How new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald can revitalize Seattle

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president of football operations John Schneider hired defensive wizard Mike Macdonald as Seattle's head coach in part because of the new ideas he'll bring to reenergize a defense that underperformed in 2023.Last season, the Seahawks were awful at stopping the run for a second year in a row, finishing No. 31 in run defense. They were No. 21 in pa s defense.Meanwhile, Macdonald's unit led the NFL in scoring defense and sacks."The illusion of complexity that everybody talks about, you can see it on film," Schneider said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine about Macdonald's scheme. "It's the product. You're watching it, you saw it happen several times this year.ADVERTISEMENT "You saw it happen a couple of years ago when Mike was at as well. Where he's taken that Ravens defense is really impre sive."However, Seattle's problems on defense were not just scheme, but also a need for better personnel. And if Macdonald is to improve on his new team's performance on defense, he needs an upgrade in talent up front.The cupboard is not bare. Seattle should benefit from , one of the team's best run defenders and pa s rushers, returning from a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 7. Edge rusher took another step in his development, finishing with nine sacks in his second season, and veteran nose tackle totaled seven sacks in his return to Seattle after two seasons away.Seattle must figure out how to keep defensive tackle in free agency. Acquired from the for a second- La Liga Jersey round pick in a midseason trade, the product finished with 17 combined tackles, 11 quarterback hits and four sacks in 10 games with Seattle.Overall, however, the Seahawks finished without a player totaling double-digits in sacks for a fifth straight season. Specifically, the Seahawks didn't get a lot of production from defensive tackle (4.5 sacks, 49 combined tackles), who signed a three-year, $51 million contract last offseason that included $31 million in guaranteed money, or second-round selection (no sacks, 38 combined tackles).Macdonald will have to figure out how to get more from Jones and Hall and where to add talent to the defensive front. The new head coach will also have to determine which linebackers to bring back as starters and are set to hit the free-agent market next week."We're always going to be aggre sive on how we want to do it," Macdonald said when asked about the core principles of his defense. "People ask about our blitz rates and all that; that's not important to me. It's about putting yourselves in positions to win the down, affecting the quarterback, putting your guys in position to have succe s."Colin Cowherd, Greg Olsen discu s Mike Macdonald's fit with Seahawks In the Local Jersey draft, players who could make sense for the Seahawks at No. 16 include defensive tackle , along with edge rushers in 's , 's or 's .Top 50 big board | Top 10 QB prospects | Top 10 RB prospects | Top 10 WR prospects | Joel Klatt's mock draftIn free agency, Macdonald could look to add experienced, foundational players from Baltimore's defense set to hit the market in linebacker or outside linebacker . READ MORE: 2024 NFL free agent rankings: Top 50 led by Chris Jones, Kirk Cousins In terms of scheme, Macdonald excelled at presenting a muddled picture for offenses pre-snap last season in Baltimore. And because of that, the Ravens consistently created pre sure without blitzing.According to Next Gen Stats, the Ravens finished with 44 sacks by rushing four or fewer pa s rushers in 2023, nine more sacks than any other defense. Baltimore also created 121 unblocked pre sures since 2022, No. 6 in the NFL.Baltimore's illusion of pre sure also resulted in more takeaways. The Ravens forced 56 turnovers over the past two seasons. The Seahawks created 44 turnovers over that same time.New Seattle defensive coordinator Aden Durde knows a thing or two about creating pre sure. As the defensive line coach of the , Durden coached guys who could heat it up coming off the edge like and .Durde concentrated on his linemen being a signment-correct and flying to the football. Now he and Macdonald are tasked with bringing that aggre sive, attacking mentality back to the defensive side of the ball for the Seahawks."When I was in Dallas and I was coaching the D-line, I knew when we were good because I would get in the car on the way home and my wife would be like, They were like animals out there today. They were flying around the field.," Durde said in his introductory pre s conference. "Then some days she'll get in the car and say, It didn't look like that.'"I think we all know what we want it to look like."Seahawks fans certainly do.Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.