Carlos Dunlap Must Elevate Game to Help Struggling Pass Rush

After a resurgent second half in 2020, Dunlap has gotten off to a disappointing start in his first full season in Seattle, failing to record a sack in six games. What is behind his regression and how can the Seahawks get him back on track?

For the first time in several years, coming off the heels of an excellent second half in 2020 in which they finished first in the NFL in sacks, the Seahawks rolled into the 2021 season with high expectations for their pass rush.

While veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed departed as a cap casualty, Seattle returned the vast majority of its defensive line from a year ago. Benson Mayowa re-signed on a two-year contract, Alton Robinson looked poised for a big second season, and after initially being released, and Carlos Dunlap ultimately decided to come back on a new two-year deal of his own.

In addition, Seattle signed veteran Kerry Hyder in free agency and following a lost rookie season due to injury, a fully healthy Darrell Taylor was expected to take on a significant role in the pass rushing rotation.

Nearly two months into the season, however, despite retaining most of its defensive line from a year ago, the Seahawks have failed to come close to meeting expectations harassing opposing quarterbacks. Through six games, they have produced only 11 sacks, tied for the fifth-fewest in the NFL, rank 20th in the league in pressure percentage (23.9 percent), and rank 20th in quarterback hits (33).

With the exception of Taylor, who has been a revelation amassing a team-best 4.0 sacks and six quarterback hits, none of Seattle's other rushers have produced as anticipated. Most notably, Dunlap hasn't provided the pass rushing spark he did after coming over from Cincinnati in a midseason trade last October.

So far this season, Dunlap has yet to register a single sack, has only two quarterback hits, and has averaged only one tackle per game. When asked about the veteran's struggles two weeks ago, coach Pete Carroll indicated part of it has had to do with the extra attention opponents have given him from a pass protection standpoint.

"We have seen a lot of accents that you can do in pass protection. He draws the attention, there’s no doubt," Carroll said. "More so than ever, it feels like we are getting more chip protections with the tight end and the back or different combinations. It’s a little bit of a movement in pass protection so it’s not new but we are seeing quite a bit of it. Teams can seven man protect and give their guys a chance to go down the field. You have to defend the field even more so because of that.”

It's not as if Dunlap has been a complete non-factor. According to Pro Football Focus, his 13 total quarterback pressures rank second on the team behind only Taylor, who leads the team with 14. He also has two swatted passes at the line of scrimmage, earning himself a respectable 70.0 grade this season.

In last week's loss to the Steelers, Dunlap had two timely third down pressures on failed third down conversion attempts that led to opposing punts. His biggest play of the game came in overtime when he shot inside past right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor and his immediate pressure forced Ben Roethlisberger out of the pocket. Dumping the ball off to receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, cornerback Tre Brown came up and blasted him short of the sticks, giving the ball back to Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense.

One week earlier, with Seattle trailing the Los Angeles Rams by six late in the fourth quarter, Dunlap threw up his long 34 5/8-inch arms and knocked down Matthew Stafford's third down pass attempt. Johnny Hekker came on to punt and Smith was given another shot to win the game inside two minutes left to play.

But while Dunlap has made a few key plays as the season has progressed, he's also seemingly gone into ghost mode for long stretches of play, disappearing for quarters at a time. Shockingly, on three different occasions this year, he hasn't recorded a single stat in a game, including recording zero tackles and zero quarterback hits in Pittsburgh last weekend.

Comparing his play this season to the eight games he played for the Seahawks after being acquired from the Bengals last year, Dunlap hasn't been near as disruptive rushing off the edge. Per PFF, his pressure percentage has dipped from 12.9 percent last year to 9.6 percent this year.

Not all pressures are created equal either and only two of Dunlap's 13 pressures (15 percent) this year resulted in a quarterback hit. Last season, 13 of his 31 pressures (41 percent) in nine games with Seattle, including a playoff loss, resulted in a sack or a quarterback hit. Based on those numbers alone, it's clearly evident the veteran has not been the same difference maker thus far.

What explains Dunlap's statistical regression? While Carroll may be onto something about team's providing additional support in pass protection against him through running back and tight end chips, other factors appear to be at play here.

For one, Dunlap hasn't been playing as much as he did after joining the Seahawks last year. Given the depth the team currently has with Mayowa, Hyder, Robinson, Taylor, and Rasheem Green all vying for playing time, he hasn't been seeing the field quite as much, playing just 30 percent of the snaps in losses to the Titans and Rams. It still feels like Carroll and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. are trying to figure out the right rotation with that group.

Secondly, the Seahawks have oddly been using Dunlap differently when he has been on the field. Though it's not a large difference by any means, he has dropped into coverage more often on zone blitzes and simulated pressures in 2021, as PFF has him down for 16 coverage reps on 214 snaps, a 2.4 percent increase compared to last year.

When pressed about Dunlap having a down year statistically, Norton couldn't put a finger on exactly why that's been the case.

“It’s hard to say," Norton responded. "Obviously, we have a lot of good guys playing at the same time, but Carlos is put in a lot of situations in the run and pass. We ask him to an awful lot, he rushes, he plays inside, he drops, and does a lot of different things. He does a lot for us so it’s hard to pinpoint one thing.”

Now 32 years old and in the midst of his 11th NFL season, it's possible Dunlap may be entering a period of decline due to age and wear and tear. That's part of the risk when teams re-sign older players. Though he hasn't been on the injury report in recent weeks, he also suffered a toe injury earlier in the season and his overall health may be hindering him more than the team has let on. If either of those elements are a factor, it's worth wondering how effective he will be the rest of the season.

Moving forward, assuming Dunlap has plenty left in the tank and isn't battling through an injury, letting him do what he does best and rush the passer would be a good starting point for the Seahawks. It's not rocket science. While dropping defensive ends into coverage occasionally isn't abnormal and can be an effective tactic bringing pressure from other areas of the defense, Norton has been doing him a disservice using him in that capacity nearly 10 percent of his snaps. That's way too much, especially at this stage of his career.

Somehow, Norton has to create more one-on-one opportunities for Dunlap as well. If double teams and chip blocks are as much of a factor as Carroll seems to believe they are, the coaching staff should be able to find ways to take advantage of that schematically. At worst, other players should have better opportunities to get to the quarterback if he's drawing that much attention.

Regardless, after bringing Dunlap back on a two-year, $13.6 million contract with $8.5 million guaranteed, the Seahawks simply haven't gotten the bang for their buck so far. With the team sitting in the NFC West cellar at 2-4, they need the two-time Pro Bowler to find his groove and help an underwhelming pass rush group play to their capabilities if the team has any intention of climbing back into playoff contention.