Seattle Seahawks Snap Counts: Jerome Baker, Returning Starters Not Limited in Week 1 Win

While some players were more restricted than others, Jerome Baker and Connor Williams played major roles in the Seahawks season-opening win.

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) and linebacker Jerome Baker (17) tackle Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime (23) for a loss during the third quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - Coming off of injuries that held them out for most of training camp and the preseason, it wouldn't have been a surprise if the Seattle Seahawks eased center Connor Williams and linebacker Jerome Baker back into action in Sunday's opener against the Denver Broncos.

However, Seattle clearly went into Week 1 believing Williams and Baker were more than ready to roll after being cautious with both players gradually working them back into game shape in recent weeks, as the two newcomers who signed as free agents each played at least 99 percent of the snaps in a 26-20 victory. The team was a bit more selective with Dre'Mont Jones coming off a hamstring strain, but the presence of Derick Hall and Boye Mafe made it easier to rotate him out of the lineup.

Maybe most surprisingly, after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL only nine months ago and not playing in the preseason, Williams didn't miss a single snap at the pivot position and played well for the Seahawks, as Pro Football Focus charged him with one pressure on 28 pass blocking reps. As for Baker, though he missed a couple tackles, he received high marks from PFF as well, finishing with five tackles, two pressures, and a fumble recovery after safety K'Von Wallace punched the ball out of Jaleel McLaughlin's hands in the third quarter.

As for Jones, he played just 44 percent of Seattle's snaps, but that may have been more indictive of the opponent and the combination of Mafe and Hall having the hot hand than him being on a snap restriction. Mafe led the team with nine pressures and produced a sack as well as a pair of tackles for loss, while Hall had a sack and three quarterback hits on Bo Nix in dominant performances filling the void for an injured Uchenna Nwosu.

Looking at snap counts from the Seahawks first game of the season, what else jumped out? Week 1 observations linked to statistics courtesy of PFF and film study:

• Leaving briefly in the first quarter, Anthony Bradford only wound up missing one snap with rookie Christian Haynes replacing him on a third down before a Michael Dickson punt. Haynes may eventually get a chance to show what he can do with extended reps, but even with Bradford's struggles that led to a pair of safeties in the second quarter, Seattle's coaching staff stuck with the second-year blocker and he ended up finding some traction in the run game after halftime, helping Ken Walker III eclipse 80 rushing yards in the final two quarters.

• Returning from a thigh injury that kept him sidelined much of training camp, the Seahawks did have Tyler Lockett on a pitch count with his 54 percent snap share being his lowest since January 1, 2023 against the Jets when he was coming off hand surgery. Maximizing on those opportunities, he led the team in catches (six) and receiving yards (77) despite only playing 36 snaps on offense and came through with a clutch one-handed game-sealing first down reception in the closing moments, showing no signs of rust after a long layoff.

• Without Pharaoh Brown available due to a foot injury, Seattle primarily used two tight ends on offense with Noah Fant logging 75 percent of the snaps and producing two receptions for 11 yards and rookie AJ Barner seeing nearly a 50 percent snap share as the primary replacement for Brown. Brady Russell played sparingly with four total snaps, though he did line up as a fullback and made a nice block out of the backfield on one play out of an I-formation look.

• There was much discussion in training camp about who would win Seattle's third down running back job, but Kenny McIntosh didn't see the field at all on offense with Walker and Zach Charbonnet combining to receive every single snap in the backfield. Before exiting late with an abdominal issue, Walker was north of the 70 percent snap threshold, a sign the Seahawks view him as their workhorse and plan to ride him as much as they can with Charbonnet being a change of pace option and third down substitute.

#Seahawks snap counts vs. Broncos pic.twitter.com/ckDftKLHEe

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) September 9, 2024

• The absence of Nwosu played a part in his extensive reps playing 87 percent of Seattle's defensive snaps on Sunday, but Mafe is quickly becoming an invaluable talent for the Seahawks and even after Nwosu returns, it may be difficult to take him off the field. He constantly harassed Nix on boot legs and his speed flying off the line of scrimmage has been ramped up to another level. No longer the athletic, raw specimen he was coming into the league, he's become much more polished and his ceiling in Mike Macdonald's defense remains incredibly high.

• In the interior, the Seahawks did an excellent job of keeping their defensive tackles fresh by rotating them frequently, as Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, and Byron Murphy II all played between 58 and 67 percent of the snaps and nose tackle Johnathan Hankins logged a 25 percent share in base fronts. Not wearing down as the game went on, Williams wrapped up with six quarterback pressures and four quarterback hits, while Murphy had two pressures and a run stuff in his debut.

• With Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker playing all but a single snap on Sunday, the Seahawks didn't get to see rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight at all on defense. In fact, only three rookies - Murphy, Barner, and Haynes - played any snaps on offense or defense on Sunday with sixth-round picks Sataoa Laumea and Mike Jerrell being healthy scratches and cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett only playing special teams.

• Since Artie Burns ultimately wasn't active after being elevated from the practice squad, Devon Witherspoon played nearly two-thirds of his snaps in the slot, opening the door for Tre Brown to log a 67 percent snap share when the Seahawks were in nickel or dime packages on Sunday. Brown allowed three catches for 35 yards, but did have a pass breakup and didn't give up any touchdowns, while Witherspoon generated two pressures on seven blitz attempts when lined up in the slot.

• There may be games where the Seahawks deploy three-safety looks more frequently, but Macdonald still subbed K'Von Wallace into the lineup for 12 defensive snaps along with Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins on Sunday. The fifth-year defender played well with a dozen snaps, forcing a fumble by punching the ball out of McLaughlin's hands and recording a tackle, while Love and Jenkins combined for 18 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble.