Mike Macdonald’s time in Seattle isn’t a carbon copy of his Baltimore blueprint—but parts of his vision are definitely taking shape.
When he took over last season, Macdonald inherited Leonard Williams—a clear upgrade over Baltimore’s Nnamdi Madubuike—and Devon Witherspoon, whose versatility mirrors Kyle Hamilton’s. Draft choices like Byron Murphy II, Rylie Mills, and Nick Emmanwori — all top-tier athletes — reinforce that Seattle is leaning into Macdonald’s aggressive, attacking defensive style.
Still, he’s not forcing square pegs into round holes. Take linebacker: after mixing in Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson (comparable to Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen), Macdonald pivoted to more reliable, solid tacklers when the match wasn’t there.
One area where he’s chasing Baltimore magic? The nose tackle spot. Seattle just signed UDFA Justin Rogers (6’3″, 338 lbs) to join Brandon Pili, Quinton Bohanna, and Johnathan Hankins—all classic, run-stuffing big men—after Baltimore found success with massive interior presences like Michael Pierce and Travis Jones.
Hankins, Pili, Bohanna, and Rogers total over 1,500 pounds up the middle—all geared to clog the line, command double-teams, and unleash Macdonald’s athletic, stunting linemen and edge rushers. Macdonald clearly values size inside (you can’t teach 338 lbs), knowing that flexibility on defense works best when the middle is anchored by a true massive presence.
Bottom line: Macdonald isn’t just re-skinning Seattle with Baltimore’s defense—but he is building a formidable spine in the trenches, with versatility and size to back his vision.