Seattle Seahawks: 5 Young defensive linemen under pressure in 2019
By Samuel Teets
Quinton Jefferson
Jefferson is in a weird position. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was briefly acquired by the Los Angeles Rams off of waivers in 2017, but he was then cut and Seattle signed him back. After an uneventful first two seasons in the league, Jefferson started 12 of his 16 appearances for the Seahawks last season.
Jefferson spent time at defensive end and defensive tackle in 2018. He finished the season with 25 combined tackles and three sacks. Next to players like Clark and Reed, Jefferson was unimpressive. By the end of the season, he was losing some of his starts to other players.
Despite all of the ups and downs of his career, Jefferson is only 26 years old. He’s still a young player who could be called upon to contribute again in 2019.
Jarran Reed
It might seem a little weird to include Reed on this list. The whole premise of the article is that his suspension reveals Seattle’s lack of depth up front. However, with Clark now in Kansas City, there will be a lot of pressure on Reed when he does return to the Seahawks locker room.
Besides Clark and Reed, no player on the Seahawks roster recorded more than three sacks last season. Ansah managed just four sacks in seven games with the Detroit Lions before injuries sidelined him for the rest of the season. Marsh set a career-high with 5.5 sacks despite starting in only three games for the San Francisco 49ers. That still means that Reed, who had 10.5 sacks in 2018, is the team’s best sack artist by far.
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Even though he will miss the first six games, expectations and hopes for Reed will be as high as ever when he returns. So far, 2018 is Reed’s only season with more than 1.5 sacks. He will have to reaffirm his 2018 success in 2019 if the Seahawks defensive line doesn’t want to be viewed as a liability.