Seahawks still waiting for answers at linebacker

9/6/2024: How do the Seahawks 4 current linebackers score on the Close Your Eyes test?

The Seahawks have not had a true reset at linebacker since the beginning of Pete Carroll’s Seattle career, as other than the coaching changes no group looks more different from the past than the team’s trio in the middle of the defense: Jerome Baker, Tyrel Dodson, and Tyrice Knight.

And even then, I’m not sold that Knight has any actual lead over Drake Thomas, the fourth linebacker to make the final roster, or even practice squad’s own Patrick O’Connell and Michael Barrett.

That being said, the Seahawks may need to call on their linebacker reserves sooner rather than later and Mike Macdonald might call for another full restart at the position in 2025 if none of these players manage to stay healthy and improve upon their weaknesses.

So far I’ve rated three position groups and 15 Seahawks. Here is the fourth and four more Seattle Seahawks ratings based on the “Close Your Eyes” test.

Part I: Running Backs

Part II: Wide receivers

Part III: Defensive Bigs

Part V: Tight Ends

Part VI: Interior O Bigs

LB Jerome Baker

History: 3.5/5

Health: 3.5/5

Athleticism: 4/5

Consistency: 3.5/5

Supply and Demand: 3/5

Versatility: 3/5

I don’t go into any of these ratings with an idea of what I’m going to do, but going through Baker’s I’ve found that I didn’t see a reason to give him any low scores nor a need to give him any high scores. I think we need to see Jerome Baker play WILL in Mike Macdonald’s defense before we can come away with any solid opinions on quality of play, consistency, versatility, and even athleticism.

The Dolphins specifically stated at the time he was released that the team was only doing so because of a knee injury that cost him five games in 2023. What does Miami know? Baker entered the league in 2018 as a top-tier athlete at the linebacker position, but do the Dolphins think some of that speed has been sapped now?

I went hunting for some fan opinions on Baker from Dolphins fans and this Reddit thread is basically saying, “Can we talk about Jerome Baker being overrated and horrible in coverage?” and then even the comments to his defense are, “Yeah, he’s not great, but he’s not bad either and he shouldn’t be playing MIKE but that’s Brian Flores’s decision.”

Three years after being a third round pick, Miami gave Baker an extension that averaged $12.5 million per season. Keep in mind that three years later, they gave Jordyn Brooks an extension that only averages $8.75 million per season. So however you felt about Brooks, the Dolphins liked Baker that much more than him prior to his knee injury. Of course, Brooks also had a serious knee injury.

Baker’s been a productive NFL linebacker. However, it’s a position in which the most productive players can also sometimes be the biggest liabilities on the entire defense, so I want to see Baker before I judge him too harshly. He has a point total of 20.5.

Jerome Baker: 3.4

Greatest strengths: Six years of experience far outpaces any other linebacker on the roster and especially anyone other than Tyrel Dodson, doesn’t cost much and has a lot to prove

Greatest weaknesses: Spotty record in pass coverage (a common issue for LBs today), too many missed tackles, probably not that versatile either positionally or by scheme, concerning recent injury could have sapped athleticism and he’s already been banged up all offseason/camp too.

Intuition

I think it’s just as hard to be a linebacker these days as it is to be a running back, but for some reason nobody at The Athletic is writing that story. (Full disclosure: I haven’t been reading The Athletic, so I don’t know.) What the hell was the NFL thinking when they let the Ravens trade for Roquan Smith without giving up a first round pick? Players like Smith and Fred Warner are so rare nowadays that I simply have lost hope for Seattle’s linebackers until we see the fix happen in real time.

When I close my eyes for Baker, I get nightmare flashbacks to Devin Bush. I hope that’s not the case, but Baker’s entire offseason was riddled with missed practices and more rehab so what should we come to expect? Hope exists in a still frame of Mike Macdonald coaching linebackers, so that’s what I am hanging onto until Sunday. Macdonald said he was impressed with how the linebackers were communicating in camp, so that’s something Seattle could definitely improve upon from last season when even with Bobby Wagner it seemed like the defense was never on the same page.

Up next, do the Seahawks have good depth with Tyrel Dodson, Tyrice Knight, and Drake Thomas, or will Mike Macdonald need to call on his practice squad sooner than later? Here are the other three LB scores going into 2024:

LB Tyrel Dodson