Seahawks need to be taken seriously as contenders

The Seattle Seahawks absolutely fleeced the Houston Texans when they acquired Jadeveon Clowney, and the addition of an elite edge defender means Seattle has to be viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender again.

A furious second-half comeback in the 2018 season allowed the Seattle Seahawks to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card side, though the NFC West-winning Los Angeles Rams ended up taking the conference crown in January. But in 2019, the tide could turn back into Seattle’s favor, especially after they managed to steal Jadeveon Clowney from the Houston Texans.

Per the Houston Chronicle‘s Aaron Wilson, all Seattle had to do was send a third-round pick, Barkevious Mingo, and another backup in Jacob Martin for one of the NFL’s best edge defenders. Clowney joins the Seahawks at a time when there are both questions about rookie L.J. Collier’s ability to immediately replace Frank Clark as the primary pass rusher, as well as a suspension to star man Jarran Reed.

Once Reed returns and if Collier rounds into form as a highly-touted rookie, the Seahawks could have the fearsome pass rush they’ve been missing since Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett bookended a four-man front. Clowney is a versatile, jack-of-all-trades difference-maker who can line up as a defensive end or outside linebacker in Seattle’s 4-3. He’s active against the run, dangerous against the pass, and is coming off of three straight seasons with at least 16 tackles for loss.

The Seahawks desperately needed that kind of production up front. Prior to acquiring Clowney for peanuts, Seattle was set to return just one player with at least 10 tackles for loss in 2018. And yes, that player is Reed, who is serving a six-game suspension.

Last season, the Seahawks had a thoroughly mediocre defense that was 17th in net yards per attempt allowed, 16th in total yards allowed and a ghastly 30th in yards per carry against. The added juice Clowney brings as an edge rusher and a run defender will be huge for the Seahawks, and he should also help a secondary that is still growing under Pete Carroll’s tutelage.

Traditionally, the Seahawks defense has been this organization’s calling card, but that wasn’t the case last year. Seattle was essentially carried by superstar quarterback Russell Wilson, an improved rushing attack and the ultra-efficient Tyler Lockett.

Wilson will be just as good in 2019, the rushing attack will be even better with Rashaad Penny in his second season as 1,100-yard rusher Chris Carson’s partner in crime, and the wide receiver corps could hold up its end of the bargain if D.K. Metcalf can make a first-year impact.

But with the effectiveness of the running game and an elite quarterback, the Seahawks offense was the least of anyone’s worries. Seattle needed a true superstar on the defensive side of the ball, and they’ve found that kind of impact player in Clowney without having to part ways with anything of real significance.

The Los Angeles Rams showed some cracks in the foundation in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots’ creative pass rush, and that could give Seattle a blueprint for beating Sean McVay’s side. With Clowney upgrading a defense that features promising players and Wilson holding the distinction of being the NFC’s best quarterback right now, the Seahawks are a legitimate threat to unseat the Rams atop the NFC West.

As such, they are a real threat to make a charge back to the Super Bowl. They were once built on hard-nosed rushing, exciting defense and timely plays from their franchise signal-caller, and Clowney was the missing piece for the Seahawks to get back to that once-lucrative plan.