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Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has been warned about a "margin for error" risk with the NFL's best defense.

Mike Macdonald built the most dominant defense in the NFL in an unorthodox way, but his methods present a “margin for error” risk to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Head coach Macdonald successfully crafted a scheme able to manufacture intense pressure on quarterbacks without the need for elite edge-rushers. Seattle’s creative collective worked beautifully up front in 2025, when Macdonald moved interior and outside pass-rushers around, while blitzing defensive backs from all angles, but that formula will be tougher to replicate in 2026.

The warning comes from Doug Farrar of Athlon Sports, who believes “It’s not that the Seahawks have nothing on the edge, but the margin for error is a bit different when you rely as much on scheme as talent for quarterback disruption.”

Farrar’s concern has merit in the context of who the Seahawks have at edge-rusher, as well as their continued reliance on moving parts to generate pressure. Fortunately, Macdonald still has a secret weapon to help make his grand design work.

Mike Macdonald Still Trusting System Over Talent

Macdonald remains content to trust his system over talent. Not that the Seahawks lack ability up front, but it’s fair to point out they don’t field a truly bluechip quarterback hunter.

Farrar recounted how “Veteran DeMarcus Lawrence led the team with 10 sacks and 65 total pressures (including the postseason), and Uchenna Nwosu finished second with nine and 55, respectively. But it could also be said that the defense doesn’t have that one or two alpha edge pass-rushers who force offenses to kick everything over to their area — if the Seahawks do have a guy like that, it’s Leonard Williams, and he lines up all over the place.”

Players like veteran defensive tackle Williams helped Macdonald’s platoon of pass-rushers cause havoc, but the Seahawks have also been warned about being overly reliant on an ageing force. It’s a legitimate concern when Williams lost the support of a useful edge-rusher like Boye Mafe.

The latter joining the Cincinnati Bengals “in free agency was a bit of a hit, but maybe fourth-year man Derick Hall, who had two sacks in the Super Bowl, is ready to take the proverbial next step. Veteran Dante Fowler Jr., who had three sacks and 30 pressures for the Dallas Cowboys last season, was the only offseason acquisition at the position in free agency or the draft,” per Farrar.

Macdonald has ample reason to heed some of the warnings about his front-line pass-rushers, but any perceived weaknesses can be offset by increasing one of last season’s most effective growing trends.

Seahawks Still Have Secret Weapon for Defensive Edge

The Seahawks don’t necessarily need a top-tier pass-rusher up front. Not if Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde can continue transforming safeties and cornerbacks into prolific, pocket-collapsing game-wreckers.

It’s what worked in the Super Bowl, when slot corner “Devon Witherspoon generated a career-high 4 pressures on just 6 pass rushes” against the New England Patriots, according to Next Gen Stats. Witherspoon’s best contribution was the strip-sack of Pats’ QB1 Drake Maye that Nwosu turned into a touchdown.

Offenses are unlikely to have caught up to all of Macdonald’s schemes for blitzing defensive backs. His expertise in this niche area reduces the margin for error Farrar noted.

Witherspoon and his fellow cornerbacks will still feature heavily in the Seahawks’ pressure packages. Yet, they won’t be as important to the pass-rush plan as Nick Emmanwori.

The second-year do-all safety played multiple spots as a rookie last season, but Macdonald may refine Emmanwori’s usage in 2026. Probably in a way designed to allow Emmanwori to rush the passer more often, a skill he’s refining with the help of a teammate this offseason.

Turning Emmanwori loose is the key to the Seahawks maintaining their ability to collect sacks and force turnovers in bunches, without having to lean on a single marquee edge-rusher.