The Seattle Seahawks strength this season will be on the defensive side of the ball, just as in the heyday of the Legion of Boom. One rookie in particular will have an outsized role in the success of Mike Macdonald's defense.
The Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald away from the Baltimore Ravens precisely because they wanted to re-establish the style that Pete Carroll had instilled in the team. A strong running game with the ability to stretch the field was key. But a smothering defense was the star in the best Seahawks teams. Macdonald is the right coach to bring that style back to Seattle.
The defense looked much better in the second half of 2024. After they surrendered 221 points in the first nine games, Seattle allowed just 147 in the remaining eight. That's 24.6 points per game versus 18.4 points after the bye. When you allow a full touchdown less on average, you're a lot more likely to go 5-2 than 4-5, and that's just what the Seahawks did after the break.
Now Macdonald has added a Swiss Army Knife to his defense to take them to the next level.
The Seahawks will play Nick Emmanwori all over to terrorize opponents
There are already plenty of reasons to expect the Seahawks to make another big leap on defense. Keeping Ernest Jones IV in Seattle was a major key, as with a full training camp he should be even better. And no one can dispute that ESPN's Mina Kimes knows her stuff. She has three more excellent reasons to expect the best from the Seahawks' defense.
As she said, she's not exactly sold on the offense. But that's a subject for another 37 articles or so. We're here to talk about the defense. Jones and his linebacker partner Tyrice Knight had a lot to do with that second-half turnaround, as Kimes said.
Her second reason is Mike Macdonald's second-half record. In his first year as the Ravens defensive coordinator, Baltimore allowed 196 points in the first nine games. They surrendered just 119 in the eight games after their bye. That's an average of 21.8 before the break and 14.9 after.
That one-touchdown improvement should look familiar. And as she said, his defense ranked first in points allowed in season two, giving up just 280 for the year.
Third, she likes the pass rush. I like the addition of DeMarcus Lawrence too, but with no timetable for the return of Uchenna Nwosu, he's more of a replacement than an addition at this point. Yeah, it beats not having anybody to step in with Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, but it won't be quite the same, at least not at the start of the season.
What excites me the most is the addition of rookie Nick Emmawori. Many expect him to be the new Kam Chancellor, a comparison he welcomes. He didn't say this in a cocky manner; just that he expects to fill a Chancellor-type role.
With his size and speed, the comparisons are undeniable. But Emmanwori can be much more than that. Yeah, that sounds like sacrilege, but give me a moment to explain.
Macdonald moved his prized rookie all over the defense in minicamp. He played at safety, lined up in the slot, and even took snaps as an edge rusher. As a pretty darn smart writer said, it looks for all the world that Macdonald sees Emmanwori as the new Kyle Hamilton. Yes, others have said that, but it's my article, so he gets the credit.
Hamilton had over 400 snaps at strong safety last year, and over 350 as the free safety. He had over 290 in the slot and was just shy of 80 on the line. That's a change from his alignments under Macdonald in 2023, but not in the scheme. 236 snaps in the box, 301 at free safety, 465 in the slot, and nearly 60 on the line. The message is that Hamilton could be coming from anywhere on the field.
Expect the same from Nick Emmanwori this season for the Seahawks. Kam Chancellor actually moved around a lot as well. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bam Bam lined up in the box 2,616 times in his career. the surprise is - at least to me - that he had 2,847 snaps at free safety.
Again, that was largely a matter of disguising coverages. Add 892 in the slot, 226 on the line, and 135 at cornerback, and you've got a guy who lines up everywhere.
Hmmm...maybe Nick Emmanowi will be Bam Bam 2.0 after all. Whether his play reminds you of Chancellor or Hamilton, he'll definitely make an outsized impact on the Seahawks' defense for years to come. Now, if he can only get a marketing deal with Victorinix...