NFL analyst points to potential back-breaking weakness for 2025 Seattle Seahawks

Ask the 2024 Detroit Lions or any number of other NFL teams over the years and they can tell you that injuries can derail even great teams, turning contenders in pretenders and playoff hopefuls into duds picking at the top of the draft.

The 2025 Seattle Seahawks have a pretty strong roster overall - as long as you're willing to ignore the 15-year hole of dread that is their offensive line. However, they're no exception to the rule and injuries to key players can turn their season into a nightmare the same as anybody else. Usually this applies to the starting quarterback, but in the Seahawks' case the one guy who they absolutely cannot afford to get injured is not Sam Darnold - it's middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV.

While Darnold going down would be a tough blow, the Seahawks at least have a competent backup in Drew Lock and a wild card with Jalen Milroe backing him up. If Jones gets injured, there's exactly nobody on the roster who can step up and do his job in his place, even temporarily.

According to Peter Quinn at Huddle UK, that represents the one big glaring weakness for this franchise going into training camp.

"The re-signing of Ernest Jones was vital for the Seahawks. Alongside Tyrice Knight, they should provide a solid duo at the heart of the Seattle defence. However, should Jones once again succumb to injury, Seattle will be in serious trouble. The keys to the defence would be handed over to Drake Thomas, Josh Ross or Patrick O’Connell. All three are useful special teams contributors. But if they are forced into a starting role, it is a glaring weakness that opponents will be able to exploit."

For some perspective, it's important to remember that any team whose primary concern is off-ball linebacker depth is doing pretty well - at least on paper.

Then agan, we remember in vivid detail what Seattle's defense looked like in the several games before they brought Ernest Jones in during a mid-season trade with the Tennessee Titans. For all of head coach Mike Macdonald's schematic genius and their awesome pass-rushing firepower, the Seahawks simply could not stop the run - the same weakness that ultimately got Pete Carroll fired.

It doesn't hurt to have huge run-stuffing interior linemen up front, but defending the run more than anything else is a team effort. The addition of Jones (and the subtraction of Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson) greatly improved their tackling at the second level - but Jones' real contribution was getting the entire unit on the same page.

The mistakes and missed assignments that were common in the first half of the season practically disappeared overnight when Jones joined the lineup. Taking him out of the equation would risk the whole thing falling apart again.

Jones needs to stay healthy no matter what - but it wouldn't be a terrible idea to sign a vet for insurance before the season begins.