'I'm Excited': Seahawks LB Tyrel Dodson Ready For New Role Next to Ernest Jones

Sliding back to a familiar position, albeit in a different scheme, Tyrel Dodson can't wait to pair up with Ernest Jones in the middle of the Seahawks defense.

Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson (0) tackles San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44) during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Shaking up their defense for the second time in as many weeks with a pre-deadline trade, the Seattle Seahawks bolstered the linebacker group by acquiring Ernest Jones, a move that had a significant domino effect on the roster.

With Jones coming on board, Seattle included veteran starter Jerome Baker as part of the trade package, ultimately swapping the two players along with sending a 2025 fourth-round pick to Tennessee. Though he wasn't the veteran who was jettisoned out of town, Tyrel Dodson will have to make the quick transition from middle linebacker to weakside linebacker with his new teammate immediately jumping into the lineup in his former spot.

Fortunately for Dodson, as he prepares to face his former team for the first time with the Bills coming to town on Sunday, his "new" role in coach Mike Macdonald's defense isn't foreign to him. A consummate team player who will do whatever he has to do to help the Seahawks win, he's happily making the switch, leaning on his prior experience to ease the move.

"We're still working on that," Dodson said of his new role alongside Jones prior to Thursday's practice. "Like I told Mike [Macdonald]), I just work here. You let me know, I'm a team guy. If I lineup at defensive end, it might not go well, but I'll play it. I'm moving over to the Will position. Playing linebacker at the end of the day."

Before signing a one-year deal with Seattle as a free agent in March, Dodson enjoyed a breakthrough 2023 season stepping in for injured starter Matt Milano in Buffalo. Starting a career-high 10 games, he registered 74 tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss, and a pair of pass breakups, helping stabilize the middle of the defense with one of the Bills captains sidelined for the rest of the season.

As Dodson told reporters on Thursday, that success came at the weakside linebacker spot next to Terrel Bernard. Sent frequently on the blitz, he tallied 11 pressures on 41 pass rush attempts, generating an 18.4 Pass Rush Productivity rating from Pro Football Focus. He also excelled as a run defender at the WILL, finishing eighth among qualified linebackers in run stop rate (10.6 percent) and 12th in average depth of tackle (2.5 yards), benefiting from often playing closer to the line of scrimmage.

Snap-distribution wise, per PFF charting, Dodson logged 33 snaps along the defensive line, 33 snaps off tackle, and 51 snaps in the slot, moving around far more than he has manning the middle linebacker spot for Seattle this year. Those numbers match up similarly to Baker's usage at weakside linebacker through five games before being traded, as the veteran played 29 snaps along the defensive line, 29 snaps off the edge, and 31 snaps in the slot.

Though what the Seahawks will be asking Dodson to do won't be an exact carbon copy compared to how the Bills deployed him last season in a different system, he's thrilled for the chance to play a bit more in space again, and continuing to wear the green dot as the team's on-field play caller will make the adjustment back to the WILL an easier one.

"You're covering running backs out the backfield. You're in space covering tight ends," Dodson said of notable differences between the two linebacker positions. "I had my best year at this position last year in Buffalo, so hopefully I have my best year again. I'm looking forward to that. I'm in the film room looking at WILL linebackers around the league, what to expect. You're on the weak side, so you get to run a lot of stuff down on the front side, which I love to do. I'm excited."

Oct 13, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans linebacker Ernest Jones, IV against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

With Dodson back in his element to an extent returning to weakside linebacker, he's eager to see how Jones fits into Macdonald's defense, especially since he's coming from a similar scheme under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson in Tennessee. Macdonald and Wilson coached together in Baltimore last season, creating some carry over for the newcomer as he adjusts to his new surroundings.

In some ways, Jones offers a similar skill set to Bernard, as both players thrive as penetrating downhill playmakers defending the run and the pass, racking up double-digit tackles for loss and at least 4.5 sacks apiece last season. They also have been more than competent in coverage, demonstrating the fluidity in zone drops and man assignments to be three-down linebackers who don't need to be subbed out in nickel and dime packages.

But while the 224-pound Bernard relies more heavily on his athleticism to tally tackles in bunches and chase after quarterbacks as a blitzer, the 233-pound Jones brings more of an old-school thumper to the equation. He's not afraid to mix it up with linemen, playing with great physicality to fend off and shed blocks with 33 1/4-inch arms, and he's a highly instinctive defender whose nose for the football helps nullify perceived athletic limitations.

Considering the Seahawks well-documented struggles stopping the run so far this season, Dodson thinks Jones' hard-nosed, blue collar approach will make a major difference on that front and his all-around talent will be a game changer against the pass as well. Teaming up with him at the off-ball linebacker positions in a role better suited for his own strengths, he's confident the new arrangement will be nothing but positive for the entire defense moving forward.

"He's a good dude. I watched some film on him actually last night. He's long, he gets off of blocks, and he covers well. He's a big run-stopper. We need a big dude like that in the middle. I'm happy he's here, I'm happy to have him."

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