Seahawks defense: Which players have raised their value the most this season?
Seaside Joe 1339: The Seahawks season is one surprise twist after another
Read This: Fans betting against the Kenneth Walker pick is stupidest thing I've ever seen from Seahawks Twitter
On Halloween night, Seaside Jay and I made like Casey Becker and watched a scary movie. She had never seen The Sixth Sense before, so that was an exciting realization for me, to know what she was in for. When Jay added, “But I know the ending,” my excitement waned a little. When she then said, “Or at least, I know what he says,” my excitement grew faster and larger than the Grinch’s expansive beating heart.
That’s when I realized that Jay has spent her whole life thinking that the twist ending to The Sixth Sense was “I see dead people.” It was almost better to know that she thought she knew what the twist was, then to simply be blissfully unaware that a twist was possible, as so many moviegoers felt back in 1999.
I was literally in tears at certain points in the movie as I waited for her to see the ending and praying that she wouldn’t figure it out. She didn’t, the last five minutes were amazing, and now she calls The Sixth Sense, “my new favorite movie.”
So long, Shawshank Redemption.
You never know what you’re gonna get, even when you think you do. When you think you know what you’re gonna get, and you’re wrong again, the mind is doubly shattered. As we saw in Tuesday’s poll results, few Seahawks fans are getting what they expected this season, but the surprises have been by and large positive. That continued on Tuesday with Will Dissly winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Not the exact Will Dissly vision that I had going into the game, but I’ll take it.
Another thing I did on Halloween was post a yearlong stock-up, stock-down report for the Seahawks offense. Today, I will turn to the defense.
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CB - Tariq Woolen
Up (signed through 2025)
Waaayyyyyy up. It’s hard to imagine anyone in the league doing more for their value this year than Geno Smith, but Woolen’s close. Only six months ago, Woolen was a borderline draft pick. With his size and speed, there was no chance of him going undrafted, however if not for his measurements then Woolen definitely would have been a free agent. The thought of Woolen starting was a scary one a couple of months ago and now he’s not only forcing Seattle to release veteran cornerbacks, he’s one of the top players at his position in the NFC.
It’s difficult for me to project Woolen as a Pro Bowl player this season, only because that necessitates “being a name” and he’s hurt by his draft status. Most people outside of Seattle have still never heard of him. What Woolen might need is to have a big game on national TV and there are only two good opportunities left during the regular season: Week 10 against the Bucs in Germany (6:30 AM start) and Week 15 on Thursday Night Football against the 49ers.
The Seahawks have unearthed an incredible value with Woolen and he’s coming extremely cheap over the next two seasons, at least.
CB - Mike Jackson
Up (2023 status: RFA)
Woolen and Jackson are the Seahawks top two corners and that’s surprising for a number of reasons, including what we saw in training camp and preseason. Jackson did stand out, but to be able to confidently say now that he’s a good starting cornerback comes as a shock. Jackson has played in 100% of the snaps over the last two weeks, with Justin Herbert and Daniel Jones combining to go 8-of-20 for 74 yards and no touchdowns on throws in his direction. A sixth round pick of the Cowboys out of Miami in 2019, Jackson is a restricted free agent and will come back on the cheap next season. I know a lot of people are still upset about D.J. Reed, but Jackson is giving Seattle that level of corner play already and at a much cheaper cost.
Sidenote: Do we really need everybody to make a Michael Jackson reference? I can’t wait for Twitter to start removing blue checks.
CB - Coby Bryant
Up (signed through 2025)
One of the consistent stories throughout training camp was tracking how often Coby Bryant played in the nickel. No matter where he’s lining up, Bryant has shown a penchant for making game-changing plays, as evidenced with four forced fumbles. Bryant’s coverage numbers are by far the worst of the three young corners, but they’re not especially concerning to me and he’s been better over the last three games: 13-of-19, 111 yards, 0 TD.
And Coby Bryant is a huge fan of Pete Carroll, something that a lot of anti-Petes said was impossible for young players in the modern era.
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CB Justin Coleman (9% of snaps), CB Sidney Jones IV (released), CB Artie Burns (one game played) have all seen their stocks drop dramatically.
Read This: Fans betting against the Kenneth Walker pick is stupidest thing I've ever seen from Seahawks Twitter
S - Quandre Diggs
Neutral (signed through 2024)
What Diggs has lost with some uncharacteristically poor play, he has gained by being one of the most important leaders on the team. I usually hate referencing abstract concepts like “leadership” but with Diggs, it’s too obvious to ignore. He’s hyping up his teammates, helping recruit Bruce Irvin, and picking up slack left by the departures of players like Bobby Wagner and the injury to Jamal Adams.
