Who is Ahtyba Rubin?

First off, no one can ignore the fact that Ahtyba Rubin is now one of the players with the most badass names on the Seattle Seahawks roster. First name is pronounced ah-TAH-bah and nicknamed, “Tuba,” just as cool. Now, onto the topic at hand. Rubin was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2008, in the 6th round, as the 190th overall pick.

While his rookie season started off on a high note, he seemed to only get better from there. In 2009, Rubin played in all 16 regular season games and started in five of them. Three out of the five starts, the Browns held their opponents under 100 yards rushing. The following year, he recorded 82 tackles which was good enough to lead all NFL defensive linemen in tackles. 2011 durability was a non-factor for Rubin. He started all 16 games while registering 83 tackles and a career-high five sacks, only Jason Pierre-Paul had more tackles that year.

Coming off of a couple of down years in 2013 and 2014 the Seahawks signed Rubin to a one-year deal. So what makes him such a good fit with the team? More than anything, Rubin adds much needed depth to the defensive interior, especially now that Kevin Williams decided to depart to New Orleans. You can never have too much pass rush, and Pete Carroll will tell you the same. You also have to take into consideration that Brandon Mebane might not respond well after coming off a season ending injury to his hamstring, so productivity might not be the same. However, if Mebane isn’t up to par come game time, Rubin is more than capable to take on a noteworthy portion of the workload.

Ideally, the Seahawks want Mebane back to full health. He is the guy they want in the trenches. But, if necessary, Rubin’s production from his time in Cleveland show how effective he can be. Regardless if Mebane returns to full health or not, the addition of Ahtyba Rubin will significantly better the Seattle Seahawks interior lineman. Depth is an important asset to have for any team. Look what happened to the Seahawks in Super Bowl 49. Seattle simply didn’t have the same depth up front this season and that took a toll when Avril went out. But let’s not bring back the past that caused us all so much agony.

If the accomplished interior lineman can perform like he did in the beginning of his career and injury free, he could prove a nice value signing and help the Seahawks get back to the playoffs. In which he has never tasted before. The Seahawks already have a tough defensive front when healthy and if healthy is the case for 2015, we could be talking about the best group Pete Carroll has incorporated in terms of the defensive line.

Next: Who is Terry Poole?

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