Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Jordyn Brooks

Following the departure of future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner, Brooks takes over as the defensive signal caller and will look to build on his record-setting 2021 performance.

Ted Zahn | Jul 25, 2022

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs wrapped up across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the NFL in less than a month's time. To celebrate the new incoming season, the All Seahawks staff will be breaking down the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2022 campaign.

Jordyn Brooks, Linebacker

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 240 pounds

2021 Stats: 184 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five passes defensed, 1.0 sack

Considering they still had KJ Wright and Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks turned heads when they selected linebacker Jordyn Brooks out of Texas Tech with the 29th overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft. Brooks began the season backing up Wright at weakside linebacker until an injury to Bruce Irvin created an opportunity to slide Wright over to strongside linebacker and throw the rookie into the fire. He showed glimpses of potential throughout the 2020 season, collecting 57 total tackles and making a few plays in pass coverage – which was one of the biggest questions about him coming out of the draft. The Seahawks chose not to re-sign Wright in free agency, moving forward with the combination of Wagner and Brooks. That pair didn’t disappoint, going tit-for-tat most of the season to see who would set the Seahawks franchise record for total tackles in a season. Wagner suffered an injury early in the Week 17 game against Detroit and missed the Week 18 finale, putting an end to his bid with “only” 170 tackles. Brooks picked up the slack and finished the season with a franchise-record 184 tackles, including 20 in the final game – which also tied the single game tackle record held by Wagner.

Best Case Scenario: Filling Wagner’s shoes in the middle of the defense doesn’t prove too tall of a task for Brooks as he continues the proud tradition of star linebackers in Seattle. Brooks’ tackle number are down slightly because the defense is better overall, leading to more third down stops and, consequently, fewer snaps. He still finishes with over 150 total tackles and adds impact plays with two forced fumbles and an interception on the way to his first Pro Bowl.

Worst Case Scenario: The added responsibility of calling plays slows Brooks’ production early in the season, and communication is an issue. They eventually get things ironed out and Brooks has another solid season with over 100 total tackles. The lack of turnover-forcing plays rears its ugly head again, however, leading to another bottom-five statistical performance for the defense.

What to Expect in 2022: Drafting Brooks in 2020 may have raised eyebrows, but the succession plan is clear now that the Seahawks have moved on from two franchise legends in Wright and Wagner. The final two games of 2021 without Wagner showed the Seahawks that Brooks is ready to take the next step in his development. He’s physical and aggressive with excellent closing speed. Calling plays on defense will force Brooks to adopt a leadership position, but it’s one he’s already embraced in the offseason program. The next steps will be to improve in pass coverage and provide more impact plays like he did as a senior at Texas Tech when he had 20 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. It’s not fair to expect Brooks to stuff the stat sheet to that extent in the NFL, but the jump from two tackles for loss in 2020 to 10 tackles for loss in 2021 is encouraging. Brooks has all the tools to step in for Wagner this season and continue the tradition of elite linebacker play in the middle of the Seahawks defense.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles

Published Jul 25, 2022

TED ZAHN