Seahawks insider identifies big difference for key defender going into Year 2

The Seattle Seahawks' defense looks pretty loaded heading into Mike Macdonald's second year as the team's head coach and defensive playcaller. Up front they have a deep group, including a couple of potential future Hall of Famers in DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams. On the back end, four of their starters are ranked among PFF's top 32 players at their respective positions and in the middle there's an excellent centerpiece to build around in Ernest Jones IV.

If there is a weakness on this defense, it's most likely next to Jones at the weakside linebacker spot. That's where they are slated to start Tyrice Knight, who showed a lot of promise down the stretch in 2024 but still only has nine starts at this level.

In a division where Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have made a living picking on Seahawks linebackers in coverage, Knight's relative inexperience could make him a huge target in the team's four most-critical games of the season.

However, there's some good news to report here. According to former Seahawks linebacker Dave Wyman, he's seen a big improvement from Knight in a key area this offseason. Here's what he told Seattle Sports radio earlier this week about it.

"He just looked like he’s freed up... You could almost see a thought bubble above his head last year when things would happen, and he would react just a step slow. And he (still) got the job done. But this year, with his movement around the field and everything, you see confidence. He was one guy that I got a chance to check out (Monday) and just looked really good."

This is great news. Even a fraction of hesitation can be lethal for any defender - and the faster and looser that Knight can play, the better. Knight has said that he does feel more comfortable on the field and knowing the defense more has enabled him to play faster.

Lining up next to Ernest Jones is probably the best way for Knight to keep improving his game. If he can at least perform at an average level, it will fill the potential biggest hole for this defense in 2025.