What do Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson Bring To The Table At Linebacker?

To bolster the roster at linebacker, the Seahawks signed Jerome Baker, a six-year starter in Miami, and Tyrel Dodson, who is coming off a strong fourth season in Buffalo after taking over a starting role. Baker piled up 587 tackles, 22.5 sacks, 31 tackles for loss and five interceptions in his time with Miami. Dodson, meanwhile, took on a bigger role last season, starting 10 games, and though he was not an every-down player throughout the season, Dodson was Pro Football Focus’ highest graded linebacker last season with a 90.2 grade, including high marks against the run and pass, and he was named to that site’s “All-Breakout Team” for the 2023 season.

The Seahawks also used a fourth-round pick on linebacker Tyrice Knight, who is coming off a highly productive career at UTEP. (And for clarification, today’s training camp preview is focused only on inside or off-ball linebackers, not outside linebackers. Those edge players will be covered, along with the defensive line, next week). Those changes allowed the Seahawks to be athletic at linebacker while getting younger on aggregate and devoting fewer salary cap resources to the position.

And while the Seahawks have high hopes for those three newcomers, they have yet to get a good look at what the defense might look like with Baker and Dodson, the frontrunners to win the two starting jobs, both on the field. While both players are expected to be healthy for training camp, neither was able to participate in on-field work during the offseason workout program due to injuries suffered last season. Missing OTAs and minicamp isn’t a massive setback for a veteran player, but those two will have some catchup work to do as they join a new defense.