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The Seahawks defense is going to be good in 2021 and here is why

By Andy Excell

Jan 3, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford (97), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (43) and defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford (97), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (43) and defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 18, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Poona Ford (97) tackles Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison (25) in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive tackles

Dependent on defensive scheme and formations, some teams use a nose tackle and some go with two defensive tackles. So my comparatives may not be exactly like for like but will provide an evaluation of the two guys on the interior of each defense.

For Seattle, this means Poona Ford and Al Woods. As a pair Ford and Woods rank 8th in the NFL amongst current rosters.

The top ten being:

  1. Pittsburgh
  2. LA Rams
  3. Kansas City
  4. New Orleans
  5. Indianapolis
  6. Washington
  7. Atlanta
  8. Seattle
  9. NY Giants
  10. San Francisco

Of the 64 starting interior linemen included in this exercise, Poona Ford ranks tenth overall, with Al Woods ranking 40th overall. So Ford is amongst the best in the league and is certainly well worth the $7 million a year the Seahawks will be paying him for the next two seasons.

The re-acquisition of Al Woods at a cost of $3 million for 2021 on paper represents an upgrade on last season’s now-departed starter Jarran Reed. Having been a COVID-19 opt-out for the Jags last season and now aged 34, this can only be a short-term answer at best and has an element of age-related risk attached to it.

Depth-wise and also as possible replacements longer term for Woods, the Seahawks have Bryan Mone and Rasheem Green as players capable of covering/replacing Woods, but any injury to the excellent Ford would be much more difficult to cover.

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