Tag: Bryan Mone

Why Iowa’s Cedrick Lattimore could make Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks are thin on interior defensive tackles, and former Iowa star Cedrick Lattimore is a candidate to steal a roster spot.

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, the Seahawks had an interior defensive tackle make the roster as an undrafted free agent two years in a row, as Ford was followed by Michigan’s Bryan Mone in 2019, who appeared in four games for the Seahawks.

If they are going to keep the streak of undrafted defensive tackles alive, hope likely rests on Iowa’s Cedrick Lattimore.

Lattimore is a beastly six-foot-three and 295 pounds. He started all 13 games for the Hawkeyes last year, recording 44 combined tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four QB pressures and a fumble recovery.

He also won the Iowa Coaches Appreciation Award on defense, and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten as well.

Lattimore’s path to a roster spot is less crowded than many other UDFA, simply because Seattle has a lot less interior defensive linemen standing in the way.

Jarran Reed and Poona Ford will start on the inside, and right now the third DT spot is an open competition between Mone, Demarcus Christmas and the two undrafted guys, Lattimore and Josh Avery.

Seattle is expected to sign a run-stuffing veteran, potentially Mike Daniels or Damon Harrison, but if they opt to use that money elsewhere than Lattimore could contend for a spot on the opening day roster, extending Seattle’s streak of hitting on undrafted defensive tackles to three years in a row.

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Will Bryan Mone make an impact for Seahawks in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks only have three defensive tackles with NFL experience on their roster, and one of them is Bryan Mone.

The Seattle Seahawks biggest area of need between now and the start of the 2020 regular season is along their defensive line.

While most will focus on the lack of a big name pass rusher, this team is also severely lacking depth on the interior defensive line. After losing Al Woods to free agency and cutting Nazair Jones, Seattle is left with Demarcus Christmas, Bryan Mone and two undrafted free agents – Cedrick Lattimore and Josh Avery – as options to backup Jarran Reed and Poona Ford.

The Seahawks almost always sign a veteran defensive tackle to serve as the No. 3 lineman, and there are still plenty of options left on the open market, including Mike Daniels, Damon Harrison, and Brandon MeBane.

However – if the team opts to save some cap space and go with internal options instead, perhaps the most likely candidate to win the job outright is Mone, an undrafted free agent who joined the team last May.

Mone is a hulking presence, standing six-foot-three and weighing a whopping 366 pounds. He made the team out of camp last year in part thanks to Reed’s six-game suspension. He ended up pinballing between the practice squad and the active roster, appearing in four games and 89 total defensive snaps.

He didn’t do much with the opportunities he was given, recording just three combined tackles and one pressure, but he is the only other DT on the roster outside of Reed and Ford with any NFL experience.

Christmas was a sixth round pick by the team in 2019, but he missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. Lattimore and Avery are both camp fodder, and while either could impress, the odds of making the team with such a limited window of exposure to the coaching staff thanks to COVID-19 are even trickier this season – giving Mone the upper hand.

Mone is the best bet for that No. 3 tackle role on the roster as things currently stand, but it would be a surprise if this team didn’t aggressively pursue a veteran upgrade on the interior over the next few weeks.

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Should the Seahawks pursue defensive tackle Mike Daniels?

The Seattle Seahawks target a veteran defensive tackle late in free agency, and Mike Daniels and his pass rushing acumen are a perfect fit.

Every year, the Seattle Seahawks find a veteran, run-stuffing defensive tackle late in the free agency period to serve as their no. 3 tackle in the middle.

After Al Woods signed elsewhere in free agency, and Seattle did not select a defensive tackle during the draft, it looks like the plan is once again to find a replacement on the open market.

However, considering Seattle’s desperate need for more pass rush, perhaps they’ll look for a veteran defensive tackle who is less of a run-stuffer and more of a pass rusher to help them in that regard.

If that’s the case, Seattle should be on the phones with the representatives of Mike Daniels, a longtime Packers defensive tackle who played last year with the Lions.

Daniels, who turns 31 on May 5, is an eight year veteran who has 235 combined tackles and 30 sacks to his name, along with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2017.

He only appeared in nine games with Detroit last year, thanks to injuries, but he still managed a very solid 70.1 grade from Pro Football Focus – a sign there is plenty left in the tank.

The Seahawks have Jarran Reed and Poona Ford pencilled in to start on the interior, with Demarcus Christmas, Nazair Jones and Bryan Mone competing for backup spots.

An addition like Daniels would immediately bolster the depth up front, while giving Seattle another potential pass rushing threat – which they sorely need.

