Clint Hurtt Suggests 3-4 Outside Linebacker Is Seahawks' Biggest Need

New Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt spoke of many things in his recent media cycle. For Seattle's defense to play with the aggressive and attacking mindset that Hurtt so openly desires, the franchise must upgrade its edge rush. Matty F. Brown explains why a 3-4 outside linebacker type is the defense's biggest need heading into the offseason.

The press appearances of new Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt have only made Seattle’s biggest area for improvement more obvious: the defense must rush the passer better.

This requirement was already clear following the dismal pressure percentage numbers of 2021 and head coach Pete Carroll’s season review. Hurtt outlined similar reasoning to Carroll’s explanation.

“It’s all about affecting the quarterback,” Hurtt told reporters on February 16. “And how do you do that? You do that with coverage and rush, you know? Or vice-versa: rush and coverage. You’re working together. So that’s where we want to continue making our strides and continue to improve.”

“The aggressiveness is gonna have to come from our edge players, our guys up front getting after the passer,” Hurtt later summarized.

The defensive coordinator added more detail three days on, speaking February 19 to Dave "Softy" Mahler and Dick Fain on 950 KJR. Hurtt emphasized the importance of “the consistency in the pass rush” when talking about the attacking mindset that he viewed as the biggest area for the Seahawks' defense to work on heading into 2022.

In that same radio hit, Hurtt was questioned on the No. 1 personnel need for the defense and, after praising various defensive linemen, narrowed it down. 

“With those guys we’ve got good pieces. You know, continue to find another guy to be devastating, the edge rusher that can be a game-changer,” Hurtt said. “A game-wrecker is what we need.”

The signs point to Hurtt wanting this type of player to be more of a LEO/SAM or SAM/LEO type than the purer, 4-3 defensive end mold of Carlos Dunlap. Think more of a Bruce Irvin/Darrell Taylor. We can draw this conclusion based off the defensive coordinator’s conversation with the Seahawks' beat.

Hurtt repeatedly mentioned his background in 3-4 defensive systems, shedding light on his talent-loaded time in Miami’s 4-3 before heading to a 3-4 University of Louisville—with 3-3 stack influence from head coach Charlie Strong—and then landing in Vic Fangio’s Chicago defense, which was also based in 3-4 principles.

“3-4 system is something that I’ve really embraced and wanted these guys to do,” Hurtt described of his arrival in Seattle. 

His reasons for preferring the 3-4 to a 4-3 are based both in experience and structure. 

“You know, when you’re in a 4-3 structure, sometimes it’s really hard to hide and disguise coverages the way you would like to,” Hurtt assessed.“I’m not saying you can’t, but you’re gonna give the good quarterbacks tells. So get into that system, of being in a 3-4 structure, and the ability to hide coverage, pressures and things of that nature was really impactful. And then getting into Chicago with Vic, it took it to a whole ‘nother stratosphere, the coverage aspect and how they played stuff.”

With the Seahawks seemingly continuing and building upon their already-high usage of 3-4 looking fronts—like 2020 and 2021’s base of “stick"—a second hybrid player alongside Taylor is currently missing on the roster, unless you think Alton Robinson or Benson Mayowa will suddenly transform.

“It’s part of the 3-4 structure, is you’re gonna have two overhang edge defenders, outside linebackers,” Hurtt explained. “But obviously those guys have to be versatile in the stuff that they do.”

Seattle’s new play-caller shared his past experience coaching more difficult player profiles.

“You know, coaching different body types, style of players. In Chicago, we had guys that were traditional 4-3 defensive ends. I had to teach those guys how to play that position. You know, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston, Pernell McPhee, Jared Allen was also in that mix. And that was a struggle then because those guys were like really true 4-3 D-ends. And really were used to going forward.”

There are substitution methods and other mechanics to avoid these players having to drop into pass coverage—something particularly important for the skillset of someone like Dunlap. 

“Now when you get into the nickel and sub stuff, we can control that with the packages that we use to put those guys in the position where they don’t have to worry about as much when it comes to that,” Hurtt pointed out. “So a lot of that, that’s on the play-caller to get that done and put those guys in those positions. But there’s gonna be times also, depending on your opponent—that’s what dictates a lot of that stuff—where maybe they’ve got to do a little bit more of the drop stuff than usual. But again, like I said: there’s ways to control that.”

