For the final 30 days leading up to the start of Seattle Seahawks training camp, we will be counting down the 30 most important players on the roster heading into the 2019 season.
The last remaining player from the famous Legion of Boom era, Earl Thomas, played his final game with the Seahawks in Week 4 before suffering a season-ending leg injury and signing with the Ravens in the offseason.
That meant the Seahawks were forced to rely on a brand new secondary for the majority of the 2018 season. The only player on the roster with more than two years of experience in the NFL was strong safety Bradley McDougald, so he became the default leader of Seattle’s young but promising secondary.
McDougald was clearly up to the task, putting together one of his finest NFL seasons in 2018. He racked up 66 solo tackles, three interceptions, nine passes defended and three forced fumbles – earning himself an overall grade of 74.7 from Pro Football Focus, although his coverage grade of 89.4 was fourth among all safeties.
McDougald’s role for the Seahawks in 2019 remains to be seen. He has primarily been a strong safety, a role he hopes to reprise this season, but the Seahawks could end up shifting him over to the free safety spot if they feel rookie Marquise Blair is ready to start at strong safety right away.
More than likely, McDougald will once again be Seattle’s leader from the strong safety spot in 2019, alongside either Tedric Thompson, Lano Hill or rookie Ugo Amadi.
His leadership, experience and strong performance will be a huge part of Seattle’s success on the defensive side of the ball this season.
