'It's Time to Make Our Own Legacy': Seattle Seahawks LBs Embracing Fresh Start

New Seahawks linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson took different vastly different paths to Seattle, but they now share the same mission.

Seattle Seahawks linebackers Tyrel Dodson (0) and Jerome Baker (17) before the start of a training camp practice. / Corbin Smith/Seahawks On SI

New Seattle Seahawks linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson were signed two days apart in mid-March. On the day between those two signings, March 15, the Washington Commanders announced they had signed prolific former Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Despite it being the second time Wagner departed Seattle, it’s almost certainly the last. Baker and Dodson are starting anew with the Seahawks, just as the franchise is for the first time in 14 seasons by bringing in head coach Mike Macdonald.

“You definitely got to know about the history of Seattle linebackers. I got a ton of respect for those guys,” Baker told reporters after the team’s fourth training camp practice Saturday. “At the end of the day, my game is a little different from those linebackers. [The] defense is a little different. For me, it’s about getting together with [Dodson], going out there and playing football the right way, how we know how to play — sideline to sideline … We have respect for those guys, but it’s our time to make our own legacy. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Dodson, who was 13 years old when Wagner was drafted in 2012, grew up a fan of the future Hall of Fame linebacker, he told reporters on Saturday. He reached out to Wagner when he was in high school to let him know he was a fan, and Wagner thanked him. When Dodson was signed by Seattle, Wagner reached back out to congratulate him, Dodson added.

“Oh man, I watched Bobby Wagner’s film, man. I just love Bobby Wagner,” Dodson added. “He’s a good player, and a good off-the-field guy, too. So, he’s just a good dude.”

Baker and Dodson have had vastly different NFL careers thus far, but both are now expected to lead a revamped linebacker corps in the first year of Macdonald’s Seahawks regime.

Baker was a third-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2018 and went on to start 82 games over six seasons with the team. He already had three 100-plus tackle seasons before being cut by the Dolphins in March after missing the final four games due to injury.

Dodson went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2019 but latched on with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent. He has 16 career starts entering this season, with 10 coming in 2023 in relief of an injured Matt Milano.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) is tackled near the sideline by Buffalo Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson (25). / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and

“This makes me actually want to cry, because [of] everything that I put forward, coming in early and just waiting my turn,” Dodson said of his 2023 season and the opportunity to start. “When I got my turn, you got to maximize your opportunity … It felt good because being an undrafted guy, those opportunities are slim. You got to maximize when you get those opportunities.”

Dodson turned those starts into a breakout season, finishing with career highs in tackles (74), tackles for loss (8) and sacks (2.5). He also had two pass deflections and a forced fumble.

Now, five practices into training camp, Dodson and Baker are focused on forging a new partnership as the second layer of Seattle’s defense. The on-field relationship had to wait until camp, as both battled through injuries in the offseason.

“It’s good to have [Baker] out there with me, too,” Dodson said. “Just trying to be two peas in a pod — trying to figure out our relationship and just everything else." 

Before Macdonald was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan and then for Baltimore, he was the Ravens’ linebackers coach for three seasons (2018–20). Both Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith — Macdonald’s inside linebackers in Baltimore last season — earned All-Pro honors in 2023.

Playing for Macdonald and living in the Pacific Northwest were two of the main pulls to Seattle for Baker in free agency, he said.

“You just look at their linebackers [in Baltimore], they were out there balling, having fun,” Baker said. “Even when we played them, just to see how they attacked our offense there in Miami, it was just cool to watch. When I got the opportunity to play under Mike [Macdonald], it was kind of a no-brainer.”

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jerome Baker (17) interacts with fans before training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

As is the case for most transitions to a new scheme, offense or defense, Baker said the most difficult learning curve is the language. The positional versatility and disguising of coverages isn’t too different from other schemes he’s played in, Baker said, however most systems would install those sets and hardly deploy them. Macdonald will certainly use them.

“[In] this defense, you really have to do that,” Baker added. “Mike gets on you, everybody just gets on you. So you really have to know your job.”

Both players appear to be embracing the nuances of Macdonald’s scheme while turning a new page in Seattle’s linebacker lineage. But there’s still plenty of work to do ahead of the Denver Broncos coming into town on Sunday, Sept. 8.

“I’m impressed with their poise right now,” Macdonald said of Baker and Dodson on Saturday. “The communication’s farther along than you’d probably anticipate. [It’s] smooth … There’s some things we’re working on with that position, but [I’m] pleased with the work we’ve gotten. We’ve got a good plan to ramp them up into shape over the next week or so.”