Saints: 3 Seahawks who can ruin Week 7
By Kristen Wong
2. Darrell Taylor*
*questionable for Week 7
Darrell Taylor suffered a scary injury in Week 6, and it’s still unclear as to whether he’ll be fit for Seattle’s matchup against the Saints.
If he does suit up, Jameis Winston’s anxiety levels will peak that much higher.
The defensive end has recorded four sacks, 16 tackles, and six quarterback hits so far this season, playing 39 percent of defensive snaps and 43 percent of special teams snaps.
He was picked in the second round in the 2020 draft, and while the best league pass rushers tend to be first-rounders, Taylor has displayed the athleticism and versatility of a consistent, every-down impact player.
Taylor began his NFL career on the non-football injury list, but his 2021 season with Seattle has suggested that, like Lockett, he’s a much better player than many expected him to be.
The 24-year-old already has four sacks in six games. What can Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, or Payton Turner say to that? Absolutely nothing.
Currently, the Seahawks rank 10th in the league in pass rush win rate (45 percent) and second in the league in run-stop win rate (33 percent). Those numbers stack up pretty well against Winston and his bad habits of desperately heaving the ball. Sean Payton’s doing the best he can to keep Winston on his best behavior, but Taylor could make this a very difficult game for Winston indeed.
We hope Taylor’s injury isn’t serious, but we’re not going to lie — we also hope Taylor sits out this game. No need to risk it.