The Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than a month, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.
In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.
Coming to town as a free agent, how will Macdonald and his staff use K'Von Wallace as part of a retooled safety group?
Committing to Clemson after earning All-State honors on both sides of the ball in Virginia, Wallace found his way onto the field for limited snaps as a true freshman and developed into an All-ACC performer before being drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round in 2020. Primarily used as a rotational reserve and special teams contributor, he produced 64 tackles, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery in three years in Philadelphia before being cut last August. Spending time with Arizona and Tennessee during the 2023 season, he set a career-high with 89 combined tackles, recorded his first interception, and had five pass breakups. Continuing to bounce around, he signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks in March hoping to carve out a consistent role in Macdonald's secondary.
Offering the positional interchangeability Seattle wants at safety in Macdonald's scheme, Wallace has played all over the field in four NFL seasons, including logging at least 115 snaps at slot cornerback, free safety, and strong safety with Arizona and Tennessee last season. He's also been efficient with limited blitzing opportunities, producing six pressures on 21 pass rushes, per Pro Football Focus.
After struggling to find a home last season despite decent production in Arizona and Tennessee, Wallace's versatility and playmaking ability shine through in the preseason in a scheme that fits his skill set well and he fends off Coby Bryant to earn Seattle's third safety spot, receiving significant playing time in nickel and dime packages while also continuing to flourish on special teams.
Beginning the preseason as the third safety on Seattle's depth chart, the emergence of Bryant coupled with an early return from Jerrick Reed II from a torn ACL ends up costing him playing time and though he stays on the roster, he sees fewer than 100 defensive snaps while mostly being relegated to special teams.
Set to turn 27 years old in July, Wallace remains a fairly young player with some untapped potential who has enough athleticism and playmaking ability to be a reliable sub-package contributor for the Seahawks. Playing in a defensive system where he can move around playing multiple positions should serve him well, especially after he handled such roles with the Cardinals and Titans quite well last year while producing career-highs across the board.
As a free agent signed to a one-year deal, Wallace will have to hold off the likes of Bryant, Ty Okada, and Jonathan Sutherland for snaps and Reed's status also bears watching, as Seattle holds the second-year defender in high regard. Still, it would be a bit of a stunner if the fifth-year safety isn't seeing a decent workload as the team's third safety on defense and even if he doesn't play quite as much as originally anticipated, his past special teams experience will provide a boost in the third phase of the game for his new team.
