Seahawks 2019 defense vs Seahawks 2018 defense: linebackers

The Seahawks offseason changes continued with their corps of linebackers. Some concern backups, some concern availability. Will the 2019 group be better?

The Seahawks made some huge changes to their defensive line this offseason. The three primary defensive ends are all new to the team for 2019. The shakeup among the defensive tackles wasn’t as drastic, but Seattle still made some key changes in personnel. Seattle made similar moves within their linebacker corps. The starters won’t change, but a couple of new backups could have a major impact on 2019.

The mainstay for the Seahawks linebackers is the great Bobby Wagner. He’s the lynchpin of the entire defense for that matter. For my money, he’s the best linebacker in the NFL. 12s were a bit nervous when he announced he wanted an extension before the season started. Happily, the Seattle brain trust knew he was worth every penny of his new contract. My math may be shaky, but I figure the four-time All-Pro is getting paid about $2.50 per opposing quarterback nightmare.

Another returning linebacker is K.J. Wright. He may not have the accolades of Wagner but he’s a critical piece of the Hawks defense. The difference he makes was crystal clear when the eight-year veteran missed 11 games last season. His various replacements were okay, but there’s a reason there are new backups in town. Don’t worry, we’ll get to them soon enough. 16 games of Wright on the weak side is a big deal for the Hawks.

The third returning linebacker for Seattle is Mychal Kendricks. It was a bit surprising when the Seahawks signed him, as he was facing possible jail time for his role in an insider trading scam. His impending legal issues didn’t appear to get into his head as he played exceptionally well for the Hawks. In just four games Kendricks had two sacks and three quarterback hits. He also broke up a pass and played a very solid strongside linebacker. Kendricks went down with an injury in his first game back from his suspension last year.

Unfortunately, his sentencing hearing will be after the third game of the season. If we’re lucky, Kendricks will be available for all 16 games. Combined with a healthy K.J. Wright, that would give the Seahawks 23 more games of their starting linebacker corps than they got in 2018. Obviously that gives the 2019 team a huge advantage over last season.

Seahawks have solid backups at linebacker

Just in case something does fall amiss, the Hawks have some excellent backups in place. Seattle’s third-round pick Cody Barton has earned raves this summer. As Bobby Wagner’s backup at middle linebacker, he was calling defensive signals this summer. As Lee Vowell wrote, Barton has what it takes to play a big role for the Seahawks.

Based on his performance in the final preseason game, so does linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven. BBK starred at UDub, as most of you well know. He can pop up anywhere on the field so quickly, I suspect he might be one of Marvel’s superheroes, moonlighting in the NFL. He led the NCAA in total tackles as a senior with a phenomenal 176. I won’t be surprised to see him lead the big boys in that department in a few years.

Shaquem Griffin rounds out the backup linebacker unit. I’m not sure, but you may have heard of him. Seattle has switched him to the strong side to play to his strength. We’ll see if he can use his speed to get to the quarterback this season, a skill he demonstrated consistently in college. He battled a knee injury for much of the offseason, but made some big plays on special teams against the Raiders. He looks ready to take the next step up.

The Seahawks bumped up the level of their backups with a couple of heady draft picks in Barton and Burr-Kirven. Moving Griffin should help him maximize his potential as well. Overall, Seattle could upgrade their starting linebackers simply by having them all play 16 games. A full season of Wagner, Wright and Kendricks would be a big improvement over 2018.