Seattle Seahawks MVPs through the first quarter of 2023

Defensive MVP

This one was more difficult than I expected. I wanted to go with Jarran Reed because he is having a fantastic season so far playing a position - nose guard - that he had never played before and is still getting to opposing quarterback pretty well while being stout against the run. He has been much better than expected and is tied for the team-lead with 9 QB hurries while never being lined up outside the offensive tackle (as opposed to Dre'Mont Jones who has lined up outside 13 times).

But due to the Seahawks run defense being a ton better and the communication on the field getting better each week, even though Seattle has had many cornerbacks, especially, miss key snaps, there seems to be one addition compared to what Seattle had in 2022 and that player is Bobby Wagner. Wagner too old to be great? Um, no.

So far through four games, Wagner has missed on just 2.1 percent of his tackle attempts (he has missed 1 tackle in 2023) and leads the team in both combined tackles (50) and solo tackles (27 - tied with safety Julian Love). Wagner also has 5 total pressures, and he has 2 sacks. Could he be better in coverage? Sure, but the only part of his game that hasn't been elite is coverage and he's still not awful.

Wagner is currently the fourth-highest-graded linebacker in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Wagner ranks first in run defense, however. As long as Wagner stays healthy this season, the Seahawks defense should be OK and better than last year.

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