Getty Linebacker Jordyn Brooks made clear progression in his first two years with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks lost two of their biggest leaders this offseason, trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and releasing linebacker Bobby Wagner. While it’s still unclear who will be the team’s next starting quarterback, the next signal caller on defense was revealed May 23 at OTAs.
Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune tweeted from offseason workouts that head coach Pete Carroll confirmed that linebacker Jordyn Brooks would be given the green dot to call plays for the defense this season.
Pete Carroll confirms Jordyn Brooks is the new defensive signal caller in the post-Bobby Wagner Seahawks defense. Brooks and Cody Barton are the inside linebackers in Seattle move from 4-3 to more 3-4 @thenewstribune
Only one player per team is allowed to have a green dot on his helmet at any given time. The green dot indicates that the helmet has a headset inside of it, allowing the player to receive the play and share it with his teammates.
It will be a big responsibility for Brooks, who has massive shoes to fill in the absence of Wagner, an eight-time Pro Bowler who is arguably the greatest Seahawk of all time.
Can Brooks Become a Defensive Star?
With the responsibility of being the defensive signal caller, Brooks is expected to take a big step in his development this season, his third in the league after getting taken by the Seahawks with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Initially the backup behind K.J. Wright as a rookie, Brooks ended up starting six games and appearing in 14, finishing the year with 57 combined tackles and two tackles for loss.
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The 24-year-old linebacker took a big step forward in 2021, starting all 17 games for Seattle and leading the NFL with 109 solo tackles to go along with 10 TFLs, five pass deflections and three quarterback hits.
Advanced metrics painted a less-flattering portrait of Brooks’ performance in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he posted an overall grade of just 58.4 out of 100, particularly struggling in coverage. PFF has Brooks allowing 92 receptions on 104 targets, allowing a passer rating of 129.6. His overall 58.4 grade ranked him 27th among linebackers playing 50% of snaps.
Brooks made clear progression from 2020 to 2021, and Seahawks fans are hoping he can take another step forward in 2022.
Brooks Appears Ready for Leadership Role
With two seasons under his belt and key veterans like Wagner no longer with the team, Brooks sounds like he’s ready to accept that responsibility. Speaking to reporters after the first day of OTAS, Brooks indicated he was ready to “embrace the role and get everybody to follow.”
“[Being the signal caller] just means I’ve got to handle my business and make sure that I’m doing everything right at all times,” Brooks said, according to a May 23 story by SI.com’s Corbin K. Smith. “You go down a list of great Seahawks that played here. Great leaders of the past teams. Take a little bit of pride in that. And so, I just want to do the best job that I can for our team.”
Smith noted the parallels between Brooks and Kam Chancellor, the Seahawk defensive great who retired in 2017.
“Like Chancellor, Brooks isn’t known for being the most vocal presence and isn’t a rah-rah personality,” Smith wrote. “In press conferences, he tends to be soft-spoken and reserved.But on the field, Brooks lets his physical, aggressive style do the talking for him, something he learned from observing and playing alongside Wagner.”