The Seattle Seahawks have set a high standard for themselves defensively this season, as they should. Devon Witherspoon and Jarran Reed say they're shooting for the No. 1 defensive unit in the NFL - and while that's something you hear a lot of defenders say this time year, it's really not far off from when they finished last season.
According to Mike Dugar at The Athletic, Seattle finished in the top-five in three key defensive categories after their Week 10 bye.
"Despite the midseason lull, Seattle finished last year ranked 11th in opponent points per game (tied with the Buffalo Bills), fifth in opponent points per drive and eighth in defensive expected points added per play (all stats provided by TruMedia unless stated otherwise). The Seahawks had a top-five defense in all three categories after the Week 10 bye."
One of the biggest reasons for that post-bye improvement was the presence of the team's new middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who came over just before the trade deadline in a deal with the Tennessee Titans that remade their defense and redefined what was possible.
For a minute there it looked like Jones might walk in free agency and the Seahawks would have given up a fourth-round pick (and another linebacker) for a half-season rental. However, they eventually got it together and re-signed Jones to a three-year worth up to $28.5 million. That represents a massive bargain for one of the most underrated defenders in the game today - especially given what Seattle's defense looked like before and after the trade.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Jones says he'll take this defense against anybody.
This is also a common refrain you'll hear in the offseason from a couple dozen defenders. However, once again there's evidence that this could be the case.
Keeping Jones around may have been the most-critical portion of this offseason, but the real improvement for this unit is more likely to come from having an extra year of improvement under head coach Mike Macdonald.
In their second year with Macdonald as their defensive coordinator, Baltimore went from being a top-five defense to the indisputable best unit in the league by far. If the Seahawks can make a second-year jump the way the Ravens did in 2023, they may soon claim that title for themselves.
