Kenneth note: K.J. Wright has missed all of 2018 with a knee injury but is expected to debut this Sunday against the Detroit Lions. I’m rebooting this video on what Wright brings to the defense so you can be refreshed on Seattle’s star outside linebacker.
KJ Wright is entering his eighth year with the Seattle Seahawks. He’s one of the few faces left from the historical Seahawks defense that set the NFL on fire a few years back. Wright is also entering into the fourth and final year on his $27 million contract.
This time around Wright holds most if not all of the cards in his favor. Wright is no longer the best kept secret from the 4th round out of Mississippi state, he’s a top-15 NFL linebacker. Wright knows the defense inside and out.
He’s expandable, meaning he can play at the strong, middle, or weak-side linebacker positions. Wright’s football IQ is through the roof, which also helps him play faster than everyone else despite his 4.75 40-time. Which doesn’t mean much in today’s NFL in my opinion, but I suppose the 40 is a cool little “gadget” that might separate players during their evaluation periods. I’m old school, so the film almost always overrules the time no matter what. Did I mention that Wright is still only 28? That’s a bonus for now. For some reason NFL teams don’t like paying players as they approach 30.
Although he’s overshadowed by OG Bobby Wagner’s play, Wright is nobody’s second fiddle slouch step-brother. . . Say that three times fast. Wright is a flat-out bonafide run-stuffer and not too bad in coverage either. Some could make an argument that if he didn’t play with Wagner that he’d still be a top-five linebacker. I agree with that notion 100%, but I enjoy seeing those two make calls and adjustments together, then celebrate.
Due to all of the turnover that the Seahawks regime has recently made this offseason, we might not have to wait long until that actually happens.
Seattle’s front office will have to make tough pivotal decisions at the end of the season with Frank Clark and Wright both being unrestricted free agents. I don’t know if the Seahawks are going to be able to bring back both. I’m even more certain that neither are going to take a Seahawks-friendly discount either.
Fun Fact: Wright has only missed one game in the last four seasons.
To piggyback off my statement earlier about Wright’s possible departure. He himself earlier this offseason said that no one is safe and that Seattle has made that abundantly clear around here. With training camp set to start July 30th it’s going to be interesting to see what exact direction and vision the Seahawks defense will look like come day one. I wish I had a clue or sneak peek, but I can honestly say that I have none whatsoever. For the first time in a long time I have zero predictions or expectations for this defense going into camp or into the season.
The only predictions and the slightest bit of expectation that I can count on and deposit into my bank account is that KJ Wright will show up everyday with his hard hat on, outwork the competition, and get better consistently every single day.
Enjoy the breakdown above, until next time folks.