Seattle Seahawks: Early Predictions on 2023 Key Position Battles
Too-early predictions on who comes out of the competitive fire at training camp at the VMAC in late July-August
Nose Tackle: Jarran Reed v. Cameron Young (4th-round rookie) v. Jonah Tavai (UDFA) v. Myles Adams
An even bigger Seattle Seahawks battle royale! Could Jarran Reed slide over and play Nose Tackle in our re-imagined 3-4 defense? How about Myles Adams, with his 290 lb. frame? Will we switch back to a 4-3 defensive alignment? These are all wait-and-see propositions at this point. One thing that we do know is that Pete Carroll, as well as Defensive Coordinator, Clint Hurtt, have been highly complimentary of Cam Young ever since they plucked him out of Mississippi.
Young also added mass after the draft, and now comes in about 30 lbs. heavier than Myles Adams! I think those two rotate until Bryan Mone is ready to return, Tavai gets some looks there as well, and Reed plays aligned wider as a Defensive Tackle. Do the Seattle Seahawks sign Shelby Harris or Ndamukong Suh to bolster this position? In the grand scheme of things (pun fully intended), a Nose Tackle may not be in the field every play. With the personnel we have at Safety, our defense should be versatile. Expect Cam to get a chance to plug the middle and help us improve against the run.
Predicted Winner: Young
Slot Corner: Julian Love v. Coby Bryant
It hurt my soul to see Ryan Neal let go. As he was graded as the league’s top Safety last year for crying out loud! That being said, Julian Love was a captain, a play-caller, and a versatile piece for the New York Giants last year. Love is a great run defender in the slot and can play as a deep safety as well. This man is just a Swiss Army knife in the secondary, who can help to unleash Jamal Adams on unsuspecting offenses. When President ‘Mal returns, I see these two swapping all over the formation, with Jamal able to play close to the line as well.
I have a Seattle Seahawks conspiracy theory that I think we saw Coby Bryant (the first rookie to lead the NFL in Forced Fumbles since 1999) act as a linebacker at times just so Pete and company could experiment with that hybrid role in prep for the return of Jamal Adams. Maybe Adams even takes some of Cody Barton‘s vacated snaps. I’m envisioning a flexible and menacing secondary with Love and Adams playing key parts that can adapt based on the game plan. Bryant should also win some piece of the pie, but he’ll need to improve in coverage. If Jamal isn’t ready to start Week 1, we may even see Coby and Devon Witherspoon (5th overall pick) both play in the slot, with Michael Jackson playing some on the outside. Julian Love is a big part of this, as well as this team’s future.
Predicted Winner: Love
As you can see, I chose the Seattle Seahawks grizzled vets this year! I believe rookies will start (JSN and Witherspoon of course… maybe Young? Maybe Oluwatimi?), and some that don’t start will contribute significantly (Bradford, Hall, Charbonnet, Morris?). When they first arrived, John and Pete cleaned house and turned the roster over.
It was reminiscent of how people build teams in the Madden video game franchise. They notoriously gave late-round picks, undrafted guys, and veteran reclamation projects a shot. Then they found their stars. I think/hope that we are close to that, but these rookies will have to fight to make an impact. Then again, that’s what I thought about Russell Wilson needing to sit behind Matt Flynn.
Ironically (or perhaps, fittingly, when you examine Pete’s M.O. of ‘always compete’), the trade of Russell Wilson gave Pete and John all the ammo necessary to quickly transform this roster. The Seattle Seahawks picked 10 guys in the 2023 NFL Draft and signed an additional 25 undrafted players. Coach Carroll will be in full-time teaching and evaluation mode this off-season. I can’t remember an NFL Preseason that I was more excited about!
I also may have just convinced myself that more rookies will start… we’ll see when the pads start popping. There will undoubtedly be surprises during and after training camp. I’m here for all the fireworks.