Midway through the 2024 season, head coach Mike Macdonald's first season with the Seattle Seahawks, the defense wasn't meeting expectations. One of the more glaring issues was the play of the inside linebackers. During the bye week, general manager John Schneider blew up the depth chart at the spot.
Tyrel Dodson was released after being a free agent signing, and Jermone Baker, another signing, was traded to the Tennessee Titans. In place of Dodson and Baker, Seattle suddenly had Ernest Jones IV and rookie Tyrice Knight.
Jones, of course, has been brilliant since coming to the Pacific Northwest, earning Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2025. Knight, though, lost his starting gig to Drake Thomas last season. Can he get it back?
Tyrice Knight has time to wrestle his starting position back for the Seattle Seahawks
When Knight was chosen in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the thinking was that he was a bit raw but could become a starter in two or three seasons. Instead, he was forced into action as a rookie, but he seemingly did well. What he didn't necessarily do well that Thomas could was create turnovers.
The positive for Knight is that he still has two seasons to show Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks what he can do. The team hasn't given up on him, and he could even rotate in with Thomas often in 2026. Knight wasn't bad in 2025, after all.
The inside linebacker forced two fumbles, had two sacks, and six tackles for loss. He wasn't good in pass coverage, however. His quarterback rating allowed was a dismal 114,0, and he allowed 11.9 yards per reception.
Drake Thomas was far better in coverage, something that Macdonald requires from his off-ball linebackers, allowing a quarterback rating of just 81.8. Thomas also had 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He was just a tick better than Knight, and while he will likely be given the chance to prove he should be the starter in training camp, Knight could catch up.
Knight is the better tackler overall, whiffing on just 5.2 percent of his tackle attempts in two seasons. Even if he doesn't equal Thomas in pass coverage, Macdonald probably isn't going to keep Thomas on the field for most snaps if he has nearly twice as many tackles as Knight (Thomas whiffed on 11.2 percent of his attempts in 2025).
The bottom line is that the situation is positive for the Seattle Seahawks. Ernest Jones is terrific, and Tyrice Knight and Drake Thomas are capable of excellent play as well. The only real question is which of the latter two should play more. Either way, Mike Macdonald is likely a winner.
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