Bruce Irvin, Benson Mayowa Adding Much-Needed 'Juice' to Seahawks' Pass Rush
RENTON, WA - Back in 2012, coach Pete Carroll knew the Seahawks were building something special.
Though his team had won only seven games in 2011, Seattle finished on a strong note by winning five of its final eight games behind a strong rushing attack led by Marshawn Lynch and a rapidly improving defense featuring future All-Pros in cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas, and safety Kam Chancellor along with reliable linebacker K.J. Wright. With so many young pieces to work with, the future looked bright in the Pacific Northwest.
To take the next step towards becoming a contender in the NFC, the Seahawks needed to have one more strong draft to continue reinforcing the roster. And of course, they needed to address the quarterback position, going as far as trying to get a meeting with legend Peyton Manning in free agency.
While pundits at the time heavily scrutinized Seattle's draft haul - including Bleacher Report giving the team an "F" grade - the class turned out to be a historically great one headlined by quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner. Arguably the most criticized draft choice came in the first round, however, in the form of defensive end Bruce Irvin.
Picked after the Seahawks traded down three spots to No. 15 overall, many questioned Irvin being worthy of first-round consideration, in large part due to character red flags. Many experts didn't hold back ripping Carroll and the organization for the selection.
"Pete Carroll is proving why he didn't make it in the NFL the first time," Donald Wood of Bleacher Report wrote. "Not only was Bruce Irvin a reach at No. 15, the Seahawks proved they were oblivious to their madness by celebrating their selection."
It's safe to say Woods won't be hanging that assessment on his wall. Now entering his ninth season and returning to the Seahawks after four years away with the Raiders, Falcons, and Panthers, Irvin has indeed carved out a highly-successful career with 52.0 sacks and 115 quarterback hits.
One year after Irvin entered the league, another young pass rusher found his way to the Seahawks. But for Benson Mayowa, he was forced to take an unconventional route to find his way onto the 53-man roster.
Coming out of Idaho as an undrafted free agent, Mayowa wasn't initially signed by a team and only received a tryout invite from Seattle. After impressing during rookie minicamp, the team offered him a contract and after performing well in the preseason, he became the latest undrafted player to surprise and snag a roster spot.
Though he only played in two games for the Seahawks as a rookie and wound up being released the following September due to the team's impressive depth at defensive end, Mayowa's initial season with the organization set him up for future success. A bit of a late bloomer, he's amassed 18.0 sacks over the past four years with the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Raiders, including a career-best 7.0 sacks in 2019.
Initially arriving in Seattle as an undeveloped "tweener" who needed to find a long-term position to make it in the league, Carroll chuckled when asked about what he remembers from Mayowa's first stint with the franchise.
“He was a raw player coming in, but a good athlete. We really took him for the upside,” Carroll recalled. “[General manager] John [Schneider] just figured out how to wait around for the upside to come on back to us, so we’re lucky we got him back now.”
Seven years later, Carroll now sees Mayowa as a refined, legitimate NFL edge rusher. Throughout the first six training camp practices, he's been seeing the bulk of the first-team snaps at the LEO defensive end spot and has made his presence felt in the backfield on numerous occasions.
"I think the focus for Benson to be more of a rusher over the years has really helped him and where he was playing the SAM backer spot for a while and then mixing both [positions], he needed to really zero in to become an adept pass rusher. He's got good stuff, he's got good get-off, good change-up stuff, good up-and-unders."
Irvin, meanwhile, has been playing mostly at SAM linebacker with the starters with an occasional snap rushing off the edge, still showing more than enough burst and athleticism at 33 years of age. Reuniting with the former first-round pick, Carroll gushed at the start of training camp about the flexibility the veteran will provide Seattle's defense in his return to the Pacific Northwest.
“Bruce gives us great flexibility because he can play the SAM linebacker spot and he’s the best SAM linebacker we’ve ever had here, so it’s great to have him back," Carroll commented. "But he can also play the LEO spot, which is more oriented to rushing the passer more consistently, so he can play on both sides, which he’s done already, and that gives us a really good flexible format for how we play our guys."
Coming from far different backgrounds, both Irvin and Mayowa have beaten their own odds to carve out lengthy NFL careers. After learning how to be a pro from Chris Clemons, Cliff Avril, and Brandon Mebane in their first go-around with the Seahawks, they're now looking to return the favor as mentors for young players such as Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson while also playing key roles in bolstering the team's dormant pass rush from a year ago.
On the practice field, it's clearly evident both players are having a blast being back in a Seahawks uniform, providing incredible energy and enthusiasm that rubs off on their teammates and amplifies the competition on a daily basis.
"They're both excited about the role that they have - the SAM and the LEO spots - it's a race to the quarterback," Carroll said. "They've got a little comp going on already. They're trying to out-do each other, which is perfect mentality."
While rumors continue to circulate about Seattle potentially adding Clay Matthews or re-signing Jadeveon Clowney to further reinforce the unit, Carroll has exuded plenty of confidence in Seattle's current allotment of rushers over the past several months. Even if the team doesn't make another move, he believes the reliable duo of Irvin and Mayowa have already shown they will make a substantial difference chasing down quarterbacks this year.
"He [Mayowa] is just a much more accomplished football player, as is Bruce too in their pass rush. It shows. Just in the first couple of days, you can just feel the constant of the edge, which is so important for us. This is what we came back to this camp to find... There's a really good juice about those guys for sure."
