Plugging Gaps and Penetrating Pockets, Bryan Mone Emerging as Difference Maker for Seahawks

Seattle entered a new season with tons of question marks along the defensive line, including depth concerns at defensive tackle. But thanks to the massive 340-pound Mone's surprising contributions, the team suddenly looks much better at the position than anticipated.

RENTON, WA - Every offseason, as any quality football coach would do, Pete Carroll and his coaching staff comb through film from the season prior, taking a deeper dive to assess as many players as possible before the Seahawks reconvene for their offseason program and training camp.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, OTAs and minicamps were ultimately canceled this spring and with stay-at-home legislation in effect in many states, including Washington, Carroll found himself with a bit more time than normal to conduct these evaluations.

Seemingly every year, while analyzing team personnel and depth, Carroll finds a player who surprises him in a good way when taking another look at their performance. This offseason, defensive tackle Bryan Mone served as that pleasant revelation.

"He had 40 or something plays, whatever it was," Carroll said of Mone. "He played really consistent last year. He played technique well. He played his responsibility and his gap control stuff, did really well. He had a couple opportunities to really chase the football."

Undrafted out of Michigan, Mone signed with the Seahawks shortly after the 2019 NFL Draft. Impressing during training camp and the preseason, he earned himself a spot on the 53-man roster in Week 1, but injuries at other positions forced the team to waive him and he spent a large chunk of his rookie season on the practice squad.

In total, Mone played in five games for the Seahawks as a rookie, including appearing in a divisional round loss to the Packers in January. While he didn't record any stats in four regular season games, he did produce two tackles while logging 16 snaps in Green Bay.

Prior to breaking down his film, Carroll was unsure about how much Seattle would be able to play the 340-pound Mone moving forward, believing the team would need to add another big-bodied defensive tackle to the mix. But after re-watching all of his snaps, he came out of the re-evaluation with a far different viewpoint on the young interior defender and those concerns were put to rest.

"Shoot, he looked pretty darn good," Carroll commented. "We'll give him a real shot, see how he does. He has really just taken to it. He's a good football player. He does everything you want. He gives everything he's got. He's a big effort guy for a big man."

During the first two weeks of the 2020 season, Mone only has recorded one tackle, but don't let the lack of statistics fool you. The massive defensive tackle has made his presence felt on the 41 defensive snaps he has played for Seattle so far, proving himself to be very difficult to move off the line of scrimmage and helping keep linebackers such as Bobby Wagner free to make plays.

In a 35-30 win last Sunday night, the Seahawks held the Patriots to under 70 total rushing yards, including just 20 yards from running backs. There's no question Mone played a pivotal role in shutting down a rushing attack that generated nearly 220 rushing yards the week before against the Dolphins, clogging up the middle and leaving minimal room for ball carriers to operate.

Go get him, big fella! Nice effort rushing the passer here by Bryan Mone, who according to ESPN Analytics has a top-10 pass rush win rate for defensive tackles through two weeks. Also a good rush by L.J. Collier. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/H4QgGWs4XP

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) September 23, 2020

Perceived as strictly a run-stuffer, Mone has also displayed unexpected chops as a pass rusher through the first two weeks of the season, earning a top-10 ranking on ESPN's Pass Rush Win Rate metric for defensive tackles. He generated two pressures on Patriots quarterback Cam Newton last Sunday, forcing him to throw the ball away out of bounds on one of those occasions.

If there's one person who isn't surprised to see the former Wolverine standout making such a substantial impact, including as a rusher, it's Carroll. Praising Mone throughout training camp, he's grown quite fond of the second-year defender and given his size, effort, and willingness to learn, the Seahawks may have uncovered another gem who they can build around in the trenches.

"Really, he's done very well," Carroll remarked. "After that kind of re-evaluation, I'm not surprised he's doing a really solid job and adds to the rotation that we need."