How Seahawks’ new linebacker duo impressed Wyman

Sep 12, 2024, 4:11 PM | Updated: 5:45 pm

Seattle Seahawks Tyrel Dodson Denver Broncos tackle 2024...

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson makes a tackle against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

(Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

BY CAMERON VAN TIL

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks’ defense got a complete makeover at inside linebacker this offseason, with Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson replacing franchise icon Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks.

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The newcomers made a good first impression on Sunday.

Baker and Dodson each had strong performances in Seattle’s season-opening win over the Broncos, solidifying the middle of a defense that surrendered just 3.3 yards per play and kept Denver out of the end zone for the first 57 minutes.

Both players earned high marks from Pro Football Focus, with Baker receiving an 80.0 overall defensive grade and Dodson a 75.1 grade. Baker also had a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery, while Dodson had a tackle for loss and a near-interception.

It was only one game, but former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman was impressed by what he saw.

“They were just flying around,” Wyman said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “… The middle of the field is just gonna be so much better, just because of attacking the line of scrimmage in the run game, looking up receivers in the pass game, and both of these guys are really, really fast.

“It’s markedly better on the inside with those two guys,” Wyman added.

Dodson and Baker particularly shined in pass coverage, with both receiving PFF coverage grades above 85. According to PFF, Dodson surrendered four catches on eight targets for just 20 yards, while Baker allowed two catches on two targets for just 5 yards.

Their play helped the Seahawks limit Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix to just 138 passing yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a historically low 3.3 yards per pass attempt. That was the fewest yards per attempt allowed by a Seattle defense in franchise history, among all games in which the opposing quarterback threw at least 30 passes.

“You’re seeing in the pass game how these guys are going to be active,” Wyman said.

Dodson also carries the added responsibility of relaying the defensive play calls from head coach Mike Macdonald to the rest of the defense. Macdonald praised Dodson for how he handled that in his Seahawks debut, especially with Lumen Field’s deafening crowd noise raining down.

“To be able to kind of translate the chaos and get all the calls to the guys, … that’s a big-time job,” Macdonald said. “And then when they’re moving fast, trying to get it to all three levels, it’s an underrated burden to have to carry each game. And so to be able to handle that and then play at the level he did, I thought that was really cool. He did a great job.”

Baker started 82 games over the past six seasons for the Miami Dolphins, while Dodson finished as PFF’s highest-graded linebacker last year as he filled in to start 10 games with the Buffalo Bills.

Due to injuries, Baker and Dodson didn’t get to spend much time together on the practice field this offseason or training camp, but that certainly didn’t appear to be an issue on Sunday. Baker said it helps that they have bonded and built a strong relationship.

“I’ll just ask him questions on how he sees things (and) he asks me how I see things,” Baker said Monday on Wyman and Bob. “… He was dealing with the injury this offseason and I was doing the same thing. And when he got back out there, he was just telling what he saw, what he was doing and all that. So I think the open line of communication is the main thing. We’ve got a chance to show the world what we can do.”

Listen to the interview with Jerome Baker on Wyman and Bob at this link or in the audio player above. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.