Tyrel Dodson played in Week 1 as a starter for the first time in his career and finished Sunday’s game with 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defensed.
When the two linebackers, Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker realized they weren't going to get to play together much during training camp and the preseason, due to injuries, the two took the initiative and got to know each other off the field. Whether that was grabbing sushi in Seattle, staying late in the film room, or just simply hanging out, they both knew they needed to get to know each other more than what they already did.
"When he knew what his situation was," Dodson said about Baker's injury. "We actually sat down and came up with a plan. We said, 'Hey, bro, we've got to hang out a little bit more outside of the field just so I can get a sense of who you are as a person, how you like to read things, you like shooting stuff, you like playing stuff slow?' I think that the sword is never as sharpened as you want it, but it's pretty sharp right now. I'm excited to play with him. I know he's had a successful career in Miami and I can't wait to learn from him and lean on him."
Baker knew that coming in he had more experience than Dodson, but he just saw that as an opportunity to keep Dodson grounded and point him in the right direction when he needed it.
"I think my job being a little older and more experienced, I just try to keep him calm," Baker said. "In the sense of, if we're not doing something right in practice, or we didn't do something right in walk through, I'll tell him 'Let's start over. It's your defense. If you feel like it wasn't good enough, let's redo it.'"
And on Sunday, Dodson was the Week 1 starter, and had an important role as the green dot, who communicates the plays to the entire defense – meaning he has to be more in command of the defense than he's used to being.
"He's a leader," Baker said. "He's the guy. He's the middle linebacker. His mindset is still he has that chip on his shoulder. He wants to show that he belongs. For me it's exciting seeing that and seeing how hungry he is."
And his mindset has been the same since he first started his career in Buffalo in 2020. "You might think I'm crazy but each year going into Week 1, I thought I was a starter then," Dodson said before Sunday's 26-20 win over the Broncos. Since starting his career, Dodson has started 15 games but has never been a Week 1 starter.
"My mindset hasn't changed how I approach the game," Dodson said before Sunday's matchup. "Yeah I'm a starter but I still have to play at a high level even if you're on special teams or running down on kickoff, punt. You've got to play at a high level and that's what I want to do. That's what I want to bring to Seattle and I just want to be a good teammate, play at a high level, and have fun while I'm doing it."
On Sunday, Dodson ended the night with 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defensed. Baker ended with three tackles, one tackle for loss and a big third-and-11 fumble recovery in the third quarter.
"It felt so good," Baker said on playing in Sunday's game. "It felt like it's been a year since I've tackled somebody. I've been dealing with injuries; I was just trying to get back right and get back out there."
After Game 1, Dodson felt like he handled the defense and communicated well.
"I just got to be consistent every day," Dodson said. "With different calls, I got to come up with different (hand) signals and stuff like that. I feel very confident of my ability to lead. I feel very confident in my ability to also follow. Every good leader is also a good follower. I'm excited to keep stacking these wins."
The two are still learning how they work best together, play off each other and also are teaching each other along the way.
"Man, it was a blessing," Dodson said on playing with Baker on Sunday. "He actually coached me up during the game. He's been doing this for so long, I actually learned a couple things from him today. Jerome's (Baker) 'even-steven' today. He's very loud and aggressive, (the) opposite of off the field. I love Jerome. Some people see me as the leader in the linebacker room and the defense, but he's my leader. I'm blessed to have him and I can't wait to keep stacking these wins with him."
Added Baker, "It was fun. I think that was the first time we really could see that we can fly around, we can play off each other well. We have a lot to improve, but for the most part we did pretty good."
The relationship between the two will nonetheless continue to grow with more games and practices under their belt, but the foundation for a good relationship has already been built.
"We have that respect for each other," Baker said. "We just feed off of that. I know what he's been through, he knows what I've been through but we all have the same journey and the same goals."
