‘He’s All In’: Drake Thomas Seizing Increasing Opportunities in Seahawks’ Defense
RENTON, Wash. - Taking over as a first time NFL head coach in February 2024, Mike Macdonald succeeded Pete Carroll at the helm for the Seattle Seahawks quite familiar with several of the players he inherited on a roster that had won nine games in the previous season, having faced many of them as defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens.
But while he knew the likes of former starting quarterback Geno Smith, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, and other noteworthy veterans, there were plenty of players who he had not crossed paths with as a coach or a talent evaluator prior to taking his new job in Seattle. Among them, he didn’t know anything about second-year linebacker Drake Thomas, only learning of the young defender upon arrival through positive reviews from returning coaches and members of the personnel department.
In the midst of a rigorous rehab from a severe knee injury that ended his rookie season prematurely, Macdonald didn’t get to see Thomas back on the practice field until midway through his first training camp. But he quickly developed great respect for the player when he saw how the former North Carolina State standout, who started his career with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent before being claimed off waivers in August 2023 by the Seahawks, getting after it during the entire rehabilitation process in his first few months calling the shots.
Fast forwarding a little over a year later, Thomas has emerged as an unexpected contributor for the Seattle’s defense in the middle, slowly starting to cut into former starter Tyrice Knight’s snaps alongside veteran mainstay Ernest Jones. While many may see his ascent as a surprise, don’t count Macdonald in the group, however, as he’s simply seeing the player he watched grow on the field throughout OTAs, training camp, and the preseason.
“He was a player that I wasn't familiar with before we got here. He was injured at the beginning of last year, but he's an example of a guy that came back early from his injury because of how hard he worked, how he attacked the process, and he's the same guy every day,” Macdonald told reporters prior to Wednesday’s practice. “He's 100%, he's all in. He's attention detailed. He understands adjustments, understands game plans. He's tough as nails. I think he's a good athlete, he does a lot of positive things. He's made a lot of plays on special teams, but this is the guy that we saw all offseason too. When players tell you who they are, believe them.”
In Macdonald’s first season calling the shots, after being activated from the PUP list midway through camp, Thomas managed to get his feet wet on defense with limited snaps as a sub-package defender in nickel and dime sets, playing 37 snaps and producing three tackles along with a pass breakup. He made his greatest impact as a core special teams player for coordinator Jay Harbaugh, tallying eight tackles on kick and punt coverage, second on the team behind only renowned specialist Brady Russell.
More than a year removed from his injury, Thomas enjoyed a normal offseason for the first time in his NFL career this spring and summer, benefiting from additional on-field reps with the first-team defense as Jones rehabbed from his own knee surgery in OTAs and Knight wound up missing nearly all of camp and the entire preseason due to an undisclosed medical issue. With both players missing extended periods of time, he added versatility to his game by mastering both the MIKE and WILL linebacker spots in Macdonald’s defense.
Once the regular season opened, even with Knight cleared to return to action and starting against the 49ers in Week 1, Macdonald felt Thomas had earned the chance to play and he initially subbed in for 22 snaps - under 20 percent of the Seahawks’ defensive plays - in passing situations in the first two games. But by Week 3, he started to take on a greater workload, and in three of the past four games, he has seen the field for at least 36 snaps, including a career-high 69 snaps in a 20-12 road victory versus the Jaguars in Week 6.
Rewarding Macdonald and the rest of Seattle’s defensive staff for their faith in him, Thomas has continued to improve by week as his playing time has increased, and the fruits of his offseason labor fully manifested at EverBank Field on Sunday. Along with registering nine combined tackles and a pass breakup against Jacksonville, he finished off a fantastic sack on a blitz after tossing left tackle Walker Little, who outweighs him by more than 60 pounds, off balance before corralling Trevor Lawrence in the pocket for a big loss.
“The guys were fired up about that one. That was cool,” Macdonald smiled.
On top of his growing impact on defense, despite playing a season-low seven snaps in the third phase of the game on Sunday, Thomas has remained an integral part of Seattle’s special teams. He already has seven tackles on kick and punt coverage through six games, second-most behind tight end Eric Saubert.
As things stand, Macdonald hasn’t named Thomas as the starter moving forward, even if the situation seems to be trending that way. Instead, he said “these things are never set in stone,” suggesting that Thomas and Knight will continue to battle for snaps on the practice field and that snap distributions could vary based on opponent and who has the hot hand that gives the Seahawks the best chance to win.
In defense of Knight, who burst onto the scene last fall as a viable starter next to Jones and finished with nearly 90 tackles as a rookie, Macdonald praised the former fourth-round pick for his efforts when thrust into action on Sunday after Thomas exited briefly with a thumb injury. Immediately after subbing in for Seattle, he took away a route behind him in a Cover 3 hook drop, forcing Lawrence to hold onto the ball as Byron Murphy II and Uchenna Nwosu closed in for first of back-to-back drive-killing sacks.
“That’s a great example of being ready, staying ready, coming in and playing to the standard when we go out there,” Macdonald said. “Both guys are deserving of playing time, but right now, Drake's playing great football.”
Maintaining confidence Thomas and Knight will both make plays and answer the call when needed in the lineup, Macdonald doesn’t have any reason to name a starter right now. Such ambiguity makes life a little tougher for opponents game planning for the Seahawks, as the two players have different strengths and skills and can be mixed/matched depending on opponents and game circumstances. Week to week, their usage likely will remain somewhat fluid.
But at this time, after not knowing anything about the player 15 months ago, Thomas has Macdonald’s full attention and the coach believes he has earned more chances based on the work he put in this offseason and his incremental improvements game-to-game. If he keeps playing like he did in Jacksonville providing positive contributions as a run defender, blitzer, and in coverage, with his coach now knowing him it may be only a matter of time before he’s given the keys full-time next to Jones.
