'Come Kick Some Butt': Seahawks Hoping For Darrell Taylor to Seize New Opportunity

After producing a career-low in sacks and quarterback hits in 2023, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald eagerly awaits the chance to unlock a motivated Darrell Taylor's full potential.

ORLANDO, Fl. - Starting with a new head coach in Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks have undergone an offseason characterized by change, quickly rebuilding their defense to fit the scheme and vision of their new leader on the sidelines with several newcomers at all three levels.

But while the Seahawks will enter the 2024 season with new starters at both linebacker spots and at least one new starting safety, not every position group has been retooled by Macdonald and general manager John Schneider. With changes aplenty elsewhere, the team hasn't made any moves off the edge with the same cast of characters set to return from a year ago, including former second-round pick Darrell Taylor.

Earlier this month, after the deadline to place tenders on restricted free agents had passed, Seattle appeared to have let Taylor hit the market, as his name wasn't listed on the NFL transaction wire. Coming off a somewhat disappointing season with only 28 combined tackles, 5.5 sacks, and a career-low eight quarterback hits, it wouldn't have been a surprise if the team decided to move on, especially with a new coach coming onboard and implementing a new system.

However, the Seahawks had different ideas with the athletic edge rusher, agreeing to a reworked one-year deal with Taylor worth up to $3.486 million with incentives. If he would have received an original round tender, his base salary would have been $3.116 million without any incentives, so the new contract provides a chance for him to boost his earnings in the final year of his rookie contract before hitting free agency next March.

Seahawks linebacker Darrell Taylor celebrates a sack after bringing down Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield.

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Why did the Seahawks bring Taylor back and dangle an extra financial carrot for him to pursue in the process? After evaluating him on film and speaking with the former Tennessee standout recently, Macdonald felt a connection with the player and believes he has upside to offer the defense that may not have fully manifested in his first three NFL seasons.

“I look forward to DT just coming in and competing every day," Macdonald told reporters at the NFL annual meeting on Tuesday. "We’ve got some really good players on the edge. Talking to him, we want guys that are bought in on what we are doing on a day to day basis. I feel like he feels like he has a lot to prove as well."

As Macdonald later noted, Taylor's career got off to a rocky start due to a prolonged recovery from surgery to repair a fractured leg suffered late in his senior season with the Volunteers. Despite being unable to participate in the Senior Bowl or NFL combine, the Seahawks didn't see any long-term medical concerns that would curtail them from drafting him, and Schneider wound up trading up with the Jets to select him with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, Taylor didn't progress as hoped, missing all of Seattle's offseason program and opening training camp on the non-football injury list. Though he eventually returned to practice in January, he didn't play a single snap as a rookie, ultimately taking a redshirt season that led to his restricted free agent status this spring.

Returning to full health in time for the 2021 season, Taylor has flashed as a pass rusher in spurts over the past three seasons, including recording 6.5 of his 21.5 career sacks in the Seahawks final six regular season games in 2022. Often winning with an explosive first step as an upfield speed rusher and occasionally showcasing underrated power bull rushing blockers, he also has demonstrated a knack for creating turnovers when he finds his way to the quarterback as well, forcing four fumbles that season and five overall.

But Taylor has yet to emerge as a viable NFL starter in Seattle, in large part due to consistent struggles as a run defender that have relegated him to a situational role on passing downs. At 255 pounds, he has battled persistent issues holding up at the point of attack against bigger tackles while trying to set the edge and his propensity for freelancing has led to problems maintaining gap integrity, leaving teammates behind him hanging out to dry as running backs exploded through massive holes to the second level.

Darrell Taylor, Deebo Samuel

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Taylor has also been a strong case of feast or famine as a pass rusher with his sack numbers being a bit misleading in regard to his overall effectiveness. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted a poor 6.2 percent win rate as a rusher last season, which ranked 106th out of 120 qualified edge rushers. Even with 9.5 sacks in 2022, his win rate number wasn't much better at 8.9 percent, ranking 76th out of 125 edge defenders.

Additionally, per Pro Football Focus, Taylor hasn't been a reliable tackler for the Seahawks, missing 21 combined tackles and posting a dreadful 25.9 percent missed tackle rate for his career thus far. Whether rushing the passer or defending the run, too many plays have been left on the field, which led to him losing a starting job each of the past two seasons.

In order to play for Macdonald and earn snaps in a group headlined by Uchenna Nwosu and budding star Boye Mafe, Taylor will have to make marked improvements as an all-around defender that he hasn't been able to fulfill up to this point. Whiffing on tackles, failing to set a firm edge, and screwing up gap assignments would be a recipe to land back in the dog house and with minimal guarantees on his new contract, Seattle could move on from him before the season without a hitch if he isn't able to earn his keep.

However, the incoming coaching staff saw enough positives on film, particularly hunting down quarterbacks and playing with a hot motor, to suggest Taylor could still be a significant factor in a new scheme. Possessing intriguing physical traits and with much left to prove after a trio of inconsistent seasons, Macdonald sees a prime shot for him to restore some of his value both to Seahawks and for the rest of the league with free agency in his future and looks forward to working with him when the offseason program kicks off next month.

"It’s an opportunity for him to have a fresh start, just like the rest of the guys on the team. Our exposure to all of these guys are limited and I think that’s a great thing where these guys can come in and have a new opportunity to come kick some butt and go earn themselves an opportunity to produce and earn themselves some money.’’