Seahawks: Who is the Defensive MVP?

Kam Chancellor, strong safety

We’re into Legion of Boom territory, the most talented and dangerous secondary in the NFL. Strong safety Kam Chancellor makes a case for being the defensive MVP for the Seahawks because of his eye-popping strength and otherworldly ability to blow up plays.

Chancellor is in another league of ‘hard-hitting safeties.’ He’s like a linebacker who’s fast enough to play safety. He had 81 tackles last season and picked off two passes. He forced a fumble and knocked down another eight passes. Saying Chancellor provides excellent run support from his safety position is an understatement. Chancellor can hit, cover, and rip the ball out better than most safeties in the league, and his ability to do it all on defense is another reason why Richard and company feel comfortable isolating the secondary with opposing pass catchers.

And if you think Chancellor can’t cover, re-watch this clip:

Earl Thomas, free safety

Thomas gets my vote as the Seahawks defensive MVP. I’ve crowed and cawed about Thomas many times before in this space because I believe that without him at the top of the defense shutting down the deep middle of the field, this is a mediocre unit, even with all the rest of the talent.

We saw what happened after Thomas broke his leg late last season. The Seahawks defense simply wasn’t the same. Thomas allows Sherman to clamp down the way he wants on receivers and play aggressively. He allows Chancellor to cheat up to the line of scrimmage to shut down run plays and blanket the middle of the field with hard hits and havoc.

More from Emerald City Swagger

• Seattle Seahawks: To rest or not to rest, that is the question
• Washington State Football: What you need to know for 2018 Alamo Bowl
• Washington Basketball: 3 takeaways from Huskies win over Sacramento St.
• Seattle Seahawks: 12s still waiting to exhale
• Seattle Seahawks: 4 Takeaways from 26-23 Loss to the 49ers

He’s incredibly fast, incredibly smart, and hits incredibly hard. Thomas started every game in his career before breaking his leg last year, and before his devastating injury against Carolina, he recorded two interceptions and deflected 10 passes, even returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He had 46 total tackles in 11 games.

Thomas makes it nearly impossible for opposing quarterbacks to consistently test the Seahawks deep over the middle, where QBs traditionally love to chuck it. This keeps most of the action in front of the biggest hitters for the Seattle defense. His tactical responsibilities are greater than everyone else’s which is why I think he’s the defensive MVP. And Thomas is no weak hitter himself:

Next: The 20 Most Interesting Seahawks in 2017: #17--Jermaine Kearse

The Seahawks have re-loaded on defense this year, adding another infusion of young talent to compliment their established stars. The defense might look much different in 2018, but heading into 2017, I believe the Seahawks might have their best collection of defensive talent yet. Is it football season yet?