lapse that plagues many young players. This could have been costly for the Seahawks – after all, they only won by seven points – but it is unlikely that Metcalf will make such an error again.

Injuries: Week 3 was no kinder than Week 2 to the Seahawks on the injury front, as a number of key players – headlined by star safety Jamal Adams and running back Chris Carson – had to leave the contest due to various afflictions. In all, six Seahawks missed part or all of the game following injury: Adams (groin), Carson (knee), guard Damien Lewis (ankle), guard Mike Iupati (knee), linebacker Jordyn Brooks (knee), and center Ethan Pocic (knee). Coach Pete Carroll said after the game that the severity of many of the injuries are unknown, although both Iupati and Pocic were able to return to the game.

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Despite losing Clowney, Carroll likes Seahawks’ speed on the outside

Despite failing to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, coach Pete Carroll likes the Seattle Seahawks’ speed on the outside and pass-rush possibilities.

The Seattle Seahawks lost out on the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes when he signed a deal with the Tennessee Titans over the weekend. That being said, Seattle did make some moves over the offseason that coach Pete Carroll hopes will help with the team’s pass-rushing efforts.

In particular, Seattle brought back former Seahawks Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa and drafted rookies Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson.

“I sure like our speed on the outside,” Carroll told reporters during his Monday press conference. “All of our guys have had numbers, they’ve got number to bring with them. To bring 16 sacks to us just in Benson and in Bruce, that’s a real positive. Our guys last year didn’t add up anywhere near that, so that’s a positive, and hopefully we can enhance their play.”

Carroll also mentioned veteran Jarran Reed, who got a late start last season due to his suspension over the first six games of the year.

“We really would like to see J-Reed come back to his number somewhere near what he did a couple years ago,” Carroll said. “He had kind of a stilted beginning last season. Now that he’s back and he’s in great shape and ready to go, if he can get his numbers anywhere near where he was to add to it, we can be in good shape.”

The Seahawks return to practice Wednesday to prepare to face the Falcons on Sunday to open their regular season.

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Failure to land Jadeveon Clowney creates uncertainty for D-line in 2020

The Seattle Seahawks’ failure to land free agent, Jadeveon Clowney, creates uncertainty for the defensive line heading into the 2020 season.

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:

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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Branden Jackson could be cap casualty for Seahawks

Branden Jackson is under contract for $2.13 million, money the Seahawks could look to use elsewhere after making multiple additions at DE.

The Seattle Seahawks have a full 90-man roster and limited cap space remaining after recently finalizing contracts for Bruce Irvin, Carlos Hyde and Geno Smith.

However, that doesn’t mean they are done signing folks in free agency. And with plenty of talented players still available on the open market, the Seahawks could definitely find ways to shed some salary in order to make an addition or two before camp is set to begin in late July.

One way they could do so is by cutting veteran defensive end Branden Jackson. Jackson signed his restricted free agent tender back in April, bringing him back to the Seahawks and paying him $2.13 million in 2020.

While that’s not a huge some of money by any means, it would give the team slightly more wiggle room if they wanted to pursue a defensive tackle like Mike Daniels or Damon Harrison.

Jackson appeared in 15 games last year, recording 20 combined tackles, two passes defended and two sacks as a reserve five-tech. Seattle has yet to make a big signing to bolster their pass rush, but the additions of Irvin, Benson Mayowa and two draft picks: Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, may be enough to push Jackson out of the rotation.

If Jackson cannot earn a spot over the newcomers, as well as returners like L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green, then Seattle will likely cut ties in order to use that cap space elsewhere.

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Why Troy’s Marcus Webb could make the Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of depth at five-tech, but former Troy star Marcus Webb could sneak onto the roster with a good camp.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg, and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

In fact, defensive tackles have been a recent source of success on the undrafted market, with Ford and Bryan Mone both making the team last year.

They have a handful of guys to choose from if they want an undrafted defensive lineman three years in a row, and one of them is former Troy University defensive end Marcus Webb.

Webb was a monster in his final season with the Trojans, leading the Sun Belt conference with seven sacks. His size (six-foot-three, 279 pounds) likely limits him to five-tech duty, as he is too small to line up on the interior and doesn’t have the requisite skills to be a LEO.

Five-tech is a position currently occupied by some combination of Benson Mayowa, Rasheem Green and L.J. Collier, with rookie Alton Robinson and Branden Jackson on hand as well.

While some of those guys will occasionally rotate inside on passing downs, it does appear to be pretty crowded at the moment.

However – the Seahawks will definitely have a close eye on Webb, and considering his performance in college, even in a not-so-great conference, there’s reason to believe he could work his way onto an expanded practice squad in 2020.