However, Diggs is not yet having the type of impact season on the field that he’s used to, allowing a passer rating of 140.6 (two touchdowns, no interceptions), dropping picks he’d usually haul in, and missing a few tackles that he should be finishing. I’m not going to give him a stock down for his on-field miscues, thanks to his intangible qualities. But Diggs is just a little less dynamic as a playmaker as compared to the 10 interceptions he had over the 2020-2021 seasons.
S - Jamal Adams
Down (signed through 2024)
As someone who has generally supported the trade, I’m disheartened by the amount of time that Adams has missed. By the end of this season, Adams will have played in 25 games and missed 25 games during his Seahawks tenure.
S - Ryan Neal
Up (2023 status: RFA)
The restricted free agent status can be a real bummer for some players. Neal is finally capitalizing on an opportunity and raising his stock, but he’s almost 27 and the Seahawks can keep him for cheap again next season. Neal is on a tear right now and he hasn’t allowed a touchdown since he was blamed for allowing two to Jared Goff in his defensive debut in Week 4. His most recent injury was only cramping and he appears to be fine. Seattle has always been in trouble when they’ve lost a safety to injury midseason but Neal has been a revelation as compared to Steven Terrell or Josh Jones.
S - Josh Jones
Down (2023 status: FA)
I guess you could say that Jones’ stock is “up” merely because he’s on a team. But Jones has seen his playing time diminish from 80-100% of the snaps in the first four weeks to about 25% of the snaps in the last four weeks. Jones’ missed tackle rate (23.3%) is the fifth-worst in the NFL.
LB - Jordyn Brooks
Neutral (signed through 2024, if fifth-year option is picked up)
I know there are Brooks fans who take issue with this, but I see no evidence that Brooks is better this year than he was last year. If you liked Brooks already, you should continue to. If you didn’t feel he was playing like a first rounder before, I don’t know why you’d have changed your mind this year. Of all the linebackers in the NFL, Brooks’ coverage stats still come out among the worst. Those are JUST STATS. And they could be misleading! I’m not trying to pressure you into believing that Brooks is bad, that’s just what we have. Here is a play where Brooks is good:
If the Seahawks choose to pick up his fifth-year option, Brooks will get a raise from $3.9 million in 2023 to $11.3 million in 2024.
Tell me why Jordyn Brooks is good^^^
LB - Cody Barton
Up (2023 status: FA)
The funny thing with stocks is that even if Barton’s is up, he’s not as good as Brooks. However, Barton has already played more defensive snaps in 2022 than in the first three years of his career combined. But Barton also saw his playing time decrease from almost 100% in the first three games to only getting about 50% of the snaps in the last three games. What do we know about the last three games? Seattle’s defense is good again! Here’s some interesting schematic breakdowns from @SeahawkNerd:
I would say Cody Barton has gone from a player on the fringe of a roster to one who will be able to stick in the league. Maybe he’s got some Will Compton in him. I’ll add that of every player in the NFL who has been targeted at least 20 times, Barton’s 91.7% completions allowed (22/24) is the second-highest in the NFL behind only Quincy Williams of the Jets. BUT, of the players in the NFL who have a 0% missed tackle rate, Barton’s 59 tackles are the most.
OLB - Uchenna Nwosu
Up (signed through 2023)
Nwosu has gone from a sidekick to the main character. His five sacks has tied a career-high, with nine games left to go. Some say he has the most pressures in the NFL. The Seahawks signed Nwosu to basically the same kind of contract as Cliff Avril in 2013, a two-year deal that gives Seattle some options in case the edge rusher goes off. Like Avril, Nwosu seems headed in that direction. The Seahawks have him signed for a $12.7 million cap hit in 2023, but they could give him an extension if he keeps at this pace. I would be surprised if Nwosu made it into the Pro Bowl as an NFC edge rusher, but only five players in the conference have more sacks than he does.
OLB - Boye Mafe
Up (signed through 2025)
Maybe the biggest difference between Mafe and number one overall pick Travon Walker at this point is playing time. Mafe has had 220 snaps, Walker has had 465 snaps. Mafe has two sacks and six pressures, Walker has 2.5 sacks and 11 pressures. As value goes, I don’t see Walker playing worse to this point than any other rookie edge rushers, including Aidan Hutchinson, who has 4.5 sacks. Mafe’s playing time has increased over the last month and he had a sack of Daniel Jones in Week 8.
