Seahawks Final Report Card: How Did Boye Mafe, EDGE Defenders Perform?
Despite finishing with a winning record for a second straight season, the Seattle Seahawks weren't fortunate enough to earn a playoff spot in 2023, bringing a disappointing season to a close earlier than expected.
Finishing in the top half of the NFL in sacks, Seattle received excellent production from Boye Mafe in a breakout sophomore season. However, away from him, no other edge rusher on the roster finished with more than 5.5 sacks or 30 pressures, and the team struggled to replace the production lost when Uchenna Nwosu suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in mid-October.
Continuing my annual post-season report card series, I hand out my year-end grades with areas of strength and areas of improvement while taking a look into the crystal ball to see what's next for the Seahawks at the pivotal EDGE position group.
*All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Boye Mafe
Overall Grade: 85.0
Areas of Strength: After finishing with only 10 pressures and three sacks as a rookie, under the tutelage of assistant coach BT Jordan, Mafe erupted as a pass rusher in his second season. Showcasing much improved counter moves and pass rushing plans battling against NFL tackles, he racked up 58 pressures and nine sacks, ranking in the top 30 among edge defenders in both categories. He also finished 18th in ESPN's Pass Rush Win Rate at 19 percent and set a new franchise record with a sack in seven consecutive games. When he wasn't bringing down quarterbacks in the pocket, he excelled at getting his hands up for deflections, ranking fourth in the league with four swatted passes.
Continuing to make plays as a run defender, Mafe tripled his tackle for loss numbers compared to his rookie campaign with nine stops in the backfield. Ranking 18th out of 53 qualified defenders at his position, he generated 19 run stops considered failed plays for the offense and finished eighth overall with 30 solo tackles.
Anchoring a pass rush that finished with 46 sacks, Mafe broke out by nearly hitting double digit sacks by himself and emerging as a budding star off the edge for the Seahawks.
Areas of Improvement: Running on fumes in the second half in his first season as a full-time starter, Mafe didn't pack the same punch as a pass rusher in Seattle's final eight games. During that span, he only produced 28 pressures and two sacks, with both of them coming in a Week 16 win over the Titans. In five of those games, he failed to generate a quarterback hit while seeing a bit more attention with double teams due to his outstanding start.
As a run defender, Mafe wasn't quite as effective as his rookie season overall, missing five tackles while finishing dead last among qualified EDGE defenders with an average tackle depth of 6.4 yards downfield. He also finished 37th out of 53 defenders in run stop percentage, as his total numbers were bloated playing on a defense that couldn't stop the run for most of the season and logged the most snaps in the NFL.
Uchenna Nwosu
Overall Grade: 83.0
Areas of Strength: Prior to succumbing to injury, Nwosu served as a catalyst for a much-improved run defense in the first six weeks of the season. Setting a firm edge and consistently wreaking havoc behind the line of scrimmage, he produced four tackles for loss in the first six games and tied for the league lead among edge defenders averaging negative 0.1 yards depth per tackle against the run. Building off a strong first season in the Pacific Northwest, he also forced a pair of fumbles in the first four games.
Areas of Improvement: Though a small sample size must be considered, Nwosu wasn't overly effective rushing the passer after a breakout 2022 season. Before his injury, he ranked 45th out of 53 qualified EDGE defenders with 13 pressures and only had two sacks, with each of them coming against a struggling Giants offensive line. He also ranked 37th in pass rush win rate and 45th in PFF's Pass Rush Productivity metric, further illustrating his slump harassing quarterbacks.
Darrell Taylor
Overall Grade: 68.0
Areas of Strength: Despite playing fewer than 300 pass rushing snaps on the season, Taylor finished with 5.5 sacks and 27 pressures, the fourth-most on Seattle's roster. He also proved disruptive at times against the run with seven tackles for loss and an average depth of tackle of 3.4 yards per run stop.
Areas of Improvement: Unfortunately, Taylor couldn't build off of a strong finish to the 2022 season, failing to come close to matching his sack or pressure numbers and producing a dismal 6.2 percent pass rush win rate. Away from his pedestrian pass rushing numbers for the season, he continued to struggle consistently setting the edge against the run, frequently finding himself out of position or getting bullied by stronger blockers at the point of attack.
Derick Hall
Overall Grade: 66.0
Areas of Strength: Playing in all 17 games, Hall wound up eclipsing 300 defensive snaps as a rookie. Flashing in brief spurts while totaling 38 combined tackles, he produced three tackles for loss and a pass deflection on defense. Earning himself additional field time, he also carved out a role as a core special teams player, finishing the season with seven combined tackles on kick and punt coverage.
Areas of Improvement: Though Hall received invaluable experience as a rookie, he offered minimal contributions as a pass rusher, finishing the season with 11 pressures and no sacks despite playing in every regular season game. Even considering he made a few splashy plays in the backfield, he wasn't much better against the run either, struggling to get off blocks and missing four tackles in limited playing time.
What's Next?
In the good news department, whoever replaces Pete Carroll on the sidelines with have a healthy Nwosu and Mafe starting at the two EDGE positions, giving the Seahawks an exciting tandem with pass rushing upside and run stuffing ability. If they can both stay healthy, it's possible both players could push for double digit sacks in 2024, providing much-needed bite chasing down quarterbacks.
What the new coach and front office will have to figure out, however, is the depth situation behind Nwosu and Mafe. Taylor, who will be a restricted free agent in March, hasn't made strides as Seattle anticipated he would over the past two years and took significant steps back this past season with diminished pass rushing numbers. As for Hall, he will be on the roster with hopes he can take a similar leap forward as Mafe did, but adding another piece or two likely will be in the cards in the draft or free agency.
Depending on who the Seahawks hire, more significant moves could be coming at the position if a defensive coach comes on board who wants to shake up personnel. Keeping that in mind, while it's possible there will be quite a bit of stability off the edge, it isn't out of the question the group could look quite a bit different come next summer.
Previous Seahawks Report Cards: Quarterback, Defensive Tackle, Running Back
