Seahawks Quietly Improved Pass Rush During Free Agency
When it comes to determining the value of pass rushers, NFL players will always get paid based on sack totals. There's a reason why players such as Joey Bosa of the Chargers and T.J. Watt of the Steelers nearly make quarterback-worthy money for their ability to hunt down those aforementioned signal callers.
But on the field, sacks aren't the only meaningful metric to evaluate pass rushers. In fact, the statistic can be misleading. Per Pro Football Focus, the top 10 defenders for total quarterback pressures in 2021 all produced at least a 16.6 percent "win" rate beating blockers and seven of them exceeded 20 percent. However, four of the top 10 sack producers finished at 15 percent or lower in "win" rate, suggesting they weren't quite as effective overall despite gaudy sack numbers.
Last season, continuing a trend that has become all too familiar, the Seahawks struggled mightily to turn up the heat on opposing quarterbacks. According to TruMedia, they finished 29th in the NFL in pressure percentage (4.7 percent) and 22nd in sacks (34), ranking in the bottom third in both categories. Pro Football Focus graded them out 30th overall rushing the passer (63.5) as a team, ahead of only the Broncos and Falcons.
Not surprisingly, these woes were evident in individual data as well. Per Pro Football Focus, Seattle didn't have a single player with more than 36 quarterback pressures, which tied for 77th most in the NFL. Darrell Taylor, Carlos Dunlap, Rasheem Green, and Poona Ford were the only players to eclipse 30 pressures and from that group, only Dunlap posted a win rate north of 15 percent.
One day after wrapping up a dismaying 7-10 season with a Week 18 win over the Cardinals, coach Pete Carroll didn't mince words. While he didn't delve into other specifics for offseason plans - he certainly wasn't going to disclose the possibility the Seahawks might entertain trading quarterback Russell Wilson - he made it clear improving that underwhelming pass rush would be a top priority.
"That is an area that we need to get better in," Carroll said after Seattle sacked Kyler Murray five times in the finale. "You saw how dynamic it is when you get going like we did yesterday, but we didn’t have that consistency and that is the important part of it. So many things feed off of that, it is the disruption of the quarterback that leads to all of the issues on the positive side for the defense, so we have to, whatever we can do, we have to work there. That’s one of the focal points for me."
While Seattle stuck with status quo by not making any big splash signings in free agency, general manager John Schneider deserves credit for the work he has put in so far addressing the problem. Without breaking the bank, he added three capable veterans who performed better rushing the passer as a whole than anyone on the roster a year ago.
First, while his arrival came at the expense of Wilson being shipped to the Broncos, Schneider acquired defensive tackle Shelby Harris as part of the package. Over the past five seasons, he has been one of the most consistent interior pass rushers in the sport, producing an average of 25 pressures and 5.0 sacks per season. When he isn't able to get to the quarterback, he finds other ways to be disruptive as a rusher, using his long arms to amass 22 batted passes since 2017.
The 300-pound Harris offers an immense amount of versatility, capable of playing either end spot as well as nose tackle in a 3-4 front. He will likely be tabbed as one of Seattle's two starters as a 3-tech defensive tackle along with Poona Ford.
Once free agency opened, Schneider made a shrewd move signing former Chargers linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to a two-year, $19.055 million deal. Only 25 years old, the former USC standout set career-highs with 40 pressures and 5.0 sacks in 2021 and looks to be coming into his own after being stuck in a reserve role his first three seasons in the league. He showed promise earlier in his career, posting at least a 17 percent pass rush win rate in two of his first three seasons.
Per PFF, Nwosu produced a respectable 12.3 pass rush win rate with an increased workload, batted down three passes, and added an interception for good measure, showing his comfort dropping into coverage when needed. Entering a second season in a 3-4 scheme working across from Taylor as a hybrid linebacker, his numbers should only continue to improve.
Shortly after signing Nwosu, the Seahawks further bolstered their defensive front by bringing back a familiar face in Quinton Jefferson, who the team originally drafted in the fifth round in 2016 out of Maryland. Similar to Harris in terms of his versatility being able to play anywhere across the line, he has played extensive snaps as a defensive end and defensive tackle both in 4-3 and 3-4 schemes in his six-year NFL career.
In his final two seasons with Seattle in 2018 and 2019, the 6-foot-4, 291-pound Jefferson started to flash as a pass rusher lining up at multiple alignments. Becoming a starter at base end, he produced a career-best 15 quarterback hits in 2018 and finished third on the team behind Frank Clark and Jarran Reed with 31 pressures. The following season, he finished second behind Jadeveon Clowney with 39 pressures and posted a respectable 13 percent win rate.
Over the past two seasons, Jefferson continued to improve at his craft as a key contributor for the Bills and Raiders. In 2020, he produced 27 pressures and 3.0 sacks despite starting in only four games for Buffalo. Returning to the starting lineup in Las Vegas in 2021, he established new career-highs with 4.5 sacks and 46 pressures - third behind Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue and 11th most among defensive tackles - while recording 16 quarterback hits. In both seasons, PFF credited him with at least an 11 percent win rate.
Looking at Seattle's defensive line as a whole, it's worth noting Schneider cut Dunlap, who led the team with 8.5 sacks in 2021. Rasheem Green, who produced 6.5 sacks in the best season of his young career, remains unsigned as a free agent, while Benson Mayowa and Kerry Hyder also were released to create cap space.
While it's possible Dunlap could return - Schneider hinted as much at recent owner meetings in Florida - if he does come back as a rotational rusher, there's still work to be done acquiring talent and depth. Without him, Alton Robinson is the only backup who may be able to rotate in with Taylor and Nwosu as an EDGE defender.
But as things stand, Seattle has to pleased with the moves it has made thus far. Nwosu gives them an ascending player under club control for two seasons who has just scratched the surface of his potential, while Jefferson and Harris have been consistent, reliable all-around defenders for half a decade and bring underrated pass rushing chops to the front line. Even if they don't produce sacks in bunches, all three players have track records of being disruptive pressuring quarterbacks and swatting away passes, which is a positive development.
Even better news? Schneider has four draft choices in the top 72 at his disposal, making it a near-guarantee at least one of those selections will be used on an edge defender to team up with Nwosu and Taylor. Other free agent options remain available as well and the team may explore those possibilities after the draft concludes.
Assuming he adds at least one more athletic EDGE and versatile defensive lineman to the fold through those two avenues over the next month and change, the Seahawks should be in significantly better shape with their pass rush as a whole than they were heading into the offseason last month with a group of players with strengths that cater well to their scheme.
