3 biggest upgrades on the Seattle Seahawks in 2023

Seahawks upgraded by signing defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones

I am not breaking news here by saying that the Seattle Seahawks' defensive line overall was terrible in 2022. They haven't been able to get sustained pressure on opposing quarterbacks for a few years now, but last year they couldn't even stop the run. Heck, at some points it just seemed like the defensive line was getting in the way of the linebackers being able to see what was happening in front of them clearly.

The people in charge of the Seahawks saw that too, obviously. Gone is almost every member of the defensive line group from last year. Even Al Woods, who was one of the players who was pretty good the last two years, was able to leave in free agency. But Seattle had a definite plan this offseason on what to do with its defensive line moving forward. They brought back former Seahawk Jarran Reed, but most importantly they aggressively pursued Dre'Mont Jones of the Broncos and got him to come to Seattle.

Jones is a much more dangerous and versatile player than anyone Seattle had on its D-line last year. Woods was solid, but only very good in run defense. Poona Ford was a bit fit for Seattle's change to a 3-4. Shelby Harris was good at times but really inconsistent. Quinton Jefferson comes closest to Jones in terms of production but Jefferson isn't truly a three-down player and is better on obvious passing downs.

Jones has consistently produced in the last three seasons. A team can count on him getting 5-6 sacks and about 9 tackles for loss and double-digit quarterback hits. Jones might not get to 10 sacks or 12 tackles for loss, but he's physically capable of doing so. Either way, he is a clear upgrade over any of the players on Seattle's defensive line last year. Plus, he's young enough to be a high-level performer for the next three to four years.

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