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Coming closer to the November 3 trade deadline, despite holding a 5-1 record and sitting on top of NFC West, the Seahawks ranked near the bottom of the NFL in sacks and rates. quarterback pressure. They had just lost a heartbreaking 37-34 overtime game against the Cardinals in which they produced no hits over Kyler Murray.
Injuries have certainly played a part in these continued struggles to chase away opposing quarterbacks such as Murray. Veteran Bruce Irvin suffered a late-season ACL tear in Week 2, while second-round pick Darrell Taylor remained on the non-football injury list, recovering from surgery in the offseason leg, leaving the team shorthanded and lacking explosive athletes on the defensive end.
As the loss in Arizona further illustrates, GM John Schneider knew he needed to move, but had limited draft capital at his disposal. After all, Seattle had already handed out a 2021 first- and third-round pick to the New York Jets to land Jamal Adams in July, leaving the team with just five picks in total.
Thankfully, across the country, disgruntled veteran Carlos Dunlap was ready to get out of Cincinnati. Losing playing time to younger players in a defensive system that was not responding well to his strengths, he put his house up for sale, telling the rest of the league to call in for his services.
Schneider never leaves a stone unturned, and like he did a year before Quandre Diggs landed from the Lions, the Seahawks were able to secure Dunlap without further mortgaging their future. The famous manager sent a seventh-round pick and save center BJ Finney back to the Bengals to land the double Pro Bowler, hoping he could be the answer to the team’s woes.
A month later, Dunlap has already staked a claim as potentially the best business acquisition Schneider has made in 11 years at the helm, at least in terms of discontinued value and need for position. In three games, he produced 3.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits, while the Seattle defense as a whole exploded with 13.0 sacks during that span, reaching 12th among NFL teams. with 25.0 bags over the season.
It was a real turnaround, at least from a rushing pass perspective. With Dunlap and the frontline increasing the heat on the quarterfinals, the rest of the defense has also started to play better, as shown by the Seahawks taking their revenge a bit with a 28-21 win over the Cardinals and limiting their opponent. to a total of 314 yards at the low of the season.
“He’s having the best time of his life,” coach Pete Carroll said of Dunlap’s quick start to Seattle. “He’s having fun and he’s been upbeat and fiery and having fun with it.”
There is no doubt that the rest of the Seattle defense have responded favorably to Dunlap’s energy since his arrival. Now, with three games under his belt, he’s perfectly comfortable with the squad’s scheme and the results have shown on the pitch, providing a spark for a maligned defense that has suddenly found its rhythm.
What has been the key to Dunlap’s success with its new team? Let’s watch the tape as I review the veteran defenseman’s play defending the run and rushing the passer in an in-depth cinematic study of his first three games as a Seahawk.
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