Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight is coming off a solid rookie campaign last fall.

Seahawks had perfect OTA attendance – why that matters

Knight, a fourth-round draft pick out of UTEP, made a pair of fill-in starts in September and then earned a full-time starting role in Week 11 as part of a midseason shakeup at Seattle’s two inside linebacker spots. Playing alongside in-season trade acquisition Ernest Jones IV, Knight racked up 88 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and two pass breakups, while finishing 41st out of 84 linebackers in Pro Football Focus grading.

What’s the next step for Knight in Year 2?

According to former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman, the 6-foot, 233-pound Knight already looks different. Wyman was on hand for one of the Seahawks’ OTA practices earlier this week and noticed that Knight appeared to be moving around the field more confidently and decisively.

“He just looked like he’s freed up,” Wyman said Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “You could almost see a thought bubble above his head last year when things would happen, and he would react just a step slow. And he (still) got the job done. But this year, with his movement around the field and everything, you see confidence. He was one guy that I got a chance to check out (Monday) and just looked really good.”

Later in the week, Knight told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy that he’s developed a better grasp of head coach Mike Macdonald’s cutting-edge defensive scheme, which has allowed him to play faster.

“I’m just getting more comfortable,” Knight said. “Like, (if you’re) not knowing what you’re doing, you can’t play fast. So just me knowing the defense way more allows me to play faster than I was playing before.”

Wyman credited Jones for taking Knight under his wing and helping him adjust to the NFL as a rookie last season. But this fall, Wyman thinks Knight is ready to cut loose.

“Ernest Jones, he really brought Tyrice Knight along with him,” Wyman said. “You saw him talking to him between series and talking to him out in the huddle and everything. And I think that really helped him. But now, he’s on his way.”

Listen to the full Wyman and Bob conversation at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2 to 7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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