Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: EDGE Tyreke Smith - Pass Rushing Wild Card?

Eager to prove himself after sitting out with an injury during a redshirt rookie season, Tyreke Smith will count on his physicality and toughness to earn snaps at a suddenly crowded edge rushing position for the Seattle Seahawks.

Corbin K. Smith | Jun 21, 2023

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities wrapping up league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of 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 2023 campaign.

Tyreke Smith, EDGE

Height/Weight: 6-3, 255 pounds

2022 Stats: Did Not Play (Injury)

The latest in a long line of standout pass rushers to come out of Ohio State, Smith's modest tackle and sack production over four seasons at Columbus doesn't paint a fully accurate picture. While he only had seven sacks in his college career, in part due to nagging injuries and the immense talent in front of him on the depth chart, he racked up 36 quarterback pressures during his senior season alone, proving to be quite disruptive even if he didn't find a way to get the quarterback to the ground as often as hoped. Even after a subpar combine performance, the Seahawks invested a fifth-round pick in him in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, Seattle didn't get much of a chance to see where Smith fit in with its edge defender rotation, as Smith battled hip issues throughout the offseason program. After returning from the PUP list for a handful of practices in training camp, the injury continued to bother him and he landed on season-ending injured reserve, ultimately turning his first year with the organization into a redshirt developmental year.

Best-Case Scenario: Fully recovered from his injury and taking advantage of Alton Robinson's extended absence, Smith picks up where he left off after impressing in a brief training camp audition last summer, pushing higher draft picks such as Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor for snaps by setting a firm edge against the run and surprising athletically as a pass rusher while earning a roster spot.

Worst-Case Scenario: Even with a full offseason program under his belt, Smith struggles playing catchup mode throughout camp and the preseason, losing out on reps to incoming rookie Derick Hall, Mafe, and an ascending Joshua Onujiogu before ultimately being waived and re-signed to the practice squad.

What to Expect in 2023: With his rookie season being a complete wash due to injury, Smith enters training camp as one of the great unknowns for the Seahawks. Coach Pete Carroll and his staff were encouraged by what they saw from the former Buckeye in limited practice reps last summer and given his size and physicality, his strengths could fit in nicely complementing more athletic edge rushers such as Taylor, Mafe, and Hall in a rotational role.

With Robinson expected to miss at least part of training camp recovering from a significant knee injury, Smith should be one of the biggest benefactors of his absence receiving extensive preseason reps to gain experience against NFL talent. Assuming he stays healthy and finds ways to produce as a rusher and run defender with those ample opportunities in August, he will be in prime position to open the season on Seattle's 53-man roster and may retain that spot even when Robinson eventually returns to action.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles

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Published Jun 21, 2023

CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.