Seahawks Bryan Mone should be a long term fixture at defensive tackle

The Seahawks still need depth at defensive tackle, but Bryan Mone’s play in 2020 might be the reason Seattle hasn’t been on an all-out search for it. In fact, Mone should be given a lot more snaps in 2021 and his performance in limited snaps last year might be the main reason, even more than Poona Ford’s excellence, that Jarran Reed was fairly easy to let go.

Reed did provide an interior pass rush that Ford hasn’t proven he can do. Mone isn’t really expected to chase down quarterbacks but he can eat up blockers and help stuff the run game. Mone showed so much promise doing so that he will likely start in Ford’s old DT spot while Ford moves over and plays Reed’s three-technique spot.

If there was no Bryan Mone, the Seahawks might have tried to hold on to Reed, even after Reed started publicly airing grievances about his contract. Of course, Pete Carroll has always wanted his players to be team first and Reed seemed to go against that.

Bryan Mone should take a big step forward with Seahawks in 2021

Seattle wasn’t going to restructure Reed’s deal. Reed was a good pass rusher at times but also very inconsistent. With Poona Ford, Seattle has a metronome at defensive tackle. Ford will stop running backs, show surprising quickness and won’t back down from the competition.

Mone is much bigger than Ford as Mone is 6’3″ and 366 pounds. Basically, he is nearly the perfect size for a DT but like Ford, Mone plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Mone, like Ford, went undrafted out of college. Unlike Ford who got a bad rap because he is not tall compared to most DTs, Mone suffered a few injuries in college and wasn’t splashy as a pass rusher.

Mone likely will rotate snaps with veterans like Al Woods and that is OK. Keeping defensive linemen fresh is important. But Woods doesn’t have a lot of years left to play. Mone is young and could form the nucleus along with Ford for several years to come with the Seahawks.