RENTON, Wash. – Though he played the past two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins kept close tabs on the Baltimore Ravens from afar, marveling at then-coordinator Mike Macdonald’s scheme and how he deployed his defensive line.

Once Macdonald accepted the Seahawks head coaching job in February and quickly tabbed former Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde as his defensive coordinator, Hankins knew where he wanted to continue his career with both young masterminds teaming up. Once free agency opened, the 6-3, 325-pound defender jumped at the opportunity to come to the Pacific Northwest and signed a one-year contract, filling a massive void figuratively and literally as the team’s new nose tackle.

Now in the midst of his first training camp in Seattle, Hankins isn’t aiming low when it comes to setting the bar for his new team. After starting for a top-five scoring defense in Dallas a year ago, he already has seen enough to believe Macdonald’s defense can be equally as disruptive out of the gate, starting with the defensive line he’s now happily part of.

“I think we could be just as good,” Hankins proclaimed before Saturday’s fourth training camp practice. “I think we can be probably one of the best inside in the NFL with defensive tackles such as Jarran Reed, big [Byron] Murphy, Leonard Williams, Dre’Mont Jones. We’ve got such a different combination of guys and skill set and size wise that can attack guys, I think it’s gonna benefit us a whole lot.”

Before signing his contract four months ago, like many defenders around the NFL over the past two years, Hankins had taken great interest in Macdonald’s scheme from afar. Growing to appreciate how he deployed his defensive linemen moving players around as he built the No. 1 scoring defense with the Ravens as coordinator, his presence factored as many as anything into the veteran’s decision to join the Seahawks this spring.

Hankins may have considered coming to Seattle on the merit of playing for Macdonald alone, but the allure of working with Durde again sweetened the pot. After being released by Las Vegas midway through the 2022 season, the former Ohio State star enjoyed a career resurgence with Dallas over the past two years teaming up with the energetic coach, whose ability to motivate players with sharp wit and a thick British accent coupled with a strong football IQ made him easy to grind for.

Starting 14 games for the Cowboys last season, Hankins tallied 27 tackles and three sacks, his highest total since 2016 when he was still a member of the NFC East rival Giants. With Durde bringing “joy to the room,” the veteran rediscovered his love for the game and became an integral part of one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

“He brings the fun and excitement,” Hankins said of Durde. “When we’re out there on the field and doing drills, he’s such an energizer guy, coach, and just the way his British slang, or talk that he gives out, it kind of throws you off. But after a while you kind of get used to it, you embrace it. And then for some reason, people tend to start to try to talk like him and it never really works out, comes out like it’s suppose too. But all in all, he’s a fantastic coach, great motivator. And a lot of dudes just love to play for him and with him.”

Putting a cherry on top of the sundae with Macdonald and Durde on board, the Seahawks provided Hankins with an opportunity to go from one elite defensive line group to another, boasting a deep, talented stable of players ready to wreak havoc. Among his new potential teammates, joining forces with a former division foe in Williams as well as Reed and Jones proved too good to pass up, and the unit became even better when Murphy fell into the team’s lap for the 16th overall pick in April’s draft.

So far, the group has lived up to Hankins’ expectations and then some. As he has spent the majority of his time at the nose tackle spot covering the center or shading the A gap, players such as Williams, Jones, Reed, Murphy, and second-year defensive end Mike Morris have moved up and down the line of scrimmage as chess pieces for Macdonald and Durde in the trenches, playing everywhere from 3-tech defensive tackle to standup outside linebacker.

As he witnessed in Baltimore, Hankins has been impressed by how Macdonald and the new staff have mixed and matched Seattle’s flexible personnel up front, even introducing the “Durango” front with Wililams and Reed moving outside in a two-point stance off the edge and a combination of Hankins and Murphy/Morris playing inside. He also has relished being able to stay on the field for a more extended period of time, giving him more of a chance to contribute as an interior rusher.

“For big guys as myself, he does allow them to stay out there on the field for more than just one or two downs depending on the situation depending on whatever he’s calling,” Hankins explained. “There’s a lot of opportunity for guys like me inside to be out there even though we got a lot of pass rushers on this defense and guys that can rush at 3-technique, shade end, standing up, but just giving us more opportunities to go out there and make plays and just impact the game.”

With just four practices down, Hankins expects more creativity and innovation in how the group is unleashed as camp progresses and the regular season draws closer. As the Seahawks continue to install new formations and packages, he plans to serve as a resource for younger players such as Murphy and Morris, providing tips and answering questions any time he can in a mentor role.

As for his lofty team goals, Hankins sees Macdonald and Durde as the mad scientists necessary to bring everything together and help Seattle perform to its full potential on defense. Armed with a blend of proven veterans and high-upside youngsters, the defensive line should be the anchor for a revamped unit, and he’s eager to see how the new staff maximizes the depth up front in a scheme that should cater well to the group’s strengths, particularly when it comes to positional flexibility.

“It’s been quite interesting. For the past I’d say two or three years when he was in Baltimore, I was always fascinated about their defense and how dominant they were. And to come to find out he’s become the head coach here and A.D. [Aden Durde] came here and was gonna be able to embrace both defensive terminologies, I was excited. He brings so much to the defensive side, it’s kind of hard to explain because it’s pretty complex, but at the same time, it’s very exciting. He’s gonna put us in a lot of good situations where we can make plays and attack offenses in all different angles, so I’m thrilled and I’m excited for it.”