The Seahawks coaching staff passed on attending this year’s Scouting Combine, leaving that work to general manager John Schneider. Mike Macdonald’s staff had other things to take care of, namely installing a whole new scheme in all three phases in a matter of weeks before players arrive to begin the offseason program on April 8.

It seems they’ve already figured out one of the key questions regarding their defense. Schneider told Seattle Sports 710 that free agent pickup Tyrel Dodson will be replacing Bobby Wagner as the team’s new middle linebacker. Meanwhile, Jerome Baker will take over Jordyn Brooks’ former role on the weakside. However, we don’t know who will wear the green dot on defense as of yet. H/T Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times.

“But Schneider said that as of today Baker would be the weakside linebacker (Brooks’ position last year) and Dodson the middle linebacker (Wagner’s)… And whether that means Dodson now steps into the green dot role, or Baker handles it from the weakside spot, Schneider didn’t specifically say.”

Coming from Buffalo, Dodson signed a one-year deal with Seattle worth $4.25 million. He’s coming off a breakout 2023 season, earning 10 starts and posting 74 tackles (eight for a loss), 2.5 sacks, six quarterback hits and just one touchdown allowed in coverage. While his snap count was relatively low compared to other elite linebackers around the league, he earned the highest PFF grade at his position last season.

The x-factor for the success of Dodson and Baker will be how they perform in coverage compared to Wagner and Brooks. While it’s true that weakness in coverage is the norm for most NFL linebackers, the Seahawks clearly went out of their way to get two defenders who are far better than average at their position in this department. If they provide a real bump here it should raise the overall ceiling for how Seattle’s defense performs significantly.