Seahawks Training Camp: Jarran Reed making unexpected position switch in 2023

The Seahawks' run defense was a huge problem area in 2022, and they are taking a surprising step to try fix it in the coming campaign.

Jarran Reed returned to the Seahawks this offseason after spells with the Chiefs and Packers, and had been expected to line up as one of their two starting defensive ends on Seattle's three-man line in 2023.

However, for the first practice of training camp, Reed lined up as the starting nose tackle, with Dre'Mont Jones and Mario Edwards Jr. playing as the ends.

The Seahawks have two nose tackles, Bryan Mone and Austin Faoliu, on the Physically Unable to Perform list, but Reed playing nose was not purely a product of injuries.

Said head coach Pete Carroll after practice:

"One of the keys here is Jarran Reed coming back to us. J-Reed playing nose tackle for us is crucial. He's a terrific player and he's just as tough, as physical and as knowledgeable as you can get. He'll be great there. That really is going to be one of the key elements of building it around him. We're really counting on him to be a big factor."

Last season, Seattle ranked 25th in run defense DVOA, while the Seahawks finished in the same position by Expected Points Added per rush attempt, illustrating their status as one of the worst rush defenses in the league.

Theoretically, Reed should improve matters. Per Pro Football Focus, Reed led all interior defensive linemen with at least 100 rush defense snaps with a run stop rate of 7.7 percent. Moving him to the heart of the line also allows the Seahawks to harness the underrated pass-rushing prowess of the powerful Edwards, who last season recorded 11 quarterback hits, reaching double digits for the first time in his career.

However, Reed played only one snap at nose tackle for the Packers in 2022 and, though he has some experience of playing in that role in the early days of his Seahawks career, he could be considered undersized for the task of two-gapping at the heart of the defensive line.

There is risk attached to a position switch that could backfire in a big way, but Carroll is not the type of coach to shy away from a gamble. It's a bet that needs to pay off for Seattle to maximize its hopes of winning the division and truly contending in the NFC.

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