OLB - Bruce Irvin
UP! (2023 status: FA)
I’ve made exactly two trips into the Seahawks locker room after a game for media coverage and most of my attempts at getting an interview went poorly. The best of those interviews was with Bruce Irvin and while I don’t exactly remember the question (it had something to do with his teammates getting sacks), I do remember Irvin’s answer: “It ain’t no fun, if the homies can’t have none.” He’s a legend. And Irvin is playing like a guy who knows his career was basically OVER when the Seahawks called him a few weeks ago.
OLB - Darrell Taylor
Down (signed through 2023)
The good news for Taylor and the Seahawks is that he’s signed through next season on the cheap. Time for him to improve. But at this point, he’s only a designated pass rusher. He left the most recent game with a hip injury and he’s been surpassed on the depth chart by Darryl Johnson (status: UP) when Johnson is healthy. Among other edge rushers, Alton Robinson (IR) and Tyreke Smith (IR) have seen their stocks plummet because of injuries.
DL Poona Ford
Up (2023 status: FA)
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster year, but Ford seems to be getting more comfortable in the defense recently. He has two sacks in his last three games and Ford’s previous career-high for sacks in a season is two. It looks like the 27-year-old could have a career year and then he’ll be a free agent.
NT Al Woods
Up (signed through 2023)
The Seahawks are getting a lot of help from rookies, but also two 35-year-olds in Irvin and Woods. Woods has had a more limited role since missing a game with injury a few weeks ago, but has still contributed two sacks in his last three appearances. He can be the number one game wrecker some weeks and Seattle luckily added him back on a two-year deal.
DE Shelby Harris
Neutral (signed through 2023)
Whether the Seahawks see Harris as “irreplaceable” or not will be tested because of his $6.5 million base salary and $2 million roster bonus in 2023. So far, I would say that Harris hasn’t played up to that level yet. There is $9 million in savings to release Harris. Maybe a new contract?
DE Quinton Jefferson
Up (signed through 2023)
He’s had a very consistent season, maybe also an underrated campaign. Jefferson has three sacks, two shy of a new career-high, and he’s had a pressure almost every week. Great value, too.
DE L.J. Collier
Neutral (2023 status: FA)
A guy on the fringe who made his 2022 debut last week, playing in 18 snaps and getting a batted pass against Jones. Collier may be someone who Pete Carroll wants to bring back for cheap if he has a strong second half, similar to the Rashaad Penny situation of 2021-2022.
DL Myles Adams
Up (2023 status: Exclusive Rights Free Agent)
Though he was a healthy scratch last week to make room for Collier, Adams has elevated himself off of the practice squad. He had 30 snaps against the Chargers, recording one QB hit.
DT Bryan Mone
Down (signed through 2024)
I’m not “down” on Bryan Mone. In fact, I like him! But he signed a two-year, $12 million extension in the offseason (which raises expectations) and he’s been a little inconsistent this year. Is he losing ground to some cheaper players? I think Seattle definitely wants him around for 2023 ($3.8m cap hit) but might need to see more to keep him for 2024 ($6.4m).
Read This: Fans betting against the Kenneth Walker pick is stupidest thing I've ever seen from Seahawks Twitter.
Forgetting for the moment about Russell Wilson leaving town. With 13 of 22 player positions being different than last year (9 of those new to the team) and a first time Defensive Coordinator changing up the scheme, any expectation for an early season success would have been exaggerated. Yet this team has done so.
The defense has had to replace All Pro and Pro Bowl talent in Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams - plus has 4 of 5 starting DBs new this year - 2 rookies. 4th and 5th round rookie corners usually ONLY see the field on special teams let alone start and even lead the league in turnover categories. Simply WOW.
Now is time to re-calibrate our hopes and expectations. Using the John Clayton prediction method (that he got from Dick Vermeil), I started the season predicting what most considered an ambitious 8-9 win season. Looking at the remaining schedule, it feels like the Hawks will be on a 6 game win streak when they face the Rams in LA. Call that a Loss as well as the Chiefs in KC (12/24 snow game?).
The Niner's on 12/15 in Seattle will be tough as they are improving but so are Pete Carroll's gladiators. It just feels like we have a minimum of 10 wins this season with 12 being more and more legit to speculate 'Am I wrong, Dude? Am I wrong?'
Late in the game, Daniel Jones passed up on dumping off to a seemingly wide open Saquon Barkley. When I watched the replay, I noticed Woolen lurking, practically daring Jones to make the throw. It was the QB version of Michael Crabtree’s alligator arms that showed up any time Kam Chancellor was nearby.