Hurtt’s media cycle has seen the coach frequently push back on dropping defensive linemen into pass defense assignments. In the Seahawks’ bear fronts, five defenders are placed down at the line of scrimmage. The offense must account for these five men and will do so with two predictable protection calls: big-on-big or a full slide. However, for Seattle to maintain the threat of these five players, it must send all five at the quarterback with some regularity.

“The biggest thing is when you’re in a 3-4 structure, is that the offense has to fear the fact that you’re bringing five and both those guys come ripping off the edge,” Hurtt illustrated. “You see that obviously with Leonard Floyd and Von Miller [with the Rams]. Von was with that same system in Denver with Bradley Chubb. So that’s part of it which comes with it. And obviously when you always have that threat, then there’s other things that mix in within that system, within that scheme that compliment it, okay? And that’s the part we got to get to.”

Establishing the rush-five threat first and foremost was an element also raised by former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright earlier this offseason, speaking to the Seahawks Man 2 Man podcast.

“The reason why I left was because of the new scheme,” Wright responded when questioned over the dropping of defensive linemen. “And you wanted guys rushing off the edge. If that’s what you’re gonna say you do, you gotta do that. Don’t take your guys rushing off the edge and drop them into coverage. You gotta rush your rushers and drop your droppers.”

The 2021 Raiders linebacker told hosts Mike Dugar and Christopher Kidd earlier in the episode that he watched all of the Seahawks’ games this past season. 

“And so when you see that, it’s like what’s going on? Why’s that being done? And so it’s not that you just revamp the whole gameplan or revamp the whole system, you just gotta do what the system requires. And if you don’t want to do what the system requires, if it’s so in your DNA to drop guys, then get the right personnel back on the field to do what’s in your DNA.”

This was a subject that Wright raised for a second time in the show. 

“If you take K.J. out and put in somebody else, supposedly we’re gonna rush this guy so we’re throwing the offense off,” he reiterated. "And so what happens is: you want to do that, but you don’t do it. You got guys dropping, you got Benson Mayowas dropping into coverage, you got the Dunlaps dropping into coverage. And so what you wanted to do necessarily you didn’t do it. Because I believe what’s in your DNA’s in your DNA. And they didn’t get it done.”

The lack of rush-five from bear fronts has a variety of causes other than mere coaching incompetence. For instance: a lack of trust in a patchy cornerback group, plus an aging Bobby Wagner with a decline in burst, agility and speed. Meanwhile, my Seattle Overload co-host Griffin Sturgeon provided interesting comparison data:

To put in perspective concerns RE dropping edges that seem like they should be rushing every snap, here are drop rates of other stand up edges on fangio teams running similar fronts:

Floyd: 16.2%
Miller: 12.9%
T. Lewis: 14.3%
Dunlap: 11%
Taylor: 9%
Quinn: 8.5%
Chubb: 8.3% https://t.co/YsPIntfySX

— over zone y (@cmikesspinmove) February 17, 2022

Another major factor in the rush-five stuff has to be an absence of faith regarding the personnel on the front end too. Given the skillset of Aldon Smith—and the early hype that surrounded the edge before his sad departure—one does wonder if he was the second type. I wrote and explained back in August: "There is no player like Smith left on the Seahawks." 

Hurtt was asked whether next season's defensive unit would blitz more. 

“Will we blitz more than we did last year? Our answer to that would be yes,” Hurtt answered. “Would it be an inordinate amount? Something crazy? No. It’s not gonna be that.”

Someone therefore has to be able to drop well other than Taylor, while still providing genuine rush potency. In 3-4 base spacing, you cannot rush off just the one edge and drop off the other, you have to mix it around for success. That’s why a drop-rush or rush-drop kind of edge is the Seahawks’ greatest need heading into this offseason.

Think around 250 to 260 pounds with first-step explosion, get-off, speed rush, a high motor, ability to play in space and proven pass rush production. Free agency and the draft await.