Winners and losers from Seattle Seahawks releasing linebacker Tyrel Dodson

What the Seattle Seahawks did on Monday should send shockwaves throughout the roster. Did anyone know general manager John Schneider was thinking of waiving one of the starters on an underperforming defense? Was Tyrel Dodson suddenly an issue in the locker room or have an off-field problem no one knew about? The starting linebacker was released on Monday.

The last part doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, Seattle simply got rid of Dodson. Through Week 10, Dodson led the Seahawks in combined tackles (71), was second with five tackles for loss, and was fifth in sacks (2). He was being somewhat productive.

But who is benefitting from Seattle's release of Dodson, and who is suffering? Maybe time will prove things differently, but in one aspect, 12s might want to start looking ahead to 2025. One player, however, will see a huge increase in snaps.

Who won and who lost from the Seattle Seahawks releasing linebacker Tyrel Dodson?

Loser: General manager John Schneider

It is a falsehood to believe that nearly any Seahawks roster move is Mike Macdonald's decision. This was the way when Pete Carroll was the head coach because he also was Vice President of Football Operations and had the final roster say. Now, John Schneider has the final say over all roster moves.

This means the way the roster is constructed is Schneider's blueprint and not Macdonald's Macdonald's job is to try to mold what Schneider has given him into a winner. In terms of Tyrel Dodson, he missed just seven percent of his tackle attempts and was solid in coverage. Where he struggled was on run defense.

Seattle and Schneider giving up on Dodson so quickly after he was a free agent signee last offseason and was the green dot in Seattle's defense is extremely odd. He started every game and played on 98 percent of defensive snaps. He might not have been the best linebacker in the league, but now Seattle has to overcome his loss as if he was suddenly injured.

Schneider seemingly admitted his mistake by signing Dodson (instead of trying to bring back Bobby Wagner), but releasing Dodson outright instead of benching him and starting rookie Tyrice Dodson would appear to be double-downing on Schneider's original mistake.

Winner: Linebacker Tyrice Knight

Speaking with the media on Monday, Macdonald said the decision to release Dodson was a "tough" one but that Knight would be given the first chance to take Dodson's reps. This is also odd. Seattle doesn't have much depth at inside linebacker now, and Knight has seen more reps (125 defensive snaps) than fellow linebacker Drake Thomas (32) in 2024.

Knight should be the starter with Dodson gone. Seattle has to know what they have in the rookie, and maybe he can be a boon to the run defense. He graded better in that aspect, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), than Dodson. Knight has to prove he can be good in pass coverage, though.

Loser: Seattle Seahawks 2024 season

Dodson was far from a top-ten linebacker this season, but he wasn't awful either. This offseason, 12s were told that Dodson, along with Jerome Baker, would be good fits in Macdonald's defensive scheme, while Wagner and Jordyn Brooks were poor fits. Now, Baker has been traded and Dodson has been released. The Seahawks getting rid of both inside linebackers before the second half of the season is shocking.

Seattle might hope that Knight should be better than Dodson, but the coaching staff has seen Knight in practice and in four games and he was getting fewer reps as the season grew old. This implies Seattle is looking past this season and wanting to know if Knight can be a fixture for the future. If Schneider and Macdonald are looking ahead, this would mean that they likely believe the 2024 season is hopeless.

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