How will Dodson fit in with the Seahawks? Let’s take a deep dive into his Bills tenure.
This summer, I was approached by Mookie Alexander, the managing editor with Field Gulls of SB Nation, to provide a bit of background on former Buffalo Bills linebacker Tyrel Dodson. While Dodson’s days with Buffalo may have come to an end, I was compelled enough to share my insight here with Buffalo Rumblings.
You can head over to Field Gulls to read it directly and engage with their fans who may have further questions, or stay put and digest/discuss Dodson’s days with the Bills here as we look back at what was and could have been.
Without further ado...
From Mookie Alexander:
The Seattle Seahawks made the big decision to revamp their linebacker group this offseason. Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Devin Bush all departed in free agency, leaving Seattle with the task of finding new starters and depth. They double-dipped former AFC East players by signing former Miami Dolphins starter Jerome Baker, as well as Tyrel Dodson from the Buffalo Bills. UTEP’s Tyrice Knight was added through the NFL Draft, which means that we should see a Baker-Dodson starting pair with Knight as the top reserve.
Last month we had a special “free agent” edition of the 5 Qs and 5 As series we do for game previews throughout the season, but for Jerome Baker. This month we’re continuing with the other half of the presumptive starting duo, Tyrel Dodson. Here to discuss Dodson in-depth is Buffalo Rumblings’ managing editor Matt Byham, and I say unequivocally that this is the most thorough version of 5 Qs and 5 As that we’ve ever done with anyone, so read carefully and learn!
1.) Following the injury to Matt Milano, Dodson saw his role increase significantly in his final season with Buffalo. How did he perform considering the added responsibilities?
Dodson acquitted himself fairly well, considering his lack of in-game experience. The game appeared to slow down quite a bit for him in 2023. He gained a fantastic opportunity at the perfect time with free agency on his horizon.
It’s a shame it came at the expense of massive loss at linebacker for the Bills. The entire room was a M.A.S.H. unit by the time playoffs began, and that included Dodson.
Regarding Dodson’s performance, I’d label it redemptive on several fronts. Concerning his on-field play, Dodson finally quieted many doubters who said he was a potential cut candidate during more than one training camp.
At almost every point of his career with Buffalo, Dodson was at best observed by outsiders as a depth player who didn’t carry enough of the best attributes needed to play a significant role in a 2-LB nickel-heavy system. Dodson wasn’t someone the team could rely on to make a sideline-to-sideline play on any given down — he just lacked the requisite explosion/speed.
When Tremaine Edmunds was lost during free agency last offseason, most of Bills Mafia concerned themselves with how the team would meaningfully replace his production. Then the draft came and went, without the Bills making a huge splash at the position, instead drafting Dorian Williams in Round 3.
Buffalo’s brass were content to let in-house talent fight it out to succeed Edmunds’ role at linebacker. That ultimately came down to Dodson and Bernard, the latter of whom had a lead in the race — even as he missed all of preseason action due to a hamstring injury.
Despite his chance, Dodson just didn’t look like a player capable of playing meaningful snaps wearing the green dot on his helmet. Fans were very concerned, especially considering most outside the team had yet to see Bernard play. So there was more than a little bit of pessimism regarding the team’s approach at linebacker, and it didn’t help that Dodson appeared incapable of taking the reigns when needed most.
Dodson was making bigger waves for the wrong reasons during the summer months last summer (first with Josh Allen, then the next day with Dion Dawkins), clearly bitten by the intensity found in position battles. But preseason action is preseason action for a reason. Thankfully for the Bills, Bernard recovered in time and blew the roof off the competition, surprising everyone as a playmaker paired with Milano. As such, Dodson had no shot to usurp him short of long-term and/or catastrophic injury.
2.) To what extent was Dodson involved on defense prior to becoming a full-time starter?
He served as the fourth linebacker in rotation, adding significant special teams work to make up the bulk of his role with the Bills. He was clearly depth, with developmental upside. Dodson was someone most fans hoped never to see play a snap, because that meant the likes of Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, or most recently Terrell Bernard were injured.
Prior to the 10 games he started last season, Dodson only made five such appearances between 2019 and 2022. In those three seasons prior, his total combined stats (69 total tackles, 45 solo tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 QB hit, 2 sacks, 2 PDs, 1 FR) were all less than his 2023 stats alone.
3.) Dodson had 2.5 sacks and 6 quarterback hits last season. How effective was he at getting after the quarterback in blitzing situations? I ask because of the more impressive stats put up by his teammate Terrel Bernard.
That’s a fairly difficult question to answer, given his lack of experience doing it with the Bills. Dodson is a thumper, and not someone most would associate with pressure packages. He’s best when asked to attack the run, made to affect the ball carrier.
Think of him like you might an in-the-box safety. He’s a fairly proficient tackler in small spaces, but not someone coaches likely trust to routinely, intentionally chase the quarterback, nor a receiver down the field.
4.) What are his biggest strengths and weaknesses?
Essentially, Tyrel Dodson’s shown time and again a knack for the ball, but he’s limited in coverage. A former undrafted free agent who signed with the Bills following the 2019 NFL Draft, Dodson carries a load with every hit he inflicts.
Dodson is best as a run stuffer. He’s a tough linebacker with an eye for the football; a true team player, never backing down from an assignment. However, sometimes that task can prove far too challenging for his abilities.