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Seattle Seahawks finalize 4 signings ahead of 2020 NFL draft

The Seahawks finalized the signings of Bruce Irvin, Joey Hunt, Branden Jackson and Bryan Mone on Thursday, a few hours before the NFL draft.

The Seattle Seahawks continued to make some of their previously announced signings official, reporting the signing of veteran Bruce Irvin and the re-signing of three players from last year’s squad: center Joey Hunt, defensive end Branden Jackson and defensive tackle Bryan Mone.

Irvin’s signing was initially reported in mid-March. The veteran pass rusher was with the Seahawks from 2012-2015 after the team made him their first pick in the 2012 NFL draft, ahead of Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson.

Irvin spent time with the Raiders, Falcons and Panthers after that, but will return to Seattle in a strongside linebacker role, while doing some pass rushing in applicable situations as well.

Hunt and Jackson were both restricted free agents who officially signed their tenders earlier this week. Hunt will compete at center, where he has been the backup since 2016 – even starting eight games last year in Justin Britt’s absence.

Jackson is a reserve defensive end who had two sacks last year and will look to make the team in a similar role again in 2020.

Mone was signed as an undrafted free agent last year, and played sparingly as an interior defensive tackle. He will compete for the snaps vacated by Al Woods this offseason.

The NFL draft will kick off at 5:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 23, and the Seahawks presently own one pick, No. 27 overall, in the first round.

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Will Seahawks defensive lineman Nazair Jones reappear in 2020?

Nazair Jones saw his playing time dip from 2017 to 2018, and then he missed all of 2019 with a knee injury. What can we expect in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks finished the 2019 season among the worst pass rushing teams in the NFL, an issue that impacted them all year long despite an 11-5 record.

While the team added a pair of veterans in Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa, they also lost Quinton Jefferson to free agency, and have yet to pull the trigger on any of the big name pass rushers on the market, including Jadeveon Clowney, Matthew Judon, Everson Griffen and Yannick Ngakoue.

The draft is almost certainly an avenue the Seahawks will explore to improve the team’s pass rush, but they also have some in-house options that could step up and contribute meaningful snaps in 2020 – including 2017 third round pick Nazair Jones.

Jones has steadily declined since his strong debut in 2017, which saw him appear in 11 games, making two starts, while recording 19 combined tackles, two sacks and an interception. He only appeared in nine games in 2018, making just seven combined tackles, and then missed the entire 2019 season with a knee injury.

Prior to going on the shelf, Jones was reportedly transitioning from three-tech to five-tech, a move that should give him added flexibility for a Seahawks defense that could use it. It also means he probably wasn’t getting the job done on the interior, which isn’t a great sign.

Jones will have to compete with Jarran Reed, Poona Ford, Bryan Mone and Demarcus Christmas for a job on the inside, and the Seahawks are almost certainly going to add to that mix via free agency and/or the NFL draft.

The five-tech spot is currently occupied by some combination of Benson Mayowa, Rasheem Green, L.J. Collier, Branden Jackson and Bruce Irvin – with more additions likely to come there as well.

Jones doesn’t have a clear path to a roster spot at the moment, but his 2017 performance was good enough to earn him another chance this summer – and if he looks healthy and displays some of that aggression and instinct we saw from him back then, he could be a dark horse candidate for rotational snaps in 2020.

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Will Demarcus Christmas make an impact for Seahawks in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks need a backup defensive tackle in 2020, and 2019 sixth rounder Demarcus Christmas could be an in-house option.

The Seattle Seahawks made 11 selections in the 2019 NFL draft, and the majority of them made an appearance for the team during the regular season.

However, one who did not is defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas, a sixth rounder out of Florida State who was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list during training camp and was never activated, costing him the entire season.

Christmas was selected by Seattle for his versatility, with coach Pete Carroll excited about his ability to play over the center (0-tech) and over the guard (three-tech).

Christmas is healthy now, and will have a chance to compete for a spot on the defensive line. Jarran Reed and Poona Ford will be the starters, with Nazair Jones and Bryan Mone competing with Christmas for a backup spot.

However, Mone didn’t impress in his brief NFL action last year, and Jones was transitioned to five-tech before missing all of 2019 with a knee injury.

Christmas is probably nothing more than a backup run-stuffer, even at his peak, but that’s a role Seattle needs to fill next season, and his emergence would be a welcome development for a team in need of more bodies in the trenches.

