4 Seahawks players who could be nice surprises in 2024

Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones could have his best season

Let's be real, Dre'Mont Jones was a disappointment this past season. Last offseason, general manager John Schneider signed Jones to the biggest free agent contract Schneider had ever signed a player to. This meant big things should have been expected. Jones, though, had arguably the worst season of his career with his fewest sacks (4.5) since his rookie year when he only started one game. He also had his fewest tackles for loss (5) since his rookie season, and he missed a career-high 5.8 percent of tackle attempts.

But all that happened under Pete Carroll and former defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt. Some of Jones' lack of production might have been because the Seahawks did not know exactly how to use him. For much of the early part of the season, he was lined up inside the tackles but later was moved to more of a natural defense end spot. He was slightly better outside.

Mike Macdonald won't have the same kind of indecisiveness as Carroll and Hurtt. The new head coach, who also will be in charge of the defense and defensive play calls, will make sure Jones is in his best spot beginning in Week 1. This could easily mean Jones has his best season in the league.

Jones' best season in terms of sacks was in 2022 with the Denver Broncos when he had 6.5, but he only had 16 pressures. His career high in that statistic is 21 in 2021. Jones should reach at least 8 sacks and 30 pressures in 2024 under Macdonald. While not as overly talented as Justin Madubuike, for instance, Jones is not that far off and Macdonald turned Madubuike into a superstar. Jones might be next.