Insider: Seahawks have an unheralded DB who could break out

New Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald got the best out of several players while leading the Baltimore Ravens’ defense last season.

A lesser-known Seattle Seahawks WR has Michael Bumpus’ attention

There were younger players like defensive lineman Justin Madubuike who had career seasons, and there were older players like edge rushers Kyle Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney who had resurgent campaigns.

Safety was also a spot where Macdonald had two players put together breakout seasons in second-year pro Kyle Hamilton, a first-team All-Pro, and former seventh-round draft pick Geno Stone.

“Mike Macdonald did such a good job of unlocking his safeties to play really well and to play fast and play with good eyes last year,” The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Tuesday.

Stone’s season in particular stood out as a surprising one. He was slated to be a backup behind Hamilton and veteran Marcus Williams, but an injury to Williams thrust Stone into a starting role.

After starting just eight games over his first three seasons and recording only one interception in 671 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference, Stone nabbed seven interceptions – which was second in the league behind only Dallas’ DaRon Bland (nine) – while making 11 starts and logging 951 defensive snaps.

“He came off the bench and he knew exactly where he was supposed to go with his eyes on every route distribution,” Klassen said. “He understood what zones he was supposed to be playing, all that sort of stuff. I think we’re going to see a little bit more consistent play out of those safeties this year.”

Klassen believes a little-talked-about Seahawks defensive back could be in a prime spot to have the same sort of breakout as Stone if the opportunity is presented.

“If K’Von Wallace has to play, I actually think he’s kind of the perfect player for this type of defense,” Klassen said. “So even if he has to come off the bench almost in the way that Geno Stone did last year, I think they’re gonna be in a good spot.”

Wallace, a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia in 2020, is slated for a backup role at safety for the Seahawks behind 2023 Pro Bowl selection Julian Love and veteran offseason addition Rayshawn Jenkins.

Seattle signed Wallace to a one-year deal in the offseason after he made a career-high 12 starts between stops with the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans last season. The fifth-year pro out of Clemson totaled 89 tackles and one interception while playing more snaps on defense than special teams for the first time in his career.

Wallace logged one tackle during the team’s 16-3 victory over the Chargers to open the preseason, but what doesn’t show up in the stat sheet is the big hit he laid on a Los Angeles receiver that helped lead to an interception by safety Coby Bryant.

Listen to the full conversation with The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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