Perhaps given the system the Bills run (Nickel-heavy scheme), Dodson was ill-suited to play the role of an every-down linebacker, even as depth. Instead of providing help as a third linebacker, Dodson’s opportunities were limited and made way for cornerback Taron Johnson to take over as a hybrid linebacker/corner/safety.
Under head coach Sean McDermott, Buffalo has prioritized special teams talent, often selecting linebackers in the draft who profile well in the game’s third phase. So where a player like Dodson might prove a bit of a liability at times on defense, his prowess as a tackler gave him an opportunity to see plenty of work on special teams.
At Buffalo Rumblings, one of our film analysts known to man as Skarekrow broke down Tyrel Dodson’s play from the 2021 season. Pointing out the limited sample size, Skare stated the following:
“(I)n limited snaps I like Dodson less in zone coverage than I do with other aspects of his game. Read-and-react skills and open-field tackling are both a tick below what you’d want to see on this play.”
Keep in mind that was several offseasons ago. Dodson might not be the first choice in covering pass catchers, but he’s shown to be adequate when in man cover. Throughout his Bills tenure, Dodson continued to win the support of his coaches and the team, which saw him receive multiple one-year contracts that allowed him to bank on himself each offseason.
Playing as part of a traditional 4-3 scheme, Dodson’s strengths are likely to be amplified while his on-field shortcomings are likely to be mitigated by a more thorough ‘backer corps. With Buffalo, nickel cornerback Taron Johnson occupies what would normally be the third linebacker spot, so Dodson’s opportunities were limited as they get.
5.) It seems to me like Dodson is better suited as a two-down guy and not a three-down backer. Did your view on Dodson as a potential long-term starting linebacker in the NFL change at all after this past season?
My opinion of Dodson changed insomuch that I can see a path to his performing well as a starter. It has to be the right situation, with the right defense that can amplify his strengths.
I agree with your observation of him as a two-down linebacker, as I touched on above. We’ve established that Dodson’s biggest liability is playing the pass, and who knows if that will change. I was tough on Dodson and his outlook with the Bills for quite some time. But some of that could be due how I believed he was going to contribute in Buffalo.
We just don’t know yet if he’ll ever be a reliable full-time NFL linebacker, but he’s a perfect sub-package player in obvious run fits, and he brings value as a goal line ‘backer. Admittedly, I don’t believe he had enough time starting with Buffalo for me to form a vastly different opinion than I had prior to the 2023 season. Competition is different every season, so it will be important for Dodson to string together consecutive seasons of similar play.
Last March when Dodson was re-signed to a one-year deal, I wrote that he’s “a key reserve defender whose importance to the team is as an off-the-bench linebacker with years of scheme familiarity. Additionally, Dodson is a very important part of what Buffalo does on special teams.”
Take that with a grain of salt, as it speaks solely to how the Bills used Dodson. His work on special teams with the Bills was very important. But is that something he’s expected to continue doing with Seattle?
To Dodson’s credit and prior to 2023, Dodson frequently held off stiff competition in the summer. The confusing part was that Dodson often looked lost and overwhelmed during games.
Despite having found increased opportunities with a couple seasons under his belt, Dodson visibly struggled at times to fully integrate into either linebacker role. His coaches saw the same thing, and he was often removed from the lineup, both week-to-week or series-to-series depending on the circumstance.
No one could figure out what was happening, nor why he’d suddenly find his way back in the lineup late in a game if he’d been removed for what was observed to be subpar play. Perhaps a lot of that was due to his lack of opportunity, or maybe he just needed time to reset amid a coaching opportunity. To say that frustrated the fan base is an understatement.
In analyzing Tyrel Dodson’s final Bills preseason action against the Chicago Bears in 2023, Skarekrow once again pulled the curtain back to reveal a new version of Dodson as a player who continued to grow while showing key traits to play linebacker when his number was called.
That lines up with my opinion that Dodson’s acquitted himself well, of late. He’s had to overcome a lot in his short NFL career, which began with his inclusion on the Commissioner’s exempt list due to a domestic violence situation, ultimately leading to a six-game suspension. That’s not brought up to besmirch Dodson’s name. He owned his mistake, handled it like a pro, and moved on to a successful NFL career as a former UDFA.
Back in June of 2022, JSpenceTheKing had an opportunity to chat with Dodson on his Code of Conduct podcast — and they covered a ton of wide-ranging ground about his role, the team, coaching, and more. That interview provided a ton of great insight into Dodson’s professional makeup while revealing his everyday personality in a nearly hour-long conversation.
During that podcast (around 17-minute mark), Dodson also spoke about the importance of Tremaine Edmunds, and how no one else plays the position like he does (did with Buffalo). It spoke to his character, and helped many fans understand that he wasn’t necessarily ever going to be asked to replace the play of Edmunds.
Tyrel Dodson was recognized last season for his charitable work during the holidays, selected to receive the NFLPA Community MVP Award for Week 16 following his efforts to pay it forward through outreach to four single mothers and their children. Noting how similar outreach made an impact during his childhood, Dodson’s wish was to make the holidays special and stress-free for these four families by treating each mom to a $500 shopping spree to tackle wish lists, and providing Christmas trees, ornaments, and more to each family.
From Mookie Alexander:
Thanks to Matt for answering my questions! Hopefully you now know a ton more about Seattle’s new starting linebackers between this Q&A and the Baker one.