Seahawks Midseason Report Card: How Have Derick Hall, EDGEs Performed?

Even with Uchenna Nwosu out for all but one game, the Seahawks have received positive pass rushing contributions from their young EDGE nucleus so far.

Oct 6, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) fumbles while under pursuit from Seattle Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) during the first quarter at Lumen Field. New York recovered the fumble. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

In the midst of their bye week, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves searching for answers in all phases after dropping five of their past six games to plunge into last place in the NFC West.

With nine games down and eight left to play, the Seahawks have seen Derick Hall take a major sophomore leap by producing a team-best five sacks, while Boye Mafe is nearly on pace to equal his breakout season from a year ago despite missing two games with a knee injury. The pair of young rushers has been a positive for a defense that has struggled quite a bit adjust to Mike Macdonald's new scheme in the first half.

Revisiting the first half of the season, how have Hall and the rest of the Seahawks outside linebacker group performed so far anchoring Macdonald's defense? Midseason report card:

Areas of Strength: When it comes to Seattle's outside linebacker group, the whole has been greater than the sum of its parts. While the team doesn't have any players in the top 10 for pressures or sacks, the trio of Hall, Boye Mafe, and Dre'Mont Jones all rank in the top 30 with at least 25 pressures apiece and 11.5 combined sacks, or more than 50 percent of the team's sack total. In terms of overall effectiveness, Mafe has Pro Football Focus' eighth-highest pass rush productivity rating (10.1) among qualified edge defenders with at least 150 pass rushing snaps.

Building off his first two NFL seasons, Mafe has been one of the few bright spots for Seattle's run defense, producing 15 tackles and five run stops while receiving a steady 76.8 grade from PFF, ranking eighth among edge defenders. He also generated a key strip sack against the Falcons that led to a long touchdown return for Hall, who has taken a major jump in all facets with five sacks so far after not having one in his rookie season, and both players have a forced fumble this season emerging as young building blocks for Macdonald's defense.

Meshing well with Macdonald's scheme, which asks for outside linebackers to drop back fairly often in coverage, Hall ranks eighth in coverage grade among edge defenders and has allowed just two catches for seven yards on 25 snaps. Mafe has done a decent job as well, giving up three catches for 17 yards on 42 coverage snaps.

Areas of Improvement: After a strong start in the first three games, like the rest of Seattle's roster, the outside linebacker unit has struggled with consistency, which reflects in several statistical categories. Most notably, the team doesn't have a single player in the top 40 for pass rush win rate with Jones being the highest ranked at 43rd overall (10.5) out of 66 qualified edge defenders. ESPN doesn't grade the trio any more favorably with their own Pass Rush Win Rate metric, as none of them sit in the top 20 and the Seahawks rank 17th as a team in that category.

Aside from Mafe, the Seahawks have also received mostly subpar play defending the run from their outside linebackers this season, which has played a role in the team's 27th ranked rush defense. On 168 snaps against the run, Hall only has five solo and three run stops, ranking dead last out of 56 qualified defenders in both statistics. Jones has only been slightly more impactful with eight solo tackles and six run stops, ranking 44th and 40th in those categories respectively. Both players sit 47th or worse in stop percentage and run defense grade via PFF.

Midseason Grade: B

Consistency has been a bit of an issue for Mafe, Hall, and Jones, especially in recent weeks where sacks and quarterback hits have dipped significantly compared to earlier in the season. Run defense also remains a work in progress for the group at large. However, they have been far more productive chasing after quarterbacks compared to a year ago with more than 75 combined pressures through nine games, and the unit as a whole has taken a significant step forward with a good opportunity for further growth in the second half. The pending return of Uchenna Nwosu in the second half also has a chance to be a game changer.

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