> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Pro Bowl or Bust? Seahawks LB Tyrice Knight Raising Bar Entering Sophomore Season
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/pro-bowl-bust-tyrice-knight-seattle-seahawks-raising-bar-sophomore-season/
- Published: 2025-07-28T06:38:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:58:53.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Features, Seahawks, Tyrice Knight, Ernest Jones, Training Camp

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3175"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight smiles while receiving instruction prior to a drill during a training camp practice at the VMAC in Renton. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/img_5175-jpeg-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight smiles while receiving instruction prior to a drill during a training camp practice at the VMAC in Renton. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum \[/caption\]

RENTON, Wash. – Only a couple of months into his young NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, Tyrice Knight had never spoken with Ernest Jones before the veteran linebacker arrived as part of a trade deadline deal, let alone played next to him.

But as the final nine regular season games exhibited last November through January, anyone who didn’t know that could have easily been fooled. Building a strong rapport immediately, the two athletic young defenders looked as if they had played thousands of snaps together previously, spearheading a second half surge by coach Mike Macdonald’s defense by solidifying the spine of the unit and allowing under 19 points per game in that time frame.

As Knight remembers, it didn’t take him any time at all to hit it off with Jones after his arrival, which eased the process going from backup to starter down the stretch and turned a position that had been both a short and long-term question mark for the franchise into a bright spot moving into 2025 and beyond.

“When he got here last year, even before we started playing, really first day here, I felt like we had a connection that got beyond the field,” Knight said after the fourth practice of his second training camp with the Seahawks. “Honestly, the point we're at right now, I don't think our relationship can get any further than we're at right now. He’s kind of like my brother. We talk about everything with each other, from family to football. He's a really good guy. I feel like he's a great vet to have in front of me because he gonna teach me the right way to go.”

Prior to Jones’ arrival, Knight – who the Seahawks selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of UTEP – had gotten his feet wet early in his rookie season when an injury to Jerome Baker thrust him into the defensive lineup earlier than anticipated in Week 2 and Week 3 at weakside linebacker. While there were expected first-year growing pains, he didn’t whither under the weight of the pressure that comes with playing in the NFL, performing admirably in his first action.

Making his defensive debut against the Patriots in Foxboro, Knight allowed four catches in coverage on five targets, but he did an excellent job of finishing plays with eight tackles and no misses. The following week, he registered seven tackles and his first career tackle for loss in a blowout win over Miami and he made positive contributions in a Monday night loss to Detroit with nine tackles against the Lions.

As is typically the case for any rookie thrown into the NFL fire, Knight had to adapt to the speed of the game, including faster quarterbacks and tight ends. But it was the athleticism of the 300-plus pound blockers on the opposing line that caught him off guard the most and he quickly figured out that there’s no margin for error deciphering opposing run schemes in the league as a result.

“Honestly, what stood out to me is just how more athletic o-linemen are right now,” Knight explained. “They’re coming to way faster, so if you're not really pre-snap now or you don’t know what's going on, one false step and you’re cut off from the play instantly. So I just knew if I wasn't on my game, I wouldn’t have made many of the tackles I made.”

With Baker back healthy by Week 5, the Seahawks plugged the veteran back into the starting lineup and Knight played a grand total of seven defensive snaps from Week 5 to Week 9, seeing all of that action in garbage time during the final minutes of a road win over the Falcons. However, his play in the first month of the season impressed Macdonald and the coaching staff to the point that after back-to-back losses to the Bills and Rams, he decided to make a switch by jettisoning Dodson in favor of the rookie for the remainder of the season.

From Week 10 on, following the release of former starter Tyrel Dodson during the bye week and two weeks after Baker had been shipped out for Jones, Knight stepped into the starting lineup full-time and didn’t look back, thriving in the middle by racking up 65 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two pass deflections in the final nine games with eight starts. This coincided with the Seahawks finishing in the top five in scoring defense during that span and going 6-3 in those contests, narrowly missing the postseason with a 10-win campaign.

Appearing in all but one game for Seattle in his rookie campaign, Knight finished the year just shy of 90 combined tackles and only six missed tackles, posting a quite impressive 6.7 percent missed tackle rate. He also created major problems for opponents as a blitzer from the middle with 10 pressures and 1.5 sacks on only 37 pass rushes, taking advantage of his background playing part-time off the edge at UTEP in college.

This offseason, in retrospect, Knight felt quite good about his run defense and tackling proficiency coming out of his first NFL season, continuing to excel in two areas where he shined for the Miners as a multi-year starter. As for areas of improvement, everything boils down to matching the speed of the pro game and continuing to expand his comfort zone in Macdonald’s scheme, specifically in coverage.

“I know regardless where I am at, the tackling going to be there,” Knight explained. “I always said tackling is just heart and you need to practice every day. But you got it or you don't. I just need to see the game slow down how it was over my last year of college. I really just got to study film more, get more comfortable with my defense, knowing where my hooks at so I can play fast.”

For Knight, much of his success individually as well as for the team boiled down to the timely addition of Jones, who not only emerged as one of Seattle’s most productive players immediately after coming to town but also made it a priority to lift the rest of the defense around him as a leader on and off the field.

Months after the season ended with a win in Los Angeles, with Knight still having three years remaining on his rookie contract, the Seahawks ensured the playmaking duo would continue playing together for the foreseeable future by inking Jones to a three-year extension worth $33 million. As things stand, they both are under contract now through 2027, setting up Macdonald with what he hopes can be his Seattle version of Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen.

Given their already tight-knit relationship, there’s a reason why there’s tangible excitement revolving around both Knight and Jones steering into a new year.

Anchoring the middle of a Seahawks defense with the majority of their starters back from 2024, the youngster isn’t shying away from those expectations either, trusting the veteran presence alongside him to continue to push him to reach new heights. And nobody is putting more pressure on Knight to perform than the player himself, as he has raised the bar to a whole other level on the heels of a strong offseason program that has made him far more confident in Macdonald’s defense and poised to break out.

“I got a lot of goals set for myself from the highest standpoint and I just feel like if I ain't Pro Bowl at least or All-Pro, I feel like this year would be a failure for me. I just know it's up to me to achieve that. And if I keep going, improving how I am right now, I'm going to reach my goals without a doubt.”