Can Seattle Seahawks LB Tyrel Dodson Secure Long-Term Starting Role in 2024?

Stepping in for an injured Matt Milano, linebacker Tyrel Dodson enjoyed his best season with the Buffalo Bills in 2023 before signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.

Dodson, 26, is now expected to be a key cog in Seattle’s revamped linebacker corps in what could be his first season as a full-time starter. If he performs well in Mike Macdonald’s defense on a trial basis, Dodson could be a long-term option for the Seahawks. Otherwise, the sixth-year veteran could be relinquished to a backup job with another team.

As one of the highest-graded linebackers by Pro Football Focus last season, is Dodson on his way to being an elite NFL linebacker?

Mistakes and limited opportunities

Even as a 2019 undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M, the beginning of Dodson’s career was made more complicated by a six-game suspension stemming from an offseason arrest due to domestic violence and disorderly conduct charges. He eventually reached a plea deal, pleading guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and was waived by the Bills but re-signed to the team’s practice squad.

After spending the entire 2019 season on the practice squad, Dodson saw limited playing time over the following three seasons as a backup middle linebacker, appearing in 42 games and compiling 69 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and two passes defensed.

But in Week 5 of the 2023 season, former All-Pro Bills linebacker Matt Milano suffered a serious leg injury and was ruled out for the year. Dodson was the next man up, and he played in all 17 games and made 10 starts. From 2019–22, Dodson played 474 snaps on defense, per Pro Football Focus. He played 589 in 2023.

Thrust into action

Starting primarily at the WILL linebacker spot alongside Terrel Bernard, Dodson piled up 74 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble in 2023 — all while playing just 51 percent of Buffalo’s total defensive snaps.

Those numbers look great on paper because they are. But it’s not that simple.

Dodson’s athleticism is his biggest strength, as he appears much quicker on the field than his pre-draft 4.60 40-yard dash time indicates. Listed at 6-0, 237 pounds, Dodson has a balanced frame that allows him to change direction quickly with burst.

PFF was high on Dodson in 2023 and, in some areas, more than it should have been. Dodson received the following grades in 2023: 90.2 overall defense (third among all linebackers), 86.1 run-defense (11th), 54.7 tackling (118th), 72.8 pass rush (T-31st) and 88.4 coverage (third).

Dodson is best at rushing the passer and defending the run. He has good speed and pass-rushing instincts and can blitz from almost anywhere on the line of scrimmage or off of it — versatility that Macdonald will enjoy and utilize well. Any stunts that could free him up from the second level would be very effective.

Last season, Dodson was one of just five inside linebackers with less than 50 pass rush snaps and at least 10 pressures, per PFF. Jordyn Brooks, who departed for Miami after four seasons with Seattle, was also among the five (former Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker, now with Seattle, just missed the list with 54 snaps and 11 pressures).

Inside Linebackers With Under 50 Pass Rush Snaps and 10+ Pressures in 2023 (PFF)

Dodson’s 28.5 percent pressure rate is excellent, but still in a small sample size. That may be an area of Dodson’s game Macdonald emphasizes in 2024, as his pass-rush win rate (10.5 percent) is also solid for an inside linebacker.

In the run game, Dodson is effective when in space. He can easily be bullied by bigger, fundamentally sound offensive linemen, as he struggles to use his hands effectively to shed blocks. If he can diagnose the play quickly — which appears to be his strength — and get to where the running back is headed before he arrives, it’s almost always a sure-handed tackle. The awareness is there, and even if he is on the backside of a play, he has the quickness and range to traverse the field and impact the play.

Dodson struggles the most in coverage, despite his elite PFF grading.

While he isn’t a liability in that area, it’s simply not a strength. In nickel and dime sets, Dodson oftentimes wouldn’t even be on the field — opting to keep Bernard in as the lone linebacker. When he was on the field, Dodson was generally given a simple assignment.

In 293 coverage snaps (63rd most among linebackers), Dodson was targeted 32 times and allowed 27 receptions for 212 yards (7.9 yards per reception), one touchdown and a 104.7 passer rating, per PFF. Of those 212 yards, 196 came after the catch despite the average depth of target being just four-tenths of a yard downfield.

So what does that mean? Dodson was generally given shallow zone assignments or, in man coverage, running back duty. He allowed an 84.4 percent completion rate, which isn’t terrible in short passing situations, but frequently allowed who he was guarding to gain substantial yardage after the catch.

Dodson will have a lot of work to do to become a three-down linebacker, but Macdonald’s defense may be able to highlight his strengths.

Outlook for 2024

If we are to assume Dodson will be filling a similar role to Patrick Queen in Macdonald’s defense with Baltimore, then Dodson will need to improve in coverage.

Dodson will probably have a wider range of coverage assignments (Baltimore ran more man coverage than Buffalo last year, in particular) and will be covering receivers on deeper routes —possibly over the middle of the field where one missed tackle can lead to a touchdown.

However, Dodson’s skill set as a pass rusher and in the run game will suit Seattle’s new scheme nicely. With a re-made defensive line, the stress on the Seahawks linebackers should be reduced in run defense, and the versatility of the entire unit’s personnel could open up some creative blitzes that maximize Dodson’s athleticism.

Seattle gave Dodson a one-year deal worth $4.26 million ($1 million guaranteed), per Over the Cap, which makes him just the 34th-highest-paid linebacker in 2024. That shows Dodson is with Seattle on a trial basis, and his starting role — even this season — is certainly not guaranteed.

Seattle’s fourth-round rookie out of UTEP, Tyrice Knight, possesses a similar build and skill set as an inside linebacker. Dodson will still have to outplay Knight in training camp to earn the job, and probably will, but it’s a competition worth watching. Knight could also factor in as a rotational player if neither is viewed as an every-down linebacker.

Predictions for 2024

92 combined tackles, 9 TFL, 4.5 SK, 3 PD; 64 targets, 52 receptions allowed, 504 receiving yards allowed, 3 TD

Still a second-straight career year for Dodson, he isn’t entering elite company in his first season with the Seahawks. His increased sample size will level out his PFF grades, and he will be recognized as a serviceable-to-mid-level starter.

Dodson makes a handful of flashy plays in the backfield and on dialed-up blitzes, and that becomes his primary usage in Macdonald’s defense — increasing his tackle for loss and sack numbers from last season with more time on the field.

In coverage, Dodson is targeted twice as much as he was in 2023, even while still being pulled off the field in dime sets. Dodson surrenders an 81 percent completion rate and 9.7 yards per reception, occasionally giving up a touchdown when put in a tough man coverage situation.

This projection also factors in Knight having some sort of a role in the Seahawks defense, most likely on a rotational basis in run-stopping sets. Dodson has a chance to make a name for himself in Macdonald’s defense if he can do everything the first-time head coach asks of a WILL linebacker. This type of season should be enough to earn him a second contract with the Seahawks.