How did Seahawks rookie Tyrice Knight fare in NFL linebacking debut?

Sep 18, 2024, 8:44 AM

Seattle Seahawks rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight looks on during an OTA practice in June. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

With starting inside linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson dealing with injuries throughout the offseason and parts of training camp, there was always a possibility that Seattle Seahawks rookie fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight might be thrust into significant action early on.

On Sunday, that moment came.

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After both starters played nearly every snap at inside linebacker in Week 1, Baker exited Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the New England Patriots with a hamstring injury. Knight replaced him early in the second quarter and played the rest of the way, logging 44 defensive snaps.

Knight played on special teams in the season opener, but Sunday marked his NFL debut at linebacker. He finished seven total tackles, including three solo takedowns.

“He made some plays,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Monday morning during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports. “He didn’t really get exposed in that matter. There’s some rookie mistakes that he lost his eyes and played with some leverage that he’s gonna want back when he looks back and says, ‘Hey, I’ve made that play a thousand times. I’ve just gotta go do it.’

“So now that he’s seen it for real, live and in color regular season, I think we’ll see him take a jump here.”

The 6-foot, 233-pound Knight had a strong track record of production at UTEP, racking up 391 tackles over his four seasons with the Miners. Last year, he led the FBS with 84 solo tackles and added 4.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Knight’s tackling ability was on display Sunday, as he received a strong 81.0 tackling grade from Pro Football Focus and a 70.3 run defense grade.

His biggest play came with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, when he stopped New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a 2-yard gain on second-and-8. The Seahawks came up with a key third-down sack on the next play and then blocked the ensuing field-goal attempt – a sequence that helped spark their 23-20 overtime win.

“He made a couple tackles in the run game,” Macdonald said during his Monday press conference. “And then him along with the rest of the front seven, there’s a couple of other ones where he can be a little faster to diagnose, a little bit cleaner in his alignments. But overall, he made a couple of impressive stops as well. So good foundation to build off.”

Knight struggled a bit in coverage. He received a 41.3 coverage grade from PFF and was charged with allowing four receptions on five targets for 55 yards. That included a big play in the second quarter, when he got caught behind two blockers on a tight end screen that Hunter Henry took for a 35-yard gain.

But overall, Macdonald felt it was a solid debut.

“I have a lot of confidence in (him),” Macdonald said during Sunday’s postgame press conference. “He’s got a ton of reps under his belt, so I thought this was a solid start for him. I’m sure you go back, watch the tape, easy fixes. The game will start to slow down for him as he gets more experience out there in the regular season.”