Seattle Seahawks: 3 Worst case scenarios in the 2019 season

The pass rush disappears

Frank Clark played a large role in the success of Seattle’s defense last season and he also helped provide opportunities for Jarran Reed to emerge as a star. Clark is no longer with the team and the Seahawks brought in Cassius Marsh, Ezekiel Ansah and L.J. Collier to replace his production. Perhaps the worst thing that could happen to this defense, outside of injuries, is the pass rush dissipating this coming season.

The Seahawks tied for the 11th most sacks in the league last season with 43. Clark was responsible for 13 of them and Reed added 10.5 more. Assuming Reed’s production stays even relatively steady, Seattle’s new defensive end additions should be able to cover Clark’s slot production.

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However, Ansah, Collier and Marsh all have their various issues and that could lead to a drop in production next season. This is a bit of a “what if” scenario, but there could be serious complications if the Seahawks were unable to effectively rush the passer in 2019.

Any pressure taken away on the rush negatively impacts the secondary since teams no longer have to worry about their quarterback taking a sack. The Seahawks secondary was ranked 17th in the league last season in terms of yards allowed per game.

They also allowed the 19th highest completion percentage in the league at 65 percent while generating the 18th fewest interceptions. The secondary is average, but the loss of a pass rush could expose larger issues with Seattle’s young pass defense.

The primary concerns why the pass rush could disappear center on the newcomers: Ansah, Collier, and Marsh. Ansah has a growing injury history, which I’ll talk more about later, Collier never recorded more than six sacks in college, and Marsh peaked at 5.5 sacks with the 49ers last season.

There’s a chance a “pass rush by committee” mentality might take over if Ansah is hampered out of the gate and that puts more pressure on Reed to make up for the presence of a premier defensive end. It could also mean Reed will face blocking schemes more focused around stopping him as opposed to dealing with a player like Clark.