Seattle Seahawks Trading Darrell Taylor Creates Opportunity For Undrafted Rookies

While the Seahawks may not need to replace Darrell Taylor on the 53-man roster, his exit opens the door for Nelson Ceaser and Jamie Sheriff to be next in line.

Tennessee Titans running back Hassan Haskins (25) powers his way forward against Seattle's Easton Gibbs (56) and Jamie Sheriff (44) during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. / © Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Continuing to churn their roster heading into Saturday's preseason finale, the Seattle Seahawks closed the book on their 2020 draft class on Friday by trading embattled edge defender Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears for a future sixth round pick.

The Seahawks' decision to move on from Taylor shouldn't be viewed as a surprising one, as even though the former second-round pick had flashed as a pass rusher with 21.5 career sacks, he also chronically struggled as a run defender. His inability to develop into a better all-around defender ultimately cost him his starting job in each of the past two seasons as opponents attacked him with great success running the football to the detriment of the entire defense.

With new coach Mike Macdonald coming on board, Taylor received a $20,000 signing bonus on a restructured deal in March, providing him another opportunity to carve out a more significant role. But it became apparent early in training camp that he wasn't a quality scheme fit and with Dre'Mont Jones set to play extensive snaps off the edge along with Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall, he became expendable, thus leading to the decision to ship him out of town for a late round pick.

Considering the talent Seattle still has on the roster with Nwosu back healthy, Jones sliding into a more edge-oriented role, and Mafe and Hall both being ascending young talents, general manager John Schneider doesn't need to make a big splash to replace Taylor, who likely would have been cut later this month or saw minimal snaps as a rotational defender in Macdonald's defense. It would be unreasonable - if not irresponsible - to turn around and invest significant financial resources and/or draft capital to add another piece to the unit.

At the same time, however, in today's NFL, there's no such thing as having too many pass rushers. For all of his faults, Taylor did provide juice as a twitchy, athletic pass rusher unparalleled by the four main edges on the Seahawks depth chart, leaving a void from that perspective.

Of course, with that void comes opportunity, and as Seattle prepares to close out the preseason on Saturday night against Cleveland at Lumen Field, Taylor's exit could open the door for undrafted rookies Nelson Ceaser, Jamie Sheriff, and Sunny Anderson to emerge as next man up either by sneaking onto the 53-man roster or becoming a priority practice squad signing candidate.

Of that group, Ceaser joined the Seahawks as a free agent in April with the most decorated resume of the bunch. After waiting his turn behind future NFL talents Logan Hall and Payton Turner, he broke out as one of the Big 12's most feared pass rushers for Houston last season, posting a conference-best 9.5 sacks to go with 13.5 tackles for loss to earn First-Team distinction.

Despite still having remaining eligibility, Ceaser opted to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, and despite his impressive performance last season, poor performances in athletic testing at the NFL combine as well as Houston's pro day substantially hurt his stock. He didn't run the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, only to run a slow 4.91 second time at his pro day, and with underwhelming testing numbers across the board, he slid out of the draft completely before Seattle signed him.

Through two preseason games, Ceaser has played solid football for the Seahawks, earning a 75.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, the fourth-highest grade for a defender on the team. Though he hasn't stood out as a pass rusher with two pressures on 30 passing reps so far, he has held up well against the run and set a firm edge, albeit it against backups, a positive contrast to his now former teammate Taylor.

Coming out of nowhere, Sheriff has arguably been the more dynamic player this summer, however. Signed on August 6, the undrafted rookie out of South Alabama has taken full advantage of every opportunity given to him since his arrival, including providing an unexpected spark as a pass rusher. Winning with power and finesse, he has produced seven pressures - tied with Hall for the most on the team - along with a tackle for loss and a 20 percent pass rush win rate.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis (7) slips past Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (44) during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Built with a more prototypical 265-pound frame for a 3-4 outside linebacker, Sheriff has demonstrated plenty of burst off the edge for the Seahawks, playing to his strong testing numbers at South Alabama's pro day where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds and performed well in the short shuttle, 3-cone drill, and vertical/broad jump. Those traits have popped off the film and he has also played a physical brand of football against the run, going from a camp body to an intriguing developmental prospect in quick fashion.

If there's an area of concern for Sheriff, Macdonald wants outside linebackers capable of dropping back into coverage on simulated pressures, and though the rookie hasn't given up any catches or been targeted in two games, he hasn't looked quite as comfortable in that aspect of his game.

As for Anderson, the undrafted rookie out of Grambling State has had a far more uneven performance in exhibition games and training camp, making him more of a long shot at this point. On the smaller end with a lean 6-5, 240-pound build, he has had issues holding up physically at the point of attack against NFL tackles and been more vulnerable to being overpowered against the run. He's also been shaky in the tackling department on limited reps with a 50 percent missed tackle rate.

Where Anderson has shined more consistently, however, has been in the pass rushing department. More quick than explosive or fast off the edge, while results should be taken with a grain of salt due to a very small sample size, he has recorded four pressures on just 17 pass rushing snaps with a 17.6 percent pass rush win rate, nearly three percentage points higher than Taylor. Another solid outing against the Browns could get him back on the practice squad radar.

As things currently stand, the Seahawks may not need another edge defender on their active roster, especially with Mike Morris, Leonard Williams, and Jarran Reed occasionally sliding outside in Macdonald's versatile scheme. The types of players who will be lined up at the position will be far different than it would have been with former coach Pete Carroll at the wheel, mixing and matching vastly different skill sets and body types across the front line.

It's also possible, if not inevitable, Schneider and Seattle's scouting department will be digging through preseason film from other teams looking at potential replacements for Taylor who could become available on the waiver wire after cuts on August 27. Already making three trades this month, another deal could come down the pipe if the right player becomes available as well.

But from a depth perspective, the Seahawks clearly saw enough from Ceaser, Sheriff, and Anderson in their first training camp and preseason to feel comfortable moving on from Taylor shortly before their preseason finale. If no other moves are made to bring in a replacement, at minimum, at least one of those undrafted rookies should be a top target to bring back on the practice squad, if not a sneaky wild card to watch in the hunt for a final roster spot with a strong finish to exhibition season.