CenturyLink Field, Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Jeff Wilcox, via Wikicommons)
The Seattle Seahawks are going into 2021 with a lot riding on two Most Valuable Positions (MVPo?). The pass rushers and cornerbacks. The Seahawks have Carlos Dunlap II returning after resigning during free agency. He’ll be counted on to lead the pass-rushing group. The Seattle secondary is led by veteran safties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams.
Well, maybe Adams. He’s currently holding out or is it holding in, as he waits for a new contract from the Seattle Seahawks. The team has given him an offer. However, it’s not to his liking, so he hasn’t signed it. Last year, Adams led the team in sacks (9.5). While setting the record for most sacks in a season by a defensive back. He’s an essential piece to the defense. Will he play this year or end up being traded? If he’s traded, this will go down as GM John Schneider’s biggest mistake.
Alright, so let’s get into the group of pass rushers. As previously mentioned, Dunlap will be leading the charge in sacks. Most likely, he’ll be seeing lots of double teams especially, if no other player can step up to be a reliable pass-rushing threat. The candidates to fill the second pass rusher spot consists of Kerry Hyder Jr., L.J. Collier, Darrell Taylor, and Benson Mayowa.
Hyder is probably the guy most expected to be Dunlap’s compliment. He’s the Seattle Seahawks big free agent signing. Last year, he recorded a career-high with eight and a half sacks. That would have been second on Seattle. Could this be another steal from San Francisco, like D.J. Reed? More on Reed later.
Taylor and Mayowa are coming in with their own set of expectations. Mayowa finished last year with six sacks, third on the team. Will he be able to repeat that kind of productivity or maybe even exceed it? He’s currently third string. So, he has some work to do. Taylor was the Seahawks’ 2020 pick the team expects to be an impact rusher. He has yet to play an NFL down as he was recovering from his college leg injury. Currently, he’s having a good camp. Taylor will, however, have to have a strong camp or have a couple of injuries happen ahead of him to move up the depth chart.
Carlos Dunlap, Seattle Seahawks, sacks Kyler Murray.
The Seattle Seahawks cornerbacks sustained some heavy losses this offseason. Both of last year’s starters left in free agency. Quinton Dunbar signed with Detroit. They recently released him. So, maybe the Seahawks can resign him? Dunbar lost his starting job to D.J. Reed, mainly due to injury. Shaquill Griffin signed with Jacksonville. When on the field, he’s extremely productive. However, since 2018 his number of games played is on the decline. Griffin will still be missed in the secondary.
Reed is now the Seahawks’ best cover corner and is coming off a career year. Will he be able to repeat? Seattle is certainly hoping he will. Tre Flowers is still on the team, so maybe he can return to his previous form. Schneider also signed veteran Pierre Desir. Desir’s best seasons came while playing in Indianapolis. He will provide veteran leadership and can hopefully be a solid stabilizing force when called upon.
Schneider raided San Francisco again by signing Ahkello Witherspoon. As of right now, Witherspoon is the expected starter opposite of Reed. To date, he’s been alright. Maybe there is some unlocked potential that Pete Carroll can extract. Then there is rookie Tre Brown. He certainly doesn’t lack confidence. Brown is the second shortest corner on the team.
Both the pass rush and cornerback group are bringing in proven veterans to lead these units. They are expecting or hoping that some of the others in the group can step up. This will either end up being a great strategy or doom the team. The success of the pass rush and cornerbacks play are hand in hand. It’s up for debate which is more important to a team’s defense.
An elite pass rush that can get to the quarterback in two seconds or less means the corners can be more aggressive and don’t have to cover as long. On the other hand, an elite corner, who can cover a wide receiver three seconds or more, means the pass rush has more time to get to the quarterback.
How these two units perform this year will be the second biggest determining factor in the success of the 2021 Seattle Seahawks. Russell Wilson is obviously the biggest determining factor. The Seahawks’ week one opponent, Indianapolis, should give a decent test. At least to the pass-rushing group. Don’t get too over-excited if these two units have a good week 1. They may be going against NFL backups at left tackle and quarterback. Sorry to all you Jacob Eason fans out there.
What do you think about the Seattle Seahawks corners and pass rushers? Leave your comments on these two position groups below or on social media.