Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Bryan Mone

Though injuries limited him to just 10 games, Mone performed at a starter-caliber level while playing more extensive snaps in his second season as a Seahawk. With Jarran Reed now in Kansas City and the nose tackle role open for the taking, is the ex-Michigan standout ready to be a full-time starter?

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jul 3, 2021 7:10 PM EDT

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs recently wrapping up, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than a month. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Bryan Mone, Defensive Tackle

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 366 pounds

2020 Stats: Nine tackles, 0.5 sacks in 10 games

The latest in a long line of undrafted success stories for Seattle at defensive tackle, Mone earned a roster spot coming out of training camp before the 2019 season and appeared in four regular season games and a playoff game, registering six tackles with limited snaps. Building off the momentum, his playing time jumped to 228 defensive snaps as the primary reserve nose tackle behind starter Poona Ford in 2020 and he made several significant plays during the season, including stuffing Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in the end zone for a safety in Week 3. Though he missed six games with a high ankle sprain, he returned late in the season to give the Seahawks a major boost in the middle as they closed the season winning six of their last eight to capture an NFC West title.

Best Case Scenario: Taking over as Seattle's new starting nose tackle, Mone stays healthy for all 17 games and does his best Brandon Mebane impression holding serve in the middle, helping the team boast a top-three run defense, opening up clear lanes for linebackers to make plays, and providing occasional production as an interior pass rusher.

Worst Case Scenario: Hampered by nagging injuries in camp, Mone fails to take advantage of his golden opportunity and veteran Al Woods winds up taking over as the starting nose tackle alongside Ford, consequently causing him to see a reduction in total snaps compared to the 2020 season.

What to Expect in 2021: Injuries have been an issue for Mone dating back to his time at Michigan, where he missed his entire sophomore season with a broken leg. Given his durability concerns, Seattle made a wise decision bringing back Woods as a viable insurance option, but the team understandably remains optimistic Mone will be ready to take over as a starter. Despite only yielding nine tackles last season, his presence in the middle made life easier for Seattle's linebackers as he ate up double teams and before spraining his ankle midway through the year, he flashed at times collapsing the pocket on opposing quarterbacks. Any pass rushing production from the massive defender will be a cherry on top and with Ford now shifting to the 3-tech role to replace Jarran Reed, Mone should be poised for a major uptick in playing time in his third NFL campaign.