Seahawks 2019 defense vs Seahawks 2018 defense: defensive ends

The Seahawks made some changes on offense this offseason, but the biggest changes came to their defense. Did the defensive ends improve over last season?

I’ve already written about the changes the Seahawks have made on the offensive side of the ball. Both the quarterbacks and running backs saw changes at the backups. The Hawks also added some key rookies at wide receiver. These were important changes to be sure, but nothing like the moves Seattle made on defense. No unit changed more than the defensive line, particularly at end.

When the Seahawks traded Frank Clark, the initial reaction was, what are they doing? The Hawks struggled to get to the quarterback in 2018, and they had just traded away nearly a third of their sacks. That initial shock turned into joy when we saw just what Seattle got in the deal. Those draft picks were only the beginning of the changes we’d see to the defensive line.

Seattle drafted defensive end L.J. Collier as the first step in their retrofit of the line. As Lee Vowell wrote in his review of the pick, Collier isn’t likely to generate the sacks that Clark did. But he will get his share of sacks and be tougher against the run. He won’t get the start we expected due to his injury, but he’ll get there eventually.

Just two weeks after the Seahawks drafted Collier they made a splash in the free agent market by signing Ezekiel Anshah to anchor the other rush end position. Ziggy comes with quite an interesting history. He can drop opposing quarterbacks about as well as anyone in the league when he’s healthy. The problem is, he’s only had two healthy seasons in the past four years. Here’s the bad news: he missed every preseason game. The good news: he’s ready for the opener. If he follows the pattern of the past four years, 2019 will be a healthy year with double-digit sacks.

The Seahawks pulled off the heist of the offseason with the trade for Jadeveon Clowney. He may not be the best pass-rusher in the league, but he did have 18.5 sacks and 42 quarterback hits over the past two years. Not great, but really good. He’s a monster against the run, so the Hawks got an awfully good player for what they gave up. Clowney replaces Quinton Jefferson, who can slide back inside to tackle. Rasheem Green and Branden Jackson return as backups.

Let’s review. Seattle lost Clark, Mingo, and Martin. Those three players combined for 17 sacks in 2018. The new trio combined for 19 sacks last year (Collier’s in college). In 2017 Clowney, Ansah and Collier piled up 25.5 sacks. Seattle’s new ends are very likely to drop the quarterback at least 25 times again in 2019, quite possibly closer to 30 sacks. Clark, Mingo, and Martin will be very lucky to total 17 sacks again. Add that Clowney and Collier will be much better against the run, and there’s a big advantage for the defensive ends of 2019.