The Seattle Seahawks need to add depth to the interior defensive line and have an excess of talent on the outside. Their best move is to trade the inconsistent Darrell Taylor while his value is at its peak. I like him, but his game doesn't warrant keeping him above his potential replacements.
The Seahawks expected a lot when they made Tennessee Volunteer Darrell Taylor their second pick in the 2020 draft. They had every reason for those high expectations. He was remarkably consistent over his junior and senior seasons at Neyland Stadium, with at least 10 tackles for a loss and eight sacks each year. In 2018 he ranked fifth in sacks in the ultra-competitive SEC and ranked second in 2019. He even showed his versatility by breaking up four passes in his senior campaign.
The only reason Taylor fell to the second round was that he needed to recover from surgery for an injury suffered in college. He missed the Seahawks entire 2020 season. Playing on 44 percent of the defense's snaps in his defacto rookie year of 2021, he racked up 6.5 sacks, 13 QB hits, and 7 tackles for a loss.
This is the right time for the Seahawks to move on from Darrell Taylor
The following season saw a bump in his numbers, despite playing almost 60 fewer snaps. Taylor made 9.5 sacks while mirroring his 13 QB hits. He did get one more tackle for a loss than the previous season and forced four fumbles. So why do I believe the Seahawks should trade him?
Those nine-and-a-half sacks really stand out, and in a way, that's the problem with Taylor. His pass rush represents, oh, I'd say 80 percent of his value. I'm not saying that 9.5 sacks aren't a big deal; of course, they are. He tied for the team lead with Uchenna Nwosu. But even his pass rush game is maddeningly inconsistent.
In 2021 he had 4 of his 6.5 sacks in the first five games of the season. From games 6 through 17, he recorded just 2.5. He flipped the pattern last year as he had just three sacks in the first 11 games, Yes, he caught fire late with 6.5 sacks in the final six games, including 2.5 against the Jets. But are those five or six explosive games worth the ten where he's just taking up a roster spot?
Seahawks edge rusher Darrell Taylor is bad against the run
The other issue - the real issue - with Darrell Taylor is his run defense. To clarify, it's his lack thereof. Now, I don't take everything Pro Football Focus puts out as the gospel of football, but in this case, they're spot on. PFF (paywall alert) assigned Taylor a pass rush grade of 74.0. That seems reasonable, as he did rank 10th in the league in sacks.
The problem is he received a rush defense of only 39.9. For comparison, Nwosu was graded at 72.3 pass and 73.8 rush, respectively. Yeah, I'd put Uchenna higher in the pass rush too, but you get the picture. Not that he's asked to drop back into coverage much, but Taylor's weak there, too, rated at 50.5. Anyone who actually watched a Seahawks game can verify that the only thing Taylor can do is rush the passer.
I know what you're thinking, 12s. The Seahawks have, what, 27 defensive backs and the pass rush is a premium skill. So why wouldn't Seattle move one of their cornerbacks instead? There's such a logjam at the position, they've moved Coby Bryant to safety as it is. I mean, if K.J. Wright says the Hawks should think about trading Michael Jackson, we should listen, right?
Well, yeah, except we still don't know for certain when Devon Witherspoon will be at 100 percent. The word is that the coaching staff is simply being extra cautious with him, and that makes sense in the preseason. But at some point, he needs to get serious reps with the first unit. I'm sure he'll be fine, and what really matters is that the coaching staff is sure he'll be fine. But hamstring issues can linger for months. If Jamal Adams comes back early - and there's certainly no guarantee there - then Bryant could move back to corner. Then you can worry about a logjam at the position.
Darrell Taylor might be falling on the depth chart
The issue facing Taylor is that he should already be behind both Boye Mafe and Derick Hall in the depth chart. Mafe has been a monster throughout camp and in last week's game vs the Vikings. He already had my vote as taking over for Taylor back in mid-June.
As for Hall, he looked like he might get 9.5 sacks in one game someday. Sure, it's early, but as far as his pass rush game goes, he's been every bit as good as Mafe so far. He's incredibly fast. No one can look at the two players and not see that Hall is an upgrade over Taylor.
Darrell Taylor is in his final contract year with Seattle. He'll be a restricted free agent in 2024, meaning whoever trades for him would be able to match any offer he receives or get compensation for him. That's assuming they don't extend his contract, of course. That makes him a more attractive prospect than if he was unrestricted.
So after detailing why the Hawks should trade him, why would any team want him? Those 9.5 sacks are flashy, and they do indeed represent real value. I'm not saying he doesn't offer anything to the Seahawks; I'm just saying that he's been surpassed. That's why Seattle should move on from him, and reinforce the defensive interior. That being said, I believe the Colts may have just what the Hawks need.