From 2011 to 2018, the Seattle Seahawks had arguably the best secondary in the entire NFL, receiving the nickname “The Legion of Boom (LOB)”. Several key athletes within the secondary consisted of All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor along with other members such as Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond, and Byron Maxwell. The group was extremely successful and secured a Super Bowl Championship during the 2013-2014 NFL season.

After failing to secure a playoff spot in 2023, Seahawks owner Jody Allen decided to go in a different direction and gave long-time head coach Pete Carroll a new role as the search for a new head coach was underway. Allen and the entire Seahawks organization quickly conducted a thorough search before landing their eyes on Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. Macdonald’s recent rise in the coaching rankings along with his unique defensive approach/ scheme, has made him one of the NFL’s best young assistant coaches.

Macdonald transformed the Ravens’ defense, a feat many thought was impossible with the success that former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale had.

The 36-year-old head coach is coming into a prime position to take the Seahawks defense to not only new heights but for the new revamped secondary to soar under his leadership. Macdonald has been known to take a secondary and improve it drastically, for the better, and he has such a great pool of players after some offseason reshuffling.

This offseason, the Seahawks decided to let go of veteran safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs and replaced them with former Tennessee Titans safety K’Von Wallace and Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins.

Both of these players have had production NFL careers and Jenkins is one of the best at his position, being a vocal leader and instant play-maker for the Jaguars. He single-handedly won them their 2022 week 18 win-and-in matchup against the Tennessee Titans after taking a strip-sack fumble all the way for a touchdown, securing a playoff berth.

Cody Alexander, the owner of MatchQuarters and Head of Football Operations with Field Vision Sports, discussed recently on X, formerly Twitter, just how Macdonald is going to “be able to cook with this group”. The term cook means that good things are about to unfold in Seattle under Macdonald’s leadership of the defense and fans should be excited.

Macdonald is going to be able to cook with this group.

Plus, Woolen as a true lock-down boundary CB.

The Seahawks are going to be fun to watch on defense.#ArtofX pic.twitter.com/aGb2MqF1xm

— Cody Alexander (@The_Coach_A) May 19, 2024

The depth chart of the defense, specifically the secondary, is currently unknown but here are several secondary players and their statistics from a season ago. If you come back to this article in January 2025, you shall see an increase in production from the majority of these athletes.

• Devon Witherspoon: 79 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 1 FF, 16 Pass Deflections, 1 Interception, 1 INT TD
• Julian Love: 85 Tackles, 2 FF, 10 Pass Deflections, 4 Interceptions
• Rayshawn Jenkins: 66 Tackles, 9 Pass Deflections, 2 Interceptions
• Riq Woolen: 42 Tackles, 11 Pass Deflections, 2 Interceptions
• K’Von Wallace: 62 Tackles, 6 Pass Deflections, 1 Interception

Stud Cornerbacks: 

Devon Witherspoon was drafted with selection five in last year’s NFL Draft and many analysts scolded the pick. Taking a cornerback at pick number five can do that to you but Witherspoon honestly was a bright spot in such a rollercoaster of a season. He finished with a Pro Bowl selection and made the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) All-Rookie Team. His statistics were mentioned above but his impact on the football field within the secondary will be taken to a different level in Macdonald’s defensive scheme.

Tariq (Riq) Woolen is a physical press cornerback and plays in the boundary. He gets hands on and with his 6-foot-4 body frame, he is not afraid to bully opposing receivers. Woolen is a stud cornerback opposite of the other stellar Witherspoon and these two athletes are a duo that can take the NFL by storm in 2024.

Impressive Safety Room: 

The safety room for the Seahawks was revamped and now includes Julian Love, who returns from a season ago, and the additions of Jenkins and Wallace this offseason. The team decided to part ways with Adams and Diggs and these two new athletes will take on an important role. From a pure safety standpoint, there are four starting caliber safeties that can be switched in and out depending on the situation and defensive package that Macdonald and his coaching staff wants to be in.

Wrap-Up:

As we head into summer and training camp comes underway, it is extremely hard to ignore the amount of talent the Seahawks’ secondary has heading into the season. With the new coaching staff and Macdonald’s past success as a defensive coordinator, expect the Seahawks’ defense, specifically their secondary, to be a dark horse candidate as one of the best in the NFL in 2024.