Seattle Seahawks Rookie LB Excited For Potential First NFL Start

A highly-touted rookie linebacker could make his first NFL start for the Seattle Seahawks this weekend.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) gets ready for a play in the first quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. / Casey Gower-Imagn Images

Like many other teams, the Seattle Seahawks are dealing with more than their fair share of injuries already. While no team wants injuries, the silver lining is they open the door for other players to potentially shine.

In Seattle's case, one of their most promising rookies is likely in line to make the first start of his young career. With linebacker Jerome Baker doubtful for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins due to a hamstring injury, Tyrice Knight, a fourth-round pick from UTEP, is the next man up.

It's obviously a huge moment for the young linebacker, but he's ready to rise up to the occasion.

"Overall, I feel like I had a good, excellent week this week going through Miami film from top to bottom, just going through all their plays, so I feel like I'm as prepared as I can be," Knight said, per the Seahawks' website. "Since the first two games, the two things I noticed for sure are the fans, just really loud at both stadiums, and overall, the game is just way faster. But I feel all the preparation I've had just made everything seem smoother."

Knight saw a good bit of action in last week's overtime win over the New England Patriots, finishing with seven total tackles on the day. After that performance, and especially his strong showing in the preseason, Knight has impressed head coach Mike Macdonald.

"It's just constant improvement," Macdonald said. "We ask a lot of those guys, and at some point he was cross-training multiple positions. It moves fast, and each week, you're kind of learning a new offense and how they operate, so you've got to stay poised, apply your rules. But he's a cool customer, it doesn't ever seem like he's rattled or anything like that, so he's going to be just fine."