Heading into Year 2 of the Mike Macdonald era, the expectations are high for the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.

And for good reason.

After some initial growing pains last year, the unit evolved into one of the league’s best over the second half of the season. Over the final nine weeks, Seattle ranked fifth in scoring defense, fifth in defensive EPA and fourth in total defense.

And now, with nearly every key contributor returning, the Seahawks can build on the foundation they set during that second-half surge. On top of that, they bolstered the unit with more talent this offseason, adding four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency and ultra-athletic safety Nick Emmanwori in the second round of the NFL Draft.

So, just how good can this Seahawks defense be? The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen, co-host of The Athletic Football Show, thinks the sky is the limit.

“I think there’s a chance that they can be the best defense in the league,” Klassen said Friday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

Macdonald’s brilliance

The biggest reason for Klassen’s optimism centers on the 38-year-old Macdonald, who he termed as “one of the most brilliant play callers in the league” on the defensive side.

Macdonald quickly developed a reputation as a defensive mastermind in Baltimore, where he excelled during his two-year stint as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. Running an innovative scheme that flustered opponents, Macdonald’s Ravens finished third in scoring defense in 2022 and then made NFL history in 2023, becoming the first defense to lead the league in points allowed, sacks and takeaways.

And as a first-time head coach last fall – after inheriting a struggling Seattle defense that ranked 25th in scoring each of the past two seasons – Macdonald turned the Seahawks into top-five defense over the back half of 2024.

“It just feels like they are never in the wrong call,” Klassen said. “And that’s kind of a hard thing to quantify, but you watch other defenses, and every now and then you just feel like, ‘Ah man, they shouldn’t have blitzed there. Ah man, they really shouldn’t have ran man (coverage) there.’ It feels like Mike Macdonald does the opposite. … It just all feels like they have the right answers at the right time.

“There are very few defensive coordinators where it feels like they are on the front foot against the offense. And Mike Macdonald, to me, is one of those guys. I think he teaches the secondary very well, and then he brings his pressures in a way that is very smart.”

Strength in the trenches

Klassen likes the overall collection of talent on Seattle’s defense. But of all the position groups, he’s most excited to watch the defensive tackles.

The Seahawks’ interior defensive line is led by 31-year-old Leonard Williams, a two-time Pro Bowler who is coming off a sensational season that featured 11 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, three pass deflections and a pick-six. Seattle also has 32-year-old veteran Jarran Reed, who totaled 11.5 sacks over the past two seasons. And then there’s 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy II, who could be poised for a step forward in Year 2.

“This defensive tackle unit might be insane,” Klassen said. “Leonard Williams, last year, obviously was one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He played at truly an All-Pro level. … And then I think there’s a chance that Byron Murphy really takes a step and is something similar to what Mike Macdonald had with (second-team All-Pro) Justin Madubuike in Baltimore.

“There are obviously some other good players on the defense. … But I really think that defensive tackle room, if this is the best defense in the league, it’s gonna be because of those guys.”

Listen to the full conversation with The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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