Seattle Seahawks: Ripple effects of Jarran Reed’s suspension
By Samuel Teets
Effects on Seattle’s sack totals
Reed recorded 10.5 sacks in 2018, more than tripling his total from his first two seasons. Clark led the Seahawks in total sacks with 13. Clark also contributed three forced fumble and an interception while Reed posted a zero in both of those categories.
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Losing Clark was already going to be hard on the Seahawks defense, but Reed’s suspension adds another layer of dismay. Outside of Clark and Reed, the most sacks a single Seattle player posted in 2018 was three. Quinton Jefferson and Jacob Martin both registered three sacks, but Martin only rotates in on occasion and Jefferson only has four total sacks in his three-year career.
Seattle did add rookie L.J. Collier and veterans Ezekiel Ansah and Cassius Marsh this offseason. Assuming Ansah is healthy, those signings will be a blessing for the Seahawks.
Seattle’s defense finished tied for 11th in total sacks last season with 43. Take out Clark and Reed’s production entirely and that number drops to 19.5, which would have ranked 31st. The Oakland Raiders defense finished 32nd in sacks last season with 13.
Removing Reed’s entire sack total is unrealistic though since he’ll only miss six games. However, he still posted 2.5 sacks during his least productive six-game stretch in 2018. During his most productive six-game stretch, he posted five sacks.