When was the last time there was this much pressure on the Seattle Seahawks’ defense to hit the ground running?
There’s always excitement and potential, which is expected for a team that won its first Super Bowl with one of the best defenses of all-time. There have been big trades on defense (like Jamal Adams) and splashy additions (remember the hype around Jadeveon Clowney and Ezekiel Ansah?) to keep intrigue high.
But since 2018 or so, defensive production started to noticeably dip, and four games of Earl Thomas remained the only thing left from the league’s best secondary. All the while, the Seahawks have at least always had stability somewhere on offense: there was always going to be Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett, and after Wilson there was still Lockett and DK Metcalf (and frankly, critics had almost no expectations for a 2022 team with Geno Smith at the helm). And there may have been years with new offensive coordinators, but Pete Carroll was always at the helm.
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This year? New quarterback, no more Lockett and Metcalf, a young offensive line, a brand new offensive coaching staff, and all of it under a second-year head coach. And they’re making those changes on a team that finished top 15 in yards allowed for the first time since 2017, the last year the Legion of Boom was whole.
This defense doesn’t have as much top-level talent and hasn’t set those same records, but they’re the side of the ball that has little doubt and plenty of potential.
They’ll need to meet it early.
Asked whether the team’s identity this year will be its defense, outside linebacker Derick Hall said that’s always the goal (while brushing off worry about the offense).
“They’re going to do their thing,” Hall said Tuesday when he joined us on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “They’re going to come together. But (for the defense) I feel like it’s picking up where we left off. I don’t think there’s any pressure. I think it’s guys knowing what we’re capable of. We know where we’re trying to get to as a defense.”
Asked if that is being a top-five defensive unit, Hall emphatically agreed.
Hall is one of two young pass rushers to have taken a step forward last year, the other being Boye Mafe. The two finished second and third, respectively, on the team in sacks. Hall saw one of the biggest leaps of any defensive player, with eight sacks and 14 starts after a rookie season with zeroes in each category.
Go ball, @derick_hall9. 🏹 pic.twitter.com/VkfiKYBLgR
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 24, 2024
The team added former Cowboys game wrecker DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency, who’s a bit older than he was when he signed a record-setting contract in 2019 but is still an effective pass rusher and leader.
“He’s a great guy,” Hall said. “From day one he’s like, ‘What’s up bro, what’s your name? How you doing?’ He’s very open-minded. He’s not one of those vets that’s just gonna sit around and do what he do.”
As an example, Hall said he was with Lawrence in the weight room the other day, and the vet helped him work on a new move (one Hall isn’t going to show us now — have to keep it in your back pocket for the season).
“He’s just like, ‘Come here, let me teach you something.’ He’s very helpful, very wise on and off the field. I feel like he’s a good role model,” Hall said. “I mean obviously he’s a husband, has a family. So he’s teaching guys the right way on and off the field.”
That front seven also includes the team’s sack leader Leonard Williams (11 sacks), 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy, and the recently re-signed Ernest Jones IV, who was part of massive improvements against the run last season. At the helm, of course, is coach Mike Macdonald, a whip-smart defensive mind who effectively oversaw growth in 2024 and now faces the tough task of turning a good unit into an elite one.
“Nobody feels they’re bigger than the other, everybody’s just there with one common goal,” Hall said. “And that’s continue to grow and get this defense as good as it can be.”
Hear the full Bump and Stacy conversation with Seattle Seahawks pass rusher Derick Hall in the video at the top of this post or the podcast player below. Catch Bump and Stacy live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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