With OTAs wrapping up across the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in just under two months, 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.
Joining a new-look linebacker group with plenty of question marks, can Tyrice Knight find his way onto the field as a consistent defensive contributor for Seattle in his rookie season?
Background
An All-State talent at Lake Gibson High School in Florida, Knight began his college career at Independence Community College, recording five interceptions with two defensive touchdowns in his time with the program. He jumped up to the FBS level by committing to UTEP, where he became an immediate contributor finishing second on the team in tackles as a redshirt sophomore seeing action both as a weakside and middle linebacker. By his senior season, he ranked among the nation's top defenders with 140 combined tackles and closed out his time with the Miners with nearly 400 stops, 33.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks, earning All-Conference USA honors multiple times and participating in the Senior Bowl. After a strong showing in Mobile and at the NFL combine, the Seahawks selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Scheme Fit
Offering previous experience playing off ball as well as off the edge, Knight logged more than 2,000 snaps in the box along with 149 snaps rushing off tackle, demonstrating the positional flexibility coach Mike Macdonald prefers from his linebackers and hinting at a future where he could play both linebacker roles in Seattle's defense. Aside from blitzing 212 times, he also played 288 snaps in the slot, per Pro Football Focus, with many of those reps coming earlier in his career when he played more extensively as a weakside linebacker.
Best Case Scenario
Taking to Macdonald's coaching quicker than expected, Knight puts on a tackling clinic during the preseason and quickly pushes Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson for snaps on defense, eventually taking over as a starter by the middle of the season and finishing with more than 75 tackles and a pair of sacks in a stellar rookie season for the Seahawks.
Worst Case Scenario
Still raw when it comes to deciphering run schemes and shedding blocks, Knight looks out of his element early in training camp and the preseason, failing to earn any snaps with the first-team defense. Though he makes the final roster, he barely sees the field on defense and spends most of his rookie year relegated to special teams.
What to Expect in 2024
Out of Seattle's latest eight-player draft class, Knight may be the biggest enigma heading into training camp. While he has a nose for the football and can make splashy plays as a blitzer and in coverage, he also had a tendency to get caught out of position too often at the college level and he likely will need extensive develop time before he can play more than a situational role on defense with special teams being his main way to make an impact out of the gate. Expecting much more than that may be asking way too much from a player who has a lot of growing to do before he's ready to be more than a sub-package player.
With that said, Knight has all the physical tools Macdonald covets at linebacker and the coach has a long track record of success grooming players at the position. After losing Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks in free agency, the depth chart also has been set up favorably for a rookie to be able to come in and carve out a role early, especially with Baker and Dodson both being unable to participate in the Seahawks offseason program. It would be a stunner if he's ready to play significant defensive snaps early in his rookie year, and at the same time, it wouldn't be near as surprising if he found his way onto the field in the second half and showcases potential long-term starting ability.
