The Seattle Seahawks are either going to be an unmitigated dumpster fire or a pleasant surprise this coming season, depending on who you ask. While nobody is expecting them to make a deep playoff run, there’s not much consensus on just how good (or bad) they’re going to be without Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner serving as their two centerpieces.
Many analysts are predicting a poor 2022 campaign – with some projections having them only winning four games. Others see this as a sleeper team that will be more competitive than most people believe. If Seattle is going to prove the latter right, the x-factor will likely be how effective their new defensive scheme is. There’s cause to believe it’ll be sneaky-tough.
For one thing, this group is headed in the right direction. The first half of the 2021 season was dismal for this unit – at one point early in the season they were on pace to allow more yards than any team in NFL history. However, the defense got on solid footing in the second half of the season – thanks in part to adjustments by former defensive coordinator Ken Norton. While it wasn’t enough to save his job, Norton deserves credit for turning the unit around and setting a stable foundation for this coming campaign.
New defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt and associate head coach Sean Desai are tasked with continuing the transition away from what had become an outdated zone-heavy, cover 3 model to more of a two-high, aggressive scheme inspired more by Vic Fangio than Pete Carroll.
One of the major changes they’ve implemented is a switch from a 4-3 base up front to a 3-4 base. Coinciding with that, the front office turned over the top of the edge rotation in a significant way, cutting ties with traditional 4-3 defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Rasheem Green, who combined for 15 of the team’s 34 sacks last year. Replacing their pass-rush disruption for what was already a lackluster area of the game will be critical, to say the lesat.
While he’s not a double-digit-sacks kind of threat, a major component of this new front line will be outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu – a free agent pickup coming off a breakout year with the Chargers.
Nwosu will be at the top of the team’s new-look depth chart at the EDGE position and will likely be employed in a variety of ways befitting his well-rounded skillset. Seattle fans who are unfamiliar with Nwosu’s talents are likely in for a nice surprise when they see all the different ways he impacts the game.
Nwosu is one of the most important individual pieces in determining where this team ranks defensively and was the team’s biggest salary cap investment of the offseason outside of DK Metcalf’s contract extension. They’ll need him to live up to that investment if they’re going to have any hope of fielding anything close to a dominant unit.
For his part, No. 10 can’t wait to get started. Here’s what Nwosu tweeted last night about the start of the season:
I wish the season started this weekend. I’m ready 😤
— Uchenna Nwosu 🇳🇬 (@UchennaN_42) August 24, 2022
A well-rounded defender is always welcome, but what decides Nwosu’s success will be what he does on third down.
Nwosu has proven he can consistently make plays around the ball. However, his pass rushing production to date hasn’t exactly stood out. Last season he totaled five sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 30 pressures. Pro Football Focus gave him a solid 68.5 pass rush grade for the year.
Nwosu has the gifts he needs to blossom into a real QB threat, including plus closing speed. Unlocking this element should be a high priority for Hurtt. If it works, this unit’s ceiling could rise dramatically.
