When the Seattle Seahawks hired defensive guru Mike Macdonald as their new head coach last year, they made it clear that fixing the defense was a top priority. Through Macdonald’s first season as head coach, they’re off to a strong start.
Seattle finished the regular season ranked 11th in points allowed and 14th in yards allowed. There’s obviously still plenty of room for improvement, but it’s a night-and-day difference compared to 2023, when Seattle finished 25th in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed.
Now, the next step is to take this defense from being just above average to being great, though that would likely require an infusion of talent. Where would they find such talent? Well, Macdonald’s old stomping grounds may be a good place to start.
Bleacher Report named Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey as one of Seattle’s top trade targets this offseason, a move that would reunite Macdonald with the All-Pro.
“Mike Macdonald brought his defense to the Pacific Northwest,” Bleacher Report wrote. “He might want to look into bringing one of his former players with him. Marlon Humphrey has had injury issues, but when he’s still a top corner when he’s healthy and the Seahawks could use a good corner to pair with Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen.”
Humphrey, 28, returned to form in 2024 after battling injuries for years. The 2017 first-round pick had a career-high six interceptions, tied for third in the league, and had a game-changing pick-six in a Week 16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He earned first-team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career, though this time as a slot corner.
Seattle isn’t exactly swimming in cap space – they’re actually projected to be around $25 million over the cap, according to Spotrac – so it’d have to get creative to swing a deal for Humphrey. If the Seahawks can do that, though, Bleacher Report proposes them sending their third, fourth and sixth-round picks to the Ravens in exchange for Humphrey and a fifth-round pick.
“This deal would require the Seahawks to make some moves to get into a better cap situation, but the idea of Macdonald bringing in one of his former Ravens to complete this secondary was too good to pass up. The Seahawks have a good duo with Witherspoon in the slot and Riq Woolen on the outside. Adding Marlon Humphrey to the mix gives them one of the best trios in the league.”
General manager John Schneider has shown he isn’t afraid to make big trades, such as when he swung a deal for then-New York Jets star Jamal Adams in 2020. This wouldn’t be as massive of a deal, but one that could make a significant defense for Macdonald’s defense.
