Seattle Seahawks Should Put Veterans on Notice Amid Three-Game Skid

Struggling in every phase of the game while dropping three straight games, some healthy competition may be what the doctor ordered for the Seahawks.

Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jerome Baker (17) tackles San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - Throughout the course of a three-game losing streak, including in the immediate aftermath of a 36-24 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has maintained a steadfast belief that his team has the players to turn things around.

But as Macdonald hinted in his day after press conference on Friday morning, such remarks may not preclude him and his coaching staff from exploring some significant personnel changes on offense, defense, and special teams heading towards a Week 7 road matchup with the Falcons in pursuit of a spark to help right the ship.

"I told the team last night that we have the players, we have the guys in the locker room to become the team we want to be," Macdonald commented. "And there might be some decisions on where we move them and how we're using guys and everything's on the table right now. So that's what the next couple of days are for as a coaching staff and let's come up with a great plan of attack and go to work on Monday."

Deciphering Macdonald's remarks, it's not entirely clear whether he meant the Seahawks will explore making a few lineup changes, simply adjust how they are deploying current starters, or orchestrate a blend of both approaches. But after watching the team struggle through another slow start in all three phases, it may be time to reopen some healthy competitions as a means for better on-field performance and execution than has been seen on the field as of late.

Offensively, Seattle has already been mixing rookie Christian Haynes into the lineup for a handful of drives over the past three games, though he only played eight snaps against San Francisco on Thursday night. Like most rookies, his play has been a mixed bag to this point, as he has allowed three pressures and a sack on 51 pass blocking snaps and been inconsistent as a run blocker, which has prevented him from earning more field time to this point.

But with starter Anthony Bradford surrendering seven pressures and a sack on Thursday night to continue an underwhelming sophomore season where he ranks 53rd (95.1 percent) out of 57 guards in pass blocking efficiency rate per Pro Football Focus, at some point, the coaching staff has to cut the third-round pick loose and see what Haynes can do with a more extended opportunity. Playing a handful of plays each week isn't providing enough of a true chance to evaluate him and preventing him from growing with experience.

Where most of the changes could potentially happen, however, would be on the defensive side of the ball. After a strong start allowing 14.3 points per game in the first three weeks, the Seahawks have allowed 33 points per game during their three-game losing streak, allowing far too many explosive plays and letting opponents average north of 170 rushing yards per game, the type of dreadful performance as a unit that warrants lineup alterations.

Getting a healthy Murphy back would work wonders for a defensive line that has still played decent ball over the past three weeks, but the real questions start behind them at linebacker. Contrary to Pro Football Focus grades, veterans Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker have struggled with run fits and working off of blocks, playing a key role in opponents finding big running lanes and ripping off explosive plays on the ground.

Missed tackles have also been a problem for the duo, as Baker already has five whiffs and ranks 12th out of 55 qualified linebackers with a 15.6 percent missed tackle rate. Dodson has been significantly better in that regard, missing just three tackles in five starts, but his struggles shedding blocks when linemen get to him at the second level have set the stage for numerous chunk plays.

With both Baker and Dodson being on one-year contracts, they may be on short leashes with Macdonald, who has two young linebackers in Tyrice Knight and Drake Thomas waiting in the wings who already have received some valuable snaps earlier this year.

Knight, a fourth-round pick out of UTEP, started a pair of games in place of Baker, producing 23 combined tackles with only one missed tackle. He hasn't seen any action the past two weeks since Baker returned, but after racking up 140 tackles in his final college season, his nose for the football and better-than-expected instincts as a rookie may warrant plugging him back into the lineup sooner rather than later if his veteran counterparts can't elevate their play.

As for Thomas, Seattle's scouting department holds him in high regard and coming off a serious knee injury, he has seen limited action as a sub-package linebacker. More fluid in coverage and a thumper in the run game, there still may be future starter upside in him if granted the opportunity to play and show what he can do, but at this stage, he has primarily been a special teams contributor.

With Uchenna Nwosu now on injured reserve, the Seahawks could be in between a rock and a hard place with Dre'Mont Jones, their big-ticket signing in free agency two years ago. Now in his sixth NFL season, he only has one sack and has consistently struggled to set the edge as a run defender, far underperforming a contract paying him $17 million per year to be a difference maker, which he has yet to emerge as primarily playing outside linebacker in Macdonald's scheme.

Jones will continue to be part of Seattle's rotation out of necessity, but given his lack of pass rush productivity and inconsistencies defending the run, Macdonald may have interest in pivoting a different direction, using 6-6, 300-pound Mike Morris as a run stopping edge in similar fashion to how he deployed Brett Urban with Baltimore. Offering length and power with a similar build to Leonard Williams, he would sub in for early downs and still be reduced inside as a defensive tackle in passing situations.

Mixing Morris in more as an edge along with Boye Mafe and Derick Hall could provide a solution to some of the contain issues that have plagued the Seahawks as of late and even if he offers less pass rushing upside, Jones hasn't shined in that regard as hoped anyway. If pushed for snaps by younger players, that may bring out the best in the veteran and would be a button worth pushing.

Only a third of the way through the regular season, Macdonald and his staff may not yet be inclined to pull the trigger on making lineup changes shuffling underachieving veterans out for younger players with 11 games left on the schedule. There's likely a hope in the building that adjusting coaching tactics and personnel groupings will be enough to spearhead necessary improvements in quick fashion.

But at the same time, as a first-year coach, Macdonald needs to be focused as much on building a foundation for the next several seasons as winning games right now and his comments on Monday suggest he has considered shaking things up in a mini-bye week. If players such as Haynes, Knight, and Morris are viewed as potential pieces of that puzzle, they won't get better standing on the sideline. As a means of promoting accountability, giving them a legitimate opportunity to push for playing time against veterans ahead of them could pay dividends for Seattle short and long-term.