SEATTLE (AP) — Six games into the season, the Seattle Seahawks needed help on defense.
Earlier this week they got it, as the Seahawks acquired defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris from Jacksonville for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.
The 31-year-old Robertson-Harris brings plenty of size and veteran presence to a Seahawks defense that has struggled against the run this season.
Seattle, which has dealt with injuries in the past few weeks, ranks 19th in total defense with 339.7 yards allowed per game, and is 28th in the NFL with 144.7 yards per game allowed on the ground.
With a new player coming in on the defensive line and tackle Byron Murphy II scheduled to return from an injury this week, the Seahawks hope that might soon change.
“Just an opportunity to get a really, really good player that we have a lot of respect for,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “He’s big, he’s tough, he’s rugged. He provides some, I know we use the term positional flexibility probably too much, but he does do that, and can play really all three gaps up front. So he gives us a great opportunity to have a pretty deep front.”
It’s been a whirlwind week for Robertson-Harris, who played in London on Sunday in the Jaguars game against Chicago, and he described being in Seattle just a few days later as “surreal.”
On the field, Robertson-Harris plans to bring a physical style of play to the Seahawks line, where the team has him listed as a defensive tackle. This season, Robertson-Harris has seven total tackles and two sacks.
“Obviously this front is very talented and well known,” Robertson-Harris said. “I feel like I bring a lot of violence and get-off. I’m pretty solid in the run game, pass rush is pretty solid. I bring a lot of energy on the field, practice and Sundays.”
Along with adjusting to a new workplace and meeting his coaches and teammates, Robertson-Harris faces the challenge of getting comfortable with the Seahawks system with just a few days to go until Sunday’s game in Atlanta, which Robertson-Harris said he hopes to play in.
But being a veteran player, Macdonald is confident that his new defensive lineman will be able to make a quick impact.
“He’ll be a quick study,” Macdonald said. “You know and guys up front, I mean, there’s so much carryover in the league with some of the language and stuff. A six technique’s a six technique everywhere you go, so we know he can do that.”
There are a few familiar faces for Robertson-Harris in Seattle, as he played with linebacker Trevis Gipson in Chicago in 2020, and the two were teammates in Jacksonville this past offseason before Gipson’s August trade to Seattle. He also played with strong safety Rayshawn Jenkins for the past three seasons in Jacksonville.
Defensive end Leonard Williams is eager to line up alongside Robertson-Harris on a Seattle D-line that will be challenged this week against a tough Atlanta offense led by quarterback Kirk Cousins and the one-two punch of running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
“I’m excited to have him,” Williams said. “He’s a big guy, strong, physical, good in the run game, which, you know, we need that right now.”
For a player who went undrafted out of the University of Texas-El Paso in 2016, Robertson-Harris has put together a quality NFL career. But that doesn’t mean he has nothing left to prove as he continues his eighth season in the league.
“Guys look at me ‘Oh, you went to UTEP,’ Like, yeah, I know a lot of guys I played with that are still playing in this league that was at UTEP,” Robertson-Harris said. “You know, I always play with a chip on my shoulder, just to prove that I’m here, respectfully.”
NOTES: The Seahawks signed safety Ty Okada to the active roster on Wednesday and placed Jenkins (hand) on IR. Jenkins will miss at least the next four games.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Shane Lantz, The Associated Press
