Seahawks’ edge rusher Derick Hall loses appeal on suspension

So I’m not going to say anything definite here. I understand the suspension being upheld, although I find some of the reactions to this play somewhat histrionic, and very much doubt that Hall’s actions were maliceful. But the suspension is set in stone, so the question now is what kind of effect it will have on the team for this upcoming week.

The Carolina Panthers do not pass the ball very much, nor do they pass it very effectively. They’ve been above average running the ball, but there’s nothing indicating this is an offense that does anything all that well. For whatever it’s worth, Hall has not been the one-dimensional pass rusher who is lost against the run this year that he was in 2024, so he has balanced value.

However, the timing on this suspension is interesting. Whatever you may think of Hall’s actual level of play, he most certainly does play (almost 400 defensive snaps despite missing basically three games with an injury), and he’s a key part of the rotation at edge that Seattle leans on heavily. And on Thursday night, another part of that rotation was basically shelved.

Boye Mafe, Seattle’s lowest-graded defender by PFF in the Rams game, played all of 24 out of 92 possible snaps. The Seahawks gave additional snaps to veteran Uchenna Nwosu and Demarcus Lawrence to keep Mafe off the field, seemingly an acknowledgement that he wasn’t performing and the game was too important to give him the opportunity to cost the team.

It’s been a bitterly disappointing contract year for Mafe. I fully expected double digit sacks and strong play against the run, if for no other reason than that 2024 had been a bit of a letdown for him and he needed a good season to secure a big offseason deal. I don’t think Mafe has been bad all season, but he has one sack in fifteen games.

Now, with Hall out for this Panthers game, Mafe will probably have to be a bigger part of the gameplan. I doubt Seattle can get through this game without getting at least 45 snaps from him, unless Jared Ivey or Connor O’Toole take a big share of the snaps. In many ways, it’s a final chance for Mafe to earn the trust of the coaching staff and get back to a normal share of action.

Mafe is clearly the primary player affected by not having Hall this Sunday, but Nwosu and Lawrence will probably see an uptick in action as well. I’m not thrilled about it, but judicious rotations have kept their usage low enough to where they should be fine. Mike Morris might get a little action as an edge, although he’s oversized and not a great replacement for Hall.

Regardless, it’s a one-game suspension, so Hall should be back (and perhaps more fresh) for the season finale against the San Francisco 49ers. It’s not clear if the Panthers are going to go all-out this weekend, so being down a couple pieces isn’t the end of the world. The 49ers game is more likely to have actual stakes on both sides. And, of course, the postseason looms.

I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers, or that there are any clear answers, to Hall’s actions and the suspension. I don’t believe there are, to be honest. I’m not thrilled about it, but I understand it, especially given that Dotson looks like he’s going to miss some time. But this should be something that the Seahawks can handle for a week, and may even pay off later.