Seahawks Four Down Territory: Takeaways through first two preseason games
Seattle has a lot of talent on the team right now, but might still have position needs to address.
The Seattle Seahawks improved to 2-0 in the preseason, corralling the Dallas Cowboys 22-14. While the games don't matter in terms of standings, the quality of play matters to me, and so far I've been very impressed. On offense and defense, I see a roster that is full of young talented guys, hungry for an opportunity to make their mark.
In Week 2 of the preseason last year, Seattle suffered an embarrassing loss to the Bears on national television. To see where this roster is now talent-wise, it's a stunning turnaround. It's a testament to Pete Carroll and John Schneider, and what they have done since the Russell Wilson trade.
Saturday night was another exciting step in this new era of Seahawks football. Let's talk about the biggest storylines from the week 2 victory.
Seahawks 1st Down: The Edge is real
The Seattle Seahawks may not have a TJ Watt or Nick Bosa-level edge rusher, but they have built a stable of solid to really good guys at a valuable position. For the second straight week, the defensive line harassed the quarterback and controlled the game.
The Cowboys were held to under 300 total yards, with their QBs getting sacked 4 times and throwing an interception. Derick Hall looked strong (literally) again, bullrushing his way through an offensive lineman to get a sack. Tyeke Smith, the Ohio State Buckeye who missed last season with an injury, finally got to show why Seattle drafted him in 2022, collecting a sack and looking like another talented body Seattle has at the edge spot. Levi Bell may not make the team, but not for a lack of effort and jumping at every opportunity.
Boye Mafe looks like a true legit guy this year, getting pressure, setting the edge on the run defense, as well as getting two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. If this is the guy we see this fall, the Seahawks will be in a much better spot defensively than most people think.
I still have concerns about the interior of the defense, despite solid showings from Jarran Reed and Myles Adams. For the defensive line as a whole to reach the next level, though, Seattle may need one last big piece.