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Patriots, Giants, Seahawks among 5 defenses primed to break out: Nguyen
The Cardinals and Buccaneers round out the list of defenses that could see a big jump in 2025.
www.nytimes.com
Seahawks
In Mike Macdonald’s first year as head coach, the Seahawks defense improved statistically, but the numbers painted a rosier picture than what stage the unit was truly at. They started strong, fell off midseason, then finished strong. In their final seven games, they were one of the best defenses in football, according to several metrics. However, they played a soft schedule and gave up 30 points to the Packers and 27 points to the Vikings, the two best offenses they faced in that stretch.Learning Macdonald’s defense requires a longer onboarding period than with most. That was proven in Baltimore when Macdonald’s unit started to take shape in the second half of his first season as their defensive coordinator before becoming the best defense in the league the following year.
Can his Seattle defense follow the same timeline? There are many moving parts in Macdonald’s system and defenders have to learn everyone’s job so they can move around the chessboard and cause confusion for opponents, particularly in passing situations. From weeks 9 to 18 last season, the Seahawks ranked first in defensive EPA on second- and third-and-long (7-plus yards to gain) situations. This season, they’ll return all of their key starters except edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones, who was cut in a cap-saving move and replaced with Demarcus Lawrence. Having a young group of defenders with a year of experience in this system is the biggest reason for optimism for a true breakout.
New Seahawk DeMarcus Lawrence takes part in drills during mini-camp in June. (Stephen Brashear / Imagn Images)
“The continuity comes with the understanding of when we’re going through it (and handling) formation adjustments, they’re talking, they’re anticipating them and they’re understanding how to play fast,” defensive coordinator Aden Durde said after an OTA practice.
Lawrence’s best days as a pass rusher are behind him, but he can help the Seahawks’ rush defense. On early downs, Macdonald uses Vic Fangio principles, keeping two deep safeties. The front has to limit the run with light boxes and get offenses into long-yardage situations. One of the reasons for their strong finish was their improvement against the run. From weeks 1-8, as their defensive line got healthier, the Seahawks ranked 26th in rushing defense success rate (57 percent). From weeks 9-18, they improved to 6th (65.4 percent). They don’t have an elite pass rusher, but they have several disruptive players, including Leonard Williams, their best defensive lineman, and last year’s first-round pick, Byron Murphy, who could take the next step after playing rotational snaps.
Macdonald schemes up pressure rather than relying on individual wins, so having a strong secondary is more important in this system. The Seahawks have young defensive backs with complementary skills, headlined by nickel Devon Witherspoon, safety Julian Love, and corner Tariq Woolen. There could be a position battle between freshly signed Shaquill Griffin and Josh Jobe for who starts on the outside opposite of Woolen when the Seahawks are in nickel.
Second-round draft pick Nick Emmanwori adds an interesting element to this secondary. Theoretically, he could play a big nickel role and match up on tight ends and blitz like Kyle Hamilton did for Macdonald in Baltimore. No one should expect Emmanwori, who is more of a project, to be as good as Hamilton, but if he can be trusted to play nickel (five defensive backs) in certain situations, Witherspoon can bump outside even in the Seahawks’ nickel and dime (six DBs) packages.
Technically, this defense broke out last season, but they have a chance to enter truly elite territory this season.
