RENTON, Wash. — For more than a decade there was certainty when it came to the linebacker position in Seattle.
Whether it was Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright or Jordyn Brooks, there was always a known commodity holding down one — or both — of the primary spots in the middle of the Seahawks defense.
But with a new coaching staff for Seattle comes new schemes, and with that an entirely new set of linebackers.
“You definitely have to know about the history of Seattle linebackers. I’ve got a ton of respect for those guys,” said Jerome Baker, one of those new linebackers for Seattle. “But at the end of the day my game is a little bit different from those linebackers. Defense is a little different.”
Baker and Tyrel Dodson are the anchors of what is an overhauled linebacker group in the defense for new coach Mike Macdonald. Wagner signed with Washington in free agency, reuniting with Dan Quinn, one of his defensive coordinators during his time in Seattle. Brooks also left in free agency, agreeing to a three-year deal in Miami.
That created a void and an opportunity for both Dodson and Baker, although both are on one-year deals where they’ll have to prove they are the right fit for Macdonald’s system.
“I think the overrated thing is that we’re looking for a specific type of guy, or type of player or skill set,” Macdonald said. “We want really good football players. Linebackers, they need to make tackles, they need to make plays, they need to be able to communicate. It just so happens both these guys have great movement ability, both communicate well.”
Baker joined Seattle after spending his first six seasons in Miami where he was a starter for the vast majority of his career with the Dolphins. Baker played at least 84% of the defensive snaps for Miami in each of his final five seasons.
Dodson had a longer path to becoming a starter. Undrafted out of Texas A&M, last season with Buffalo was the first time Dodson became a starter for the Bills. He played in all 17 games and started 10, and finished the season with 74 tackles and 2½ sacks.
“You got to maximize your opportunity when you get your turn,” Dodson said. “It felt good because being an undrafted guy those opportunities are slim, so you have to maximize when you get those opportunities.”
Aside from being new to the team, training camp — which will ramp up on Monday when Seattle goes into pads for the first time — is taking on added importance for both linebackers after neither were extensive participants in Seattle’s offseason program. Baker had wrist surgery after getting hurt in Week 18 last season.
Dodson said there’s been a lot of text messages and video calls during the offseason between the pair to try and build some of the connection needed for the duo to be successful.
“It’s been going cool. I think we’re just both learning each other and how we play,” Baker said. “Just going out there and trying to get better.”