The defensive line is where the Seattle Seahawks have invested a lot of money.
Seahawks absorbed in studying Mike Macdonald’s “incredibly inventive” defence
With the three-year, $64.5 million contract that he signed in March, Leonard Williams became one of the highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL upon his return to Seattle. Dre’Mont Jones has a three-year, $51 million contract that is about to enter its second season. Uchenna Nwosu received a three-year, $45 million contract deal last summer, and he is about to begin his first season of play.
The combination of Williams, Jones, and Nwosu makes up three of the top seven 2024 salary cap hits on the Seahawks roster, according to Over The Cap. This season, their combined cap hit is $36,389,999, or 14.2% of the $255.4 million NFL salary cap. Last month, Seattle made another significant draft capital investment when it chose defensive tackle Byron Murphy II with the 16th overall pick.
Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus and programme producer Curtis Rogers talked about whether the Seahawks’ defensive line investment is a wise move on a recent episode of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
Bumpus exclaimed, “I adore the investment in this position.” The older males in the front are first. You have power over the line of scrimmage and the game. The ‘backers’ and the back end will benefit if you can maintain the pressure on the quarterback and halt the run. I appreciate how they’re constructing this defence.
An alternative strategy
Compared to the Legion of Boom era under former head coach Pete Carroll, when the Seahawks extensively invested on their renowned secondary three of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor, this approach is different. Naturally, that resulted in a record run of defensive success and the team’s only Super Bowl victory.
Rogers observed, “It kind of goes the other way around from how Pete Carroll used to fill out this roster.” He would essentially cut corners on the offensive and defensive lines, relying heavily on first- and second-year players and making only a few small free-agent additions. Meanwhile, he would invest a great deal of money in strengthening the secondary. When that combination worked, it produced amazing results because it gave you a defensive lineman like Chris Clemons and Red Bryant who could produce a tonne of yards and a generational secondary.
Last season, Seattle’s run defense—which ranked 28th in yards allowed per carry—was by far its worst weakness. This occurred despite Williams playing 10 games with the Seahawks following his midseason trade from the New York Giants and Nwosu playing just six games before to an injury that ended his season. It is hoped that Seattle’s defensive line investments would start paying dividends this season with a full season of Nwosu and Williams, along with a cutting-edge defensive system under new head coach Mike Macdonald.
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