The Seattle Seahawks have a good enough offense to make the playoffs, most likely. The issue many times in 2023 was the offense simply did not have enough chances with the ball. Opposing offenses just kept playing keep away from Seattle's defense which limited what Geno Smith and his friends could do.
With an improved defense, however, Seattle might win 10 or 11 games. After hiring Mike Macdonald as the team's new head coach, Macdonald should immediately improve Seattle's defense as well. Maybe the unit won't be Super Bowl ready (yet), but hopefully postseason ready.
Macdonald should also help some players already on the team to be better. He and John Schneider could also bring back some former Seahawks to help the defense. These four players are potentially impact guys next season.
Former Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson
Jefferson is a free agent this offseason and he was not bad for the New York Jets in 2023. He had 6 sacks and 13 quarterback hits. He would not need to be a starter for Seattle but just an important part of the rotation. Plus, returning to Seattle would not be the craziest thing to ever happen. Jefferson played with Seattle from 2016 to 2019, then left for two seasons, and then came back in 2022.
He has been a consistent performer since 2018 with at least 3 sacks in each season and at least 4.5 every year since 2021. He also had double-digit quarterback hits every year but one since 2018. You basically know what you are going to get from him and while that isn't greatness, it is decent productivity. Plus, as Macdonald has a history of getting the best out of players, the 30-year-old Jefferson could return to Seattle and have a career season.
Jefferson does need to be better against the run. I am going to assume Macdonald can fix that. Jefferson likely has the ability to be stout against the run though knows getting quarterback pressures pays his bills, however. I can see Jefferson return to play under the new head coach and have a successful and versatile season.
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Current Seahawks safety Jamal Adams
I think most 12s expect Jamal Adams to be released in one way or another. That could be the first chance Seattle has which would save the team $6,083,332. If the Seahawks decide to release Adams but have that release not truly take place until after June 1, the team would save $16,500,000, but they could not spend any of it until after the first of June. Seattle needs cap space now so the team might decide to eat the $10 million so they can spend $6 million on nearly any other player than Adams.
But what if Seattle decides to keep Adams? Maybe general manager John Schneider assumes that yet another offseason of rehab for Adams means a more explosive Adams moving forward. Former head coach Pete Carroll said during the 2023 season the safety simply had not had enough time to fully recover from a leg injury he suffered in Week 1 of 2022. Maybe that is true.
Under Macdonald, Adams might have a very real chance of looking a lot like his 2020 version where he seemed to have a knack for knowing when to attack the line of scrimmage. Since that season, Adams has not recorded a sack. Was the issue with the safety completed of his own making or because Seattle simply did not know how best to use him?
Macdonald will not have that issue. He is smart enough to know better the situations to put Adams in to have him succeed which means the overall defense succeeds. Plus, a productive Adams is probably a less grumpy version of the player.
Current Seahawks defensive lineman Mike Morris
Morris was a fifth-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft who seemingly never played this season because of an injury. That would be false. He played 26 snaps! (OK, I am partly joking with the hyperbole.) The point is that Seattle likely still might not know what they truly have in Morris, but, specifically, Mike Macdonald does. He coached Morris for one season in college when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator of the Wolverines in 2021.
Morris has the size to play in the NFL. He is 6'6" and 295 pounds. He did not ascend in college until his senior season, though. Until his final year, he only had half a sack and one tackle for loss, and that came in the year Macdonald coached him at Michigan. In Morris's last year in Ann Arbor, he had 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Maybe it just takes Morris a little time to acclimate to the level he is playing.
That could mean another year where Morris does not do much. That also makes sense, though, from the standpoint of experience. Morris did not get any in 2023 since he only played those 32 snaps that came in Week 1 of the season. He has spent more time learning than practicing and without those reps how much is he really learning?
Like with Adams, Macdonald will probably know how to use Morris well. The coach would know this even if he had no knowledge of Morris prior to taking the Seahawks head coaching job. But his experience with Morris should only help the player get the maximum from his ability.
Former Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney
Speaking of getting the best from one's ability, Mike Macdonald clearly knew how to do that with Jadeveon Clowney with the Baltimore Ravens this season. Instead of overcomplicating Clowney's role with the team, something many teams have done with the defensive end since he entered the league because of Clowney's immense raw ability, Macdonald simplified Clowney's role. Instead of having to overthink, Clowney simply reacted and had one of his best seasons in the NFL.
Clowney also has the ability to help Seattle at the team's greatest spots of need. He is excellent at setting the edge against the run and that was something the Seahawks seemed incapable of doing this season. Clowney can also supply pressure from his defensive end spot (Clowney is versatile enough to play linebacker or end and can be moved around in any scheme) and Seattle had an extremely inconsistent pass rush in 2023.
Clowney will still only be 31 years old in 2024. He is likely to miss a game or three, but he did play his first full season since 2017 this year. Maybe Macdonald just has a way of communicating with Clowney that gets Clowney on the field every game and to be productive almost every game. Bringing Clowney back to the Seahawks where Clowney played in 2019 should be a good move for both player and Seattle's defense.