Seahawks' Macdonald Repeats Baltimore Playbook, Using a Midseason Linebacker Trade to Revive Seattle's Defense

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has now made the same midseason move in two different cities, and in both cases the defense improved dramatically. As of Thursday, November 28, 2024, Seattle (6-5) stands atop the NFC West after starting the year at the bottom of the division.

In October 2022, while serving as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator, Macdonald swung a deal ahead of the trading deadline for Chicago linebacker Roquan Smith, who was unhappy with his contract. Smith took over for the ineffective Josh Bynes and quickly became the centerpiece of the scheme. Baltimore went from being overrun to owning the NFL's best defense over the second half of that season. Smith made his first Pro Bowl and later signed a large extension with the Ravens. Bynes never played in the NFL again and retired after the season.

This October, Macdonald did it again. Dissatisfied with a middle linebacker who kept getting blocked and run past, he acquired Ernest Jones from Tennessee. Jones, a Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, was also unhappy with his contract and had been drafted by another team. He replaced Tyrel Dodson, whom Macdonald cut and who now plays for Miami.

Numbers compiled by Hugh Millen, an analyst for KJR radio and The 33rd Team, show the scale of the Baltimore turnaround. Through the first eight games of 2022, the Ravens ranked 25th in yards allowed; after the trade they finished third. They moved from 19th to first in points allowed per game over the final nine games, from 20th to first in offensive touchdowns allowed, and from 26th to third in first downs allowed. Baltimore reached the playoffs.

Seattle's shift has been similar. Through its first eight games, the team ranked 28th against the run. It gave up 228 rushing yards to San Francisco's third- and fourth-string running backs, and New England and the New York Giants ran for 185 and 175 yards in September. In three games since Jones arrived, the Seahawks have held the Rams to 68 rushing yards and the Cardinals to 49, their two lowest totals allowed this season. After surrendering 42 points to Detroit, 29 to the Giants, 36 to San Francisco and 31 to Buffalo, they have allowed 13 to the Rams in regulation, 17 to the 49ers in the rematch and six to Arizona.

Jones has 47 tackles in his first three Seattle games, including a game-high 13 at San Francisco, six of them for gains of two yards or fewer. Dodson, by comparison, made tackles six to nine yards past the line of scrimmage. The win over the 49ers ended a six-game losing streak against Seattle's chief division rival.

Macdonald acknowledged the similarities Monday but credited the difference to preparation. "I think the learning curve in Baltimore was very much my responsibility. I didn't have a clear enough vision of what we were trying to do early enough," he said. "I think here we have a vision. We have a very clear vision of what we're trying to achieve." He also credited general manager John Schneider for helping land Jones and draft linebacker Tyrice Knight, who replaced Jerome Baker, the other starter traded away for Jones. Knight's rise has also coincided with the defensive improvement.

Macdonald, 37, is the NFL's youngest head coach and was hired in February to replace the fired Pete Carroll. All 21 of his assistants are new, including Bynes, now assistant linebackers coach and Macdonald's first coaching hire of that kind, a sign the Baltimore decision was not personal.

Jones, whose rookie contract ends after this season, said he wants to remain in Seattle. "One hundred percent. These boys make me happy, man," he said. He also pressed teammates to aim higher: "We want to win games in a more impressive fashion." The Seahawks next play at the New York Jets (3-8) on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.