Carroll: Jarran Reed’s Return Will Be Difference Maker for Seahawks Pass Rush
Heading into the 2019 season, the Seahawks faced major concerns with their pass rush. The acquisition of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and the return of veteran Ziggy Ansah was supposed to alleviate those concerns, but the Seahawks inability to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks remains a very legitimate issue.
Through six games this season, the Seahawks are currently tied with the Lions for the sixth-fewest quarterback sacks in the league, as per NFL.com. Thankfully for the Seahawks, defensive tackle Jarran Reed will be returning from a six-game suspension this Sunday against the Ravens to hopefully solve that problem.
Reed finished the 2018 season with 10.5 sacks, which ranked second to former Seahawk Frank Clark who recorded a team-leading 13.0 sacks. In speaking with the media on Wednesday, coach Pete Carroll envisions Reed further complimenting his already skilled defensive line.
"I think we’ll see a difference now that J. Reed is back. I think the compliment that he brings, not just what he’ll do, but how he’ll affect the other guys," Carroll said prior to Wednesday's practice. "I think he’ll be a factor in helping other guys playing well around him. I’m telling you, we’re a work in progress. I don’t think we’re a finished product yet."
As mentioned earlier, the Seahawks have really struggled to produce sacks and quarterback hits so far this season. Carroll admits that he hoped his defensive line would have yielded better statistics at this point of the season, but he's been really impressed with the way his defensive line has performed so far this season and isn't letting numbers define his evaluation of the group.
"It hasn’t been very productive for sacks. I wish we had more. We like to have more," Carroll said. "Jadeveon [Clowney] has been all around the quarterback. His pressure numbers are good. He’s been close. He could’ve had four or five [sacks] already."
Despite their troubling results on the stat sheet, Seattle's defensive front has the ability to quickly turn things around heading towards the midway point of the season. Defending against a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in Lamar Jackson won't be easy, but the Seahawks hope this can be the game where things start to click chasing down opposing signal callers.
While Carroll expects Reed to be a "little rusty" in his first game back from suspension, his presence on the field alone should improve production for Clowney, Ansah, and the rest of Seattle's pass rushers and create an opportunity for that vision to finally become reality.
