Demarcus Christmas, Bryan Mone Set to Play Significant Snaps for Seahawks in 2020

With the offseason winding down, the Seahawks still haven't added much depth at the defensive tackle position. If they choose to sit pat before training camp, Mone and Christmas will need to step up as key reserves.

Over the last few months, the Seahawks have addressed many concerns on their roster through free agency, the trade market, and the 2020 NFL Draft.

With that being said, general manager John Schneider hasn’t added much depth to the middle of Seattle's defensive line. Even though there’s still plenty of time to resolve this issue with several reliable veterans available on the market, it appears for now the team is confident with the players they have on the 90-man roster.

Behind defensive tackles Jarran Reed and Poona Ford, second-year pros Bryan Mone and Demarcus Christmas are the only other defensive tackles on the roster with any NFL experience. The Seahawks signed undrafted free agents Josh Avery and Cedrick Lattimore to compete for roster spots. Obviously, neither has even appeared on an NFL practice field to this point.

While both backup spots behind Reed and Ford will be up for grabs, it seems like Mone and Christmas are leading the race and those jobs will be theirs to lose unless the team adds another player to the mix before training camp begins in July. However, those two players haven’t exactly been tested at the next level yet, as they have appeared in just five total NFL games combined.

After making the team as an undrafted rookie, Mone played in just four regular season games and spent the majority of his rookie season on Seattle’s practice squad. Over his 89 defensive snaps, just eight percent of the team's total defensive snaps, the 366-pound defender recorded four total tackles along with one quarterback hurry.

Following Al Woods’ suspension in Week 16, Mone was eventually given an opportunity to play during the Divisional Round playoff matchup against Green Bay. Unfortunately, the Michigan product missed a couple of tackles and finished with just two stops in a losing effort to the Packers.

Mone, 24, was pleasantly productive during his limited playing time over five seasons with the Wolverines. In total, he played in 48 games at Michigan, producing 43 total tackles, five tackles for loss, two pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries.

After earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors as a senior, Mone's performance caught the attention of Seattle’s front office and ultimately led to a contract offer after the 2019 NFL Draft concluded.

As for Christmas, the 2019 sixth-round selection spent his entire rookie campaign on the PUP list with an injured back. Now healthy, the 6-foot-3 defensive tackle will look to pick up where he left off after a stellar college career at Florida State.

Over his five seasons with the Seminoles, the former third-team All-ACC selection played in 44 games and produced 106 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 13 pass deflections, 3.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries.

While neither Mone or Christmas will likely be contributors as pass rushers for the Seahawks in 2020, they could each play a role in improving the team’s run defense next season.

Overall, Seattle surrendered the third-most rushing touchdowns (22), the fourth-most yards per rushing attempt (4.9), and the 11th-most rushing yards (1,883) in the league last year, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. They also finished near the bottom of the league at 26th overall in run defense DVOA.

With training camp slated to begin next month, the clock is ticking for Schneider and his staff to potentially make a few more additions to the Seahawks’ roster. If the team holds strong with their current squad, then Christmas and Mone will be counted on to take major steps forward and play substantial snaps in their second seasons.