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Seahawks bring back 2 more exclusive rights free agents

The Seattle Seahawks bring back DT Bryan Mone and DB Ryan Neal, leaving four of their eight exclusive rights free agents still unsigned.

The Seattle Seahawks tendered four of their eight exclusive rights free agents on Tuesday, ensuring they will be in the fold for the 2020 season.

In addition to the previously reported Malik Turner and Jordan Roos signings, the Seahawks also tendered defensive back Ryan Neal and defensive tackle Bryan Mone.

That leaves four other exclusive rights free agents – guard Jordan Simmons, linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee, tight end Tyrone Swoopes and defensive back Jeremy Boykins – all without a contract for now.

Neal, 24, appeared in three games for the Seahawks last year, only appearing on special teams. A former Southern Illinois defensive back who spent 2018 with the Falcons, Neal is a long (six-foot-three) DB who could play his way into a backup role in 2020, with both Akeem King and Neiko Thorpe set to hit free agency.

Mone was an undrafted free agent out of Michigan last year who had a strong showing in the preseason, but only ended up playing in four games in 2019 – appearing on 90 total snaps and not recording a single tackle.

He’ll once again come into camp ready to compete for a spot on the interior defensive line.

Of the four who remain unsigned, the Seahawks seem likely to bring back guard Jordan Simmons, who Carroll specifically mentioned as a candidate to play in 2020 while at the NFL combine.

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Seahawks host 3 FA running backs for tryouts on Monday

Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin and C.J. Anderson all worked out for the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, along with five defensive tackles.

Marshawn Lynch was among a handful of players who worked out for the Seattle Seahawks at the team’s practice facility on Monday.

Joining Lynch was a pair of veteran running backs, Robert Turbin and C.J. Anderson, as well as a group of defensive tackles; Mike Hughes, Tomasi Laulile, Chris Nelson, Shakir Soto and Andrew Williams.

Seattle is looking to replace Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise, who each suffered season-ending injuries on Sunday against the Cardinals.

They are also looking for another defensive tackle to take Bryan Mone’s spot on the practice squad. Mone was promoted to the active roster to replace Al Woods, who was suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.

Lynch’s visit was reported by Pete Carroll Monday morning on 710 ESPN’s morning radio show, and Turbin was in town last week for a visit as well. The two of them formed a running back tandem for the Seahawks from 2012-2014, winning a Super Bowl together in the 2013 season.

Anderson joined the Rams in the final two games of the regular season last year and tore up the 49ers in Week 17, rushing for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle would love for him do that two years in a row, and his recent success may make him a more practical solution for Seattle in the short-term.

The Seahawks are almost certainly going to sign two running backs this week, and it seems likely it will be some combination of the three that were in town on Monday.

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3 things to watch: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals at home in the second-to-last regular season game of the 2019 season.

The Seattle Seahawks may have already clinched a playoff spot in the NFC, and their Week 17 battle with the San Francisco 49ers will determine who wins the NFC West, but that doesn’t mean the team will look over Sunday’s bout with the Arizona Cardinals.

A loss against the Cardinals could impact Seattle’s seeding in the NFC if they also lose next week, so no doubt this team will hope to take care of business on Sunday to give them added insurance in case things go south in Week 17.

However, Seattle is also doing their best to keep some of their key performers rested so they are ready for the finale, which could mean the team could face Arizona without as many as five key defensive players and one, Duane Brown, on offense.

That should make for some intense battles between Arizona’s vets and Seattle’s young players who are hungry to prove themselves.

Here are three matchups and questions for fans to keep an eye on during this division battle.

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Bryan Mone recalled from practice squad to replace Al Woods

Undrafted free agent defensive tackle Bryan Mone was recalled from the Seattle Seahawks practice squad to replace the suspended Al Woods.

The Seattle Seahawks recalled defensive tackle Bryan Mone from the practice squad to take the place of veteran Al Woods, who was suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.

Mone, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan, began the season on Seattle’s roster and played in three games. He recorded three combined tackles, all in Week 1 against the Bengals.

Now, he’ll look to fill the role of nose tackle and run-stuffer vacated by Woods, who is not eligible to return from suspension until the third game of the playoffs, should Seattle still be playing.

“He’ll just step right in,” coach Pete Carroll said of Mone on Friday. “He’s tough. He’s physical. He’s got a great motor for chasing the ball for such a big man. We’re always showing his highlights. I think I had three highlights on yesterday from just his effort in practice. So, that’s kind of who he is. The players are fired up that he gets a chance to help us right now.”

Mone will get his first NFL action since late September when the Seahawks host the Cardinals on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT.

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