'Making Strides' as All-Around EDGE, Seattle Seahawks' Boye Mafe On Cusp of Stardom

No longer offering a limited pass rushing toolbox or unrefined game setting the edge, Boye Mafe has become a foundational piece for the Seahawks defense.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) celebrates a sack in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images / Casey Gower-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - During his first several weeks on the job after being hired to replace Pete Carroll as the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald spent an extensive amount of time diving into film breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of his new team.

Those evaluations undoubtedly played a key role in many of the offseason personnel changes that were made in March and April, including overhauling the linebacker and safety spots by bringing veterans Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker, and Rayshawn Jenkins on board after allowing Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams to walk as free agents. Along the defensive line, the team also bolstered the group by signing nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and selecting Byron Murphy II in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

While those position groups underwent significant turnover, however, Seattle's edge group remained unchanged from the previous season, a testament to Macdonald's confidence in them. Among those who stood out most to him during his initial film review, the ex-Ravens defensive coordinator loved what he saw from Boye Mafe, who enjoyed a breakout sophomore season with nine sacks to lead the team in 2023, believing his best football had yet to be played.

Viewing Mafe as a foundational young piece for his Seahawks defense, Macdonald hoped to see Mafe take another big step towards evolving into one of the NFL's best all-around outside linebackers. While it's only one game, early returns couldn't have been much better coming out of Sunday's 26-20 season-opening victory over the Broncos, as he tallied nine pressures, a sack, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits while playing a whopping 60 defensive snaps.

"I thought he did play really well last year," Macdonald told reporters on Monday. "And being more of an all-three-down type of player for you, where he can be out there in all the different situations. I think he played upwards of 60 snaps last night and played fast. It didn't seem like he got tired."

Last season, Mafe saw a substantial uptick in playing time from his rookie season, jumping from a 37 percent snap share to 72 percent, in part due to a season-ending injury suffered by starter Uchenna Nwosu in Week 7. Taking advantage of those additional opportunities and demonstrating significant growth fundamentally, per Pro Football Foucs, he led the team with 58 pressures and four batted passes while posting a strong 13 percent pass rush win rate.

Looking to build off of a stellar second season, Mafe performed well in limited action during the preseason last month. On 23 pass rushing snaps, he generated four pressures and a 16.7 percent win rate, consistently playing the role of disruptor flying off the edge.

A thorn in Denver's side from the outset on Sunday, Mafe's relentless motor and energy served as a catalyst for a dominant effort from Macdonald's defense. Immediately after rookie returner Dee Williams muffed a punt that gifted the Broncos amazing starting field position at the Seahawks 11-yard line in the second quarter, he teamed up with cornerback Devon Witherspoon to blow up a first down run for only one yard, eventually forcing the visitors to settle for a field goal.

Later in the quarter, with Denver facing 3rd and 6 from the Seattle 41-yard line, Mafe turned on the rocket boosters when rookie quarterback Bo Nix spun away from Witherspoon on a blitz and sprinted out to his left, chasing down the mobile quarterback with rare burst for a 260-pound defender and hunting him down along the sideline for a six-yard loss on his first sack of the season.

After Bo Nix spun away from Devon Witherspoon coming on the slot blitz, Boye Mafe shows off his elite closing speed at 260 pounds running the quarterback down for a sack along the sideline. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/RiZG3Eku3o

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) September 10, 2024

When discussing Mafe's excellent debut in his defensive scheme, Macdonald referenced that effort sack, wowing at the speed put on display chasing down an athletic quarterback and preventing him from turning upfield as a runner. While that was the only sack he produced on the day, he's anticipating the high number of pressures he put on film will start to result in more finishes with the quarterback on the ground.

"He ran to the ball on the play he made on the 3rd-and-medium where Nix got out; that was just an extraordinary play," Macdonald said. "The mentality of, hey, these are the things we need you to do, let's go attack them. Let's get it done. To his credit, he's answered the bell each time. So, I expect him to keep making those strides, and I think the sack numbers will start to show."

But what should excite Macdonald and his coaching staff the most, however, referencing his earlier comment about wanting to see Mafe become a more well-rounded, three-down defender, was his splashy run defense to open the second half on Sunday. On the first snap from scrimmage, after taking a quick step inside on a slant, he read toss sweep and accelerated off his back foot to rocket past the right tackle and tight end without being touched, devouring the back for a four-yard loss to set the Broncos behind the chains immediately.

Mafe also handled coverage duties well when asked to drop back on simulated pressure schemes, allowing just five yards on two receptions and forcing an incompletion on Nix's third target in his direction. PFF credited him with two coverage stops that resulted in failed plays for the offense as he posted a rock solid 70.3 passer rating on those three snaps, showcasing the versatility Macdonald demands from his edge defenders.

Once Nwosu returns from a sprained knee in the next few weeks, the Seahawks won't have to ask Mafe to play upwards of 90 percent of their defensive snaps, and they will be able to keep him fresh as a result, which should only make him tougher to block off the edge. At the same time, the third-year defender heeded the call and as Macdonald noted, the high volume of snaps didn't seem to phase him at all on Sunday as he continued to wreak havoc deep into the second half.

After coming into the league perceived as a raw prospect who needed time to develop before he would be ready to pop against NFL competition, Mafe now looks the part of a skilled veteran to go with elite athletic traits. With Macdonald and his staff ready to maximize those talents by occasionally moving him around the line of scrimmage and putting him in ideal one-on-one situations as a rusher, the sky could truly be the limit for a player who appears to be on the cusp of stardom in Seattle.