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The Seattle Seahawks have a very good roster, but what's especially nice and hopeful about their team is that the vast majority of current Seahawks are young and signed through 2017, at least. This series leading up to the regular season opener on September 11 will take a closer look at 30 such players, all of whom won't be turning 30 this year.
Player: Cassius Marsh, LB/DE
Age: 24
How acquired: Fourth round pick (108th overall) in 2014 draft
Free agent: 2018
At the 2014 Scouting Combine, UCLA’s