Seattle Seahawks: 5 Burning questions entering 2019 training camp
By Samuel Teets
1. How will the pass rush adjust to personnel changes?
The Seahawks pass rush has gone through a major transformation since the end of last season. Defensive end Frank Clark was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs after he was unable to reach a lucrative, long-term deal with Seattle. Over the last three seasons, Clark recorded 32 sacks, including a career-high 13 this past season. During those three years, he has finished with either the most or the second-most sacks on the Seahawks.
Luckily for the Seahawks, defensive tackle Jarran Reed had a breakout year in 2018. After recording just 1.5 sacks in both of his first two professional seasons, Reed stacked up 10.5 sacks in his third year. The timing was great for Seattle since Clark is no longer around to assume the mantle of the team’s leading sack artist.
Seattle has not left Reed without help, which is good considering his recent six-game suspension. The team brought in free agent defensive ends Ezekiel Ansah and Cassius Marsh, and drafted TCU’s L.J. Collier with the 29th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Now, Reed is surrounded with a combination of young and veteran pass rushers who will make his job a little easier.
However, it remains to be seen how the new unit will mesh together. The Seahawks defense finished tied for 11th in sacks last season with 43. I could certainly see this transformed unit posting a higher total in 2019, but that relies on a lot of factors such as Ansah’s health, Collier’s role and Reed’s consistency.
Right now, it looks like Ansah won’t return from injury until sometime in the preseason or early regular season. Training camp will provide the Seahawks with an opportunity to evaluate their other pass rushers though.