On the field, the 2024 Seattle Seahawks will appearance a lot like the verysame group that covered the 2023 season. Geno Smith will still be quarterback, slinging passes to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The running back army of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet will run around edges set by takeson Abe Lucas and Charles Cross. The defense will be led by Devon Witherspoon and Leonard Williams.
But the guy calling the plays will be various. That’s what Seattle hopes will make all the distinction.
Pete Carroll retired this offseason, calling it a profession after 14 years, 137 routine season wins and a Super Bowl success with the Seahawks. In his stead comes Mike Macdonald, another defensive-minded head coach Seattle hopes can bridge the space inbetween Carroll’s throwback mindset and an progressing NFL. That leaves huge shoes for Macdonald to fill, however offered his brand-new group’s mostsignificant weakpoint, they’re shoes that may simply fit.
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The Seahawks’ defense was less than the amount of its parts to wrap the Carroll period
Seattle increased to seasonal contention under Carroll through 2 characteristics: a smothering defense and an effective, run-heavy offense. From 2012 to 2015, a stretch in which the Seahawks won 46 routine season videogames and appeared in 2 Super Bowls, Carroll’s groups ranked no evenworse than 4th in the NFL in hurrying lawns over a provided season. His defense ranked veryfirst total in points enabled every one of those years.
That endedupbeing less and less sustainable as the league developed towards high effect death offenses. Carroll ultimately leaned away from the run, ranking 17th, 27th, 22nd and 31st in the league in handoffs over his last 4 seasons. His defense fell into a vortex as well, ranking 22nd, 28th, 26th and then 30th in backyards permitted in the verysame area.
Seattle was able to gottenridof that and average more than 9 wins per season over that closing stretch, however likewise stoppedworking to win a single playoff videogame. This all takenplace inspiteof a collection of star defensive gamers and strong beginners consistingof, however not restricted to:
- Bobby Wagner
- Quandre Diggs
- Jamal Adams
- DJ Reed
- Riq Woolen
- Uchenna Nwosu
- Devon Witherspoon
- Leonard Williams
- Julian Love
- Jordyn Brooks
That group couldn’t tread water in the rough seas of the NFC West. Now Macdonald, brain behind the Baltimore Ravens defense that endedup 3rd, then initially in the NFL in points enabled in his 2 seasons as defensive organizer, gets to work with a group that disposedof some of its older members — Diggs, Wagner and Adams are all gone — however brings back Love, Williams, Woolen, Nwosu, and Witherspoon along with 2024 initially round choice Byron Murphy.
That’s strong star power, however Macdonald’s strength comes in establishing gamers to the peak of their capabilities. Geno Stone and Justin Madubuike emerged as important beginners under his watch. Patrick Queen, a previous veryfirst round choice, played the finest football of his profession after Macdonald endedupbeing DC (though the addition of Roquan Smith definitely played a function). Kyle Van Noy restored his profession, when onceagain, with a 9 sack 2023 inspiteof not finalizing with Baltimore upuntil late September.
Who might this use to in the Pacific Northwest? Woolen backslid a bit after an excellent novice project. Boye Mafe might be on the edge of a breakout after 9 sacks (with just 16 quarterback strikes) in2023 Nwosu returns to the lineup after missingouton 11 videogames last year due to injury. Tyrel Dodson was signed after 4 average seasons as a Buffalo Bill and Jerome Baker showedup after 6 years as a Miami Dolphin. Those 2 aren’t rather Queen and Smith, however Macdonald’s track record recommends he can make that duo a helpful binary star system in the middle of the field.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA