It’s coming. And oh man, is it gonna be good. So good that it’s hard to wait. It’s not Christmas, even though I do hear echoes of Alvin and the Chipmunks ringing in my ear. “Please, Seattle Seahawks, don’t be late.” Don’t be late in unleashing LOB 2 on a defenseless NFL.
OK, perhaps I exaggerate. Maybe the current crop of Seattle Seahawks’ defensive backs will never achieve the iconic status of the original Legion of Boom that dominated opposing offenses in the first half of the 2010s. After all, fans are always looking for the “next” somebody or something and are usually disappointed.
But the parallels are clear. The talent is obvious. Now we just have to hope the on-field results can measure up. They have the ideal launching pad for the new LOB. Whenever Julian Love is able to return from injury, the unit will be complete, and the playoffs will be waiting.
It will be the perfect opportunity for Mike Macdonald’s secondary to carve its name into NFL history and Seahawks’ legend.
Seattle Seahawks' new Legion of Boom is getting ready to take off
The parallels aren’t perfect, but they are close. The original LOB was primarily acquired over a two-year draft cycle in 2010 and 2011. There was one high draft pick – Earl Thomas (R1, 2010) and a bunch of mid-to-late rounders as well. Cornerback Brandon Browner arrived as a free agent – from the CFL, no less.
The current version also features four draft picks acquired between 2022 and 2025. Two were high picks, and two were mid-rounders. Several other members came via the free agent route in that same time period.
The nature of defensive backfield play has changed in the decade since the original LOB. With the NFL constantly encouraging passing, teams are using more receivers and more diversified game plans. That has required defenses to respond with more DBs, and more athletically diverse DBs as well.
To be clear, the current crop is not yet the equal of the OGs. They still have a long way to go. That group boasted 12 All-Pro selections and 17 Pro Bowl appearances in the decade. It featured perhaps the best cover corner of his era in Richard Sherman and a free safety who will probably be voted into the Hall of Fame, perhaps for next year, in Earl Thomas.
It had a prototypical strong safety in Kam Chancellor and a series of very solid second corners, including Browner, Byron Maxwell, and Walter Thurmond.
Devon Witherspoon is not Richard Sherman. Actually, the current Seahawk who most resembles Sherman is Riq Woolen. If Woolen can play up to the ceiling he showed in his rookie season on a more consistent basis, that would go a long way toward establishing dominance.
Witherspoon may not be Sherman, but in one key area, he could be even better. He is a more versatile player. He can be a consistent Pro Bowler playing on the perimeter, and a potential Hall of Famer playing in the slot.
That level of versatility is what could become LOB 2’s calling card. Coby Bryant was a cornerback before transitioning to safety. Josh Jobe can play in the slot or on the perimeter. Rookie Nick Emmanwori is one of the most exciting defenders to enter the league in recent years.
He is the X factor. His size and speed recall Chancellor, but he plays a more modern role, more like Baltimore's Kyle Hamilton, the best safety in the league.
Emmanwori is the player who can put the “boom” in LOB, but fellow safety Ty Okada has proven he, too, can deliver a blow. Okada is gaining valuable experience while Love is out, but Seattle really needs its starting strong safety back if it hopes to ever be considered a worthy successor to the original LOB.
He is not the big hitter that Chancellor was, but he is a sure tackler who does not give away anything in coverage, the way many strong safeties do.
If Love is able to return by the middle of December, he should be on the field when Seattle hosts the LA Rams in what could be a showdown for the NFC West title. The Rams are on a roll, with MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford playing quarterback about as well as it can be played and throwing to the best receiving tandem in the league right now in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.
Sounds like perfect time for the launch of LOB 2, doesn’t it? Please, Seahawks, don’t be late.