Three Breakout Candidates For Seattle Seahawks Under New Coaching Staff

Which Seattle Seahawks will take a step forward with the staff Mike Macdonald has assembled? Three players could stand to benefit from the coaching change.

Nov 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) looks on / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Whenever a new coaching staff takes over a franchise, there is a possibility that a few incumbent starters will benefit greatly from the change in philosophy or scheme or just from a fresh voice in the room. Mina Kimes alluded to that possibly being the case for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Keeping that in mind, I'm going to look at three Seahawks who are poised to benefit from the change in leadership, be it Mike Macdonald at head coach and defensive guru or under Grubb on offense.

As far as rules go, these players could not be Pro Bowlers from a season ago, nor are they part of the most recent draft class in Seattle, and they must have been part of the team last season. Given that Geno Smith was a Pro Bowler in both of the last two seasons, for example, he is ineligible for this list.

Noah Fant

Oct 2, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (87) runs with / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

This likely is not someone you think of right off the bat that could benefit from Mike Macdonald coming to town. More so, it is due to Macdonald bringing on former University of Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Fant benefits from Macdonald's arrival by virtue of his first hire at offensive coordinator.

In case you didn't watch college football last season, Grubb helped orchestrate one of the most explosive offenses in recent memory with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at the helm in purple and gold. Among the 133 teams at the FBS level, Washington ranked in the top 15 in points, total yards, and passing. Tight ends, while not the feature piece, benefitted greatly from the scheme Kalen DeBoer and Grubb put together.

The previous scheme in Seattle (the professional team) seemed to ignore tight ends at times. Fant, given his size and athleticism, could be a weapon in the red zone. Yet, he was inexplicably held without a single touchdown during the 2023 season. Shane Waldron and company did not seem to prioritize giving some of their biggest red zone targets a chance near the goal line. Fant has yet to even eclipse 500 yards in either of his two seasons as a Seahawk.

It's hard to imagine Grubb making that same mistake. Fant has all the tools and talent you could want in a tight end. He was just massively misused last year. That made his decision to return on a free agent deal all the more surprising. Perhaps he too sees the possible benefits of playing for this new offensive staff.

Dre'Mont Jones

All of a sudden, the defensive line is a strength for the Seahawks. Imagine if Jones takes a big step forward in 2024. There's rumblings that he might move more to an EDGE role and play more on the outside. He took almost the exact same amount of snaps at EDGE and sliding in as a 5-tech defensive end last year. It might lean more heavily on the outside this season in Macdonald's scheme.

That could be to Jones' benefit. The former Denver Bronco seemed to underachieve in his first season in Seattle after a sizable free agent deal. He went from 6.5 sacks in 2022 to 4.5 last year. As my colleague Corbin Smith detailed, his Pro Football Focus grades and pass rushing stats improved last year once he crept towards the outside of the defensive line.

Under the tutelage of Mike Macdonald, Jones could see a big step forward in 2024 in a slightly new role. With Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe also in the fold at the EDGE spot, adding Jones gives Seattle solid depth and various looks.

Riq Woolen

Perhaps no Seahawk was more disappointing last year than Woolen. After bursting onto the scene in 2022, going from fifth round pick to Pro Bowler as a rookie, he took a large step back last season. After picking off six passes in 2022, he intercepted just two. Per Pro Football Reference, he allowed just a 48.7 passer rating in his rookie season. That number jumped to 79.8 last year. His missed tackle rate also doubled, with numerous moments of egregiously bad missed tackles.

Given Macdonald's experience as a defensive backs coach, and seeing the success of young defensive backs in Baltimore, Woolen stands to benefit from Macdonald and crew. Corners like Rock Ya-Sin and Ronald Darby, who both lack the elite size and athletic traits Woolen brings to the table, excelled under Macdonald with the Ravens last year.

In addition, Karl Scott returns as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach in Seattle. He is very familiar with Woolen, given he arrived on Seattle's staff in 2022. If Woolen can reclaim his form as a rookie, along with the stellar play of Devon Witherspoon on the other side, the Seahawks suddenly could have one of the best young cornerback duos in the NFL to build their new defense around.