Seahawks urged to trade inconsistent edge rusher before it's too late

The Seattle Seahawks hope to have a better defense in 2024 simply because of the addition of new head coach Mike Macdonald. He has shown in the last two seasons while defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens that he can turn a good defense into a great one. The key, of course, is having the right players in the right spots to perfect the scheme.

Seattle should have had a number of good defensive players already in place for Macdonald. Devon Witherspoon made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and should excel under the new coach. Leonard Williams is a proven veteran who likely could do well under any coach but he could be made better under Macdonald (and Williams should help Macdonald look good, too).

Some position groups might be thin, though. If a player or two gets hurt, the entire defense will be affected quite negatively. This is especially true for inside linebacker and edge rusher. On the edge, the Seahawks should be solid with presumed starters Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. Mafe could take one of the bigger leaps of production of any player under Macdonald.

Seahawks tipped to potentially trade Darrell Taylor

Should something happen to Mafe or Nwosu, as was the case in 2023 when Nwosu was lost for the season after he tore a pec in Week 7, Seattle might be in trouble. Derick Hall was terrible as a rookie. Darrell Taylor has been extremely and maddeningly inconsistent as a pass rusher and terrible against the run.

Still, Taylor certainly has the ability to chase down quarterbacks - he had 9.5 sacks in 2022 - and that means teams are going to be interested in him. It actually speaks volumes about Taylor in that he can reach nearly double-digit sacks but he is barely hanging on to a roster spot in Seattle. He is perhaps the least versatile edge rusher in the league due to inconsistency and his seeming lack of understanding of what a rushing attempt is.

That does not mean he isn't tradeable. FanSided's Michael Hanich recently posted an article about three Seahawks who could be traded prior to the season beginning. Taylor made the list. Hanich wrote, in part, of Taylor, "He could very well start for another team moving forward which makes them a valuable trade target for another team...Taylor has value in experience and productivity for another team to utilize."

The writer is correct, of course. The question is what would Seattle want in return and what they would get back worth having Taylor as a rotational edge rusher this year. While Taylor is far from perfect, he has at least flashed the potential to get quarterback pressures. Without him, Seattle is even thinner at a crucial position.

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