Seahawks, Kerry Hyder envision a Michael Bennett-like hybrid pass role for their new D-end
Could the Seahawks be getting another Michael Bennett-like pass rusher in Kerry Hyder?
Seattle—and the team’s new defensive end arriving off an 8 1/2-sack season in 2020 with San Francisco—may be banking the next two years on it.
“That’s my idol,” the 29-year-old Hyder said of his retired, 35-year-old fellow Texan on Wednesday during an online Zoom call.
Hyder, a native of Austin, is 6 feet 2 and 270 pounds. Bennett, who grew up in Houston, was 6-4, 275 in his Super Bowl and Pro Bowl years starring for the Seahawks last decade.
Bennett earned a Super Bowl ring and $42 million of the $60 million he made in his 11-year NFL career as an outside defensive end on early downs for Seattle and inside, hybrid tackle in passing situations.
Yes, the Seahawks brought up Bennett and his hybrid, outside-inside pass-rush role while Seattle signed Hyder last month to what is essentially a two-year contract worth $6.5 million.
“Yes, it did,” Hyder said of Bennett’s name coming up in his contract talks with Seattle a few weeks ago. “That’s a guy I’ve looked up to, a guy I’ve kind of modeled my game after.
“So, the characteristics are there. That’s who I watched. Same body type, all that kind of thing. That was kind of one of the reasons I was picturing myself in Seattle.
“I kind see myself in kind of that same kind of role as Mike.”
Hyder was, like Bennett, undrafted coming out of college football in Texas. No one selected Hyder from Texas Tech in the 2014 NFL draft—before he signed as a rookie free agent then got waived, cut and re-signed onto the practice squad by the New York Jets that year.
Bennett went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2009. The Seahawks signed him as a rookie free agent, then waived him in October. Tampa Bay signed him. He played 3 1/2 seasons for the Buccaneers before re-signing with Seattle in 2013 and becoming a dominating, outside-inside end/tackle for the Seahawks.
“I had the opportunity to play with him the last few games with my time in Dallas, the last part of the (2019) season,” Hyder said of playing with Bennett for the last nine games of that Cowboys year. “I tried to milk his brain as much as I could and try to learn as much as I could, because it’s very seldom you get around a vet like that and really get a chance to (be with) your idol, you know?”
Hyder said he learned from Bennett defensive end and pass-rush tackle footwork, hand tricks, plus how to set up and size up opposing offensive linemen.
The Seahawks are envisioning becoming beneficiaries of Bennett teaching Hyder.
They were already full of “Leo,” weakside defensive ends after re-signing two time Pro Bowl pass rusher Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa last month, plus having 2020 second-round draft choice Darrell Taylor still trying to make his Seattle and NFL debut at “Leo” end following leg surgery 15 months ago. Seattle needed a “five-technique” end, a stronger if not speedy pass rusher to play off the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle to the strong side of the offense’s formation.
That’s where the Seahawks are going to use Hyder in 2021, opposite—and perhaps inside, on passing downs—Dunlap and Mayowa.
“I’m definitely coming in as a defensive end,” Hyder said. “That’s what I plan on playing a majority of the time.”
Hyder left the Jets after his spotty rookie year and signed with Detroit for 2015. He had eight sacks in 2016 for the Lions then missed all of 2017 on their injured-reserve list. He had one sack in seven games for Detroit in 2018. He had one sack in sporadic play (41% of defensive snaps for the Cowboys in 2019.
He signed with San Francisco for 2020. Injuries all over the 49ers’ defensive line gave Hyder the most playing time of his career: 70% of San Francisco’s snaps last season. He responded with a career year, the 8 1/2 sacks, and a chance to earn bigger money in free agency.
“It was really the opportunity,” he said, “not being a spot-group player.”
He got his new money with Seattle, though on team-friendly terms.
Hyder’s deal is particularly beneficial for the Seahawks right now because of his relatively low charge of $1.9 million against the league’s lowered salary cap for 2021. That’s the advantage to Seattle including a third, void year to Hyder’s deal, to spread the cap charges across three years instead of two.
Hyder turns 30 next month. But he emphasized that’s a young 30, by NFL standards for veterans who bang so much along the line of scrimmage.
“I had an unorthodox journey to the NFL,” he said of his sporadic playing time and practice squads.
“I don’t have the mileage on the legs.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 2:14 PM.
