3 emerging Seahawks that will have breakout seasons in 2022

Seahawks edge rusher/linebacker Darrell Taylor

In training camp, Taylor appears to becoming the alpha on defense and the Seahawks need one on that side of the ball. Bobby Wagner used to be the undisputed leader of the defense but now he plays for the Los Angeles Rams. Jordyn Brooks might be calling out the plays and could be a Pro Bowler this year but he plays quieter than Taylor. Taylor likes to talk trash on the field.

But Taylor is also capable of backing up any smack talk. While he is entering his third year in the NFL, he has only played one season. Taylor was still getting over a leg injury he suffered in college in his rookie season of 2020 and never played. In 2021, Taylor started the season with 4 sacks in his first five games. But then he seemed to run out of gas.

From Week 6 through the rest of the season, Taylor had just 2.5 sacks. But now Taylor has the experience of how teams will try to block him. There is no doubt he has the physical skill, including high-level quickness, to be an impact edge rusher and he just needs to transition that skill into consistent production.

In training camp, Taylor has also looked solid in pass coverage too. He is going to get more snaps this season because of his versatility and Seattle’s move to more of a 3-4 base. If he stays healthy, Taylor could get to 10-plus sacks. And if he does that, it would clearly make the defense overall a lot more dangerous and that should mean more Seahawks victories in 2022 than many expect.