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Seahawks unwilling to match previous offer to Jadeveon Clowney

The Seattle Seahawks appear set to only bring Jadeveon Clowney back into the mix if he takes an offer lower than their previous one.

Neither Jadeveon Clowney or the Seattle Seahawks have closed the door on a reunion, but after nearly six weeks of being on the open market it is looking less and less likely that the big time defensive end will be back in the green and blue next season.

In fact, Clowney’s waiting has actually lowered the price Seattle is willing to pay for his services, a league source told ESPN’s Brady Henderson on Wednesday.

Clowney originally wanted a contract in the $21 million dollar range annually, with the asking price reportedly dropping to roughly $17 million last month.

Seattle does not currently have an offer on the table, according to Henderson, after Clowney rejected their latest.

The team has roughly $21 million in cap space at the moment, but that does not include the contract of Bruce Irvin, which has yet to be finalized, as well as other potential costs against the cap.

Additionally, general manager John Schneider has made it very clear he hopes to have additional cap space available to them during the season.

“We have to be careful with our budget and our salary cap because as you guys have seen, we take pride in our ability to work with the coaches and try to build our team throughout the season,” Schneider said in a radio interview shortly after the draft. “This thing doesn’t stop when you get to 53. It doesn’t stop after the draft. There will be cap casualty guys out there throughout the offseason. What you don’t want to do is bring yourself right to the point where you’re not able to add players that are all of the sudden available on the market that you didn’t see coming.”

Although Clowney indicated he is interested in a return, and Schneider has not shut the door, the team opted to move on with their offseason by signing Irvin and Benson Mayowa, two guys who combined for 15.5 sacks last year.

Irvin and Mayowa join Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, the two edge defenders Seattle selected in the NFL draft.

Factoring in the team’s confidence in L.J. Collier and Rasheem Green next season, the Seahawks could ultimately decide to move forward with who they already have on the roster, outside of maybe making their customary veteran addition on the interior defensive line.

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A look at where Alton Robinson fits along Seahawks defensive line

Alton Robinson posted gaudy sack totals in college, but will that production translate into a productive NFL career for the Seahawks?

The Seattle Seahawks decided to double up on defensive ends in the 2020 NFL draft, using a second rounder on Darrell Taylor and taking a shot at Syracuse’s Alton Robinson in the fifth.

However, Robinson was a perfectly logical gamble for John Schneider and the staff to take, as he posted gaudy sack totals during his two years at Syracuse – and his top of the line athleticism and explosiveness off the edge should translate at the next level.

“I’m really fired up that we were able to get Alton [Robinson] where we got him,” coach Pete Carroll said after the draft. “He’s got the ability and the production to do stuff like guys that were picked quite a bit higher. We were fortunate to get that done.”

However, with Taylor and Robinson joining newcomers Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa, the team seems to already have a lot of bodies along the defensive edge – and that’s not even including a potential big addition like Jadeveon Clowney or Everson Griffen.

So where does that leave Robinson in year one? Well, fifth round defensive ends aren’t usually expected to have big roles on the defense right away, and Robinson’s lack of length (his 32 3/8 inch arms are the shortest the Seahawks have ever drafted at DE) will likely limit him to being a situational pass rusher right off the bat.

Eventually, Robinson has the tools to settle into a backup DE role, much like the role Mayowa is expected to fill this year, and the role Branden Jackson has had for the past few seasons.

Robinson may never be a star, but a quality pass rusher who generates pressure in a limited role is a perfectly fine result for a fifth round pick, and one that seems easily attainable for Robinson.

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Seahawks in communication with free agent Everson Griffen

The Seattle Seahawks recently had communication with free agent defensive end Everson Griffen, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The Seattle Seahawks have taken multiple steps to address their depleted pass rush ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

However, after bringing the old band back together with the signings of Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa, and selecting two LEO type edge rushers in Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, the team still has not made the big free agent splash the fans are hoping for.

Jadeveon Clowney remains the most logical target, but despite repeated offers from the Seahawks, he has chosen to wait out the market to see if his asking price will be met.

General Manager John Schneider made it clear the door is not shut on a Clowney return, but indicated the team has to move on. Moving on apparently includes having conversations with the second most notable defensive end on the open market, Everson Griffen.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, speaking on the radio at 950 KJR, the Seahawks have had recent communication with Griffen, but not with Clowney.

Griffen is a 10-year veteran who recorded eight sacks and 24 quarterback hits at age 32 last year, making his fourth Pro Bowl appearance.

He would very clearly be an improvement for the Seahawks off the edge, and his size lines up with what the team looks for at the five-tech position – an area of need after Quinton Jefferson’s departure.

Seattle has the cap space and the need to acquire Griffen, and a reunion with coach Pete Carroll, who coached him at USC, could be just what the doctor ordered for both Griffen and the Seahawks in 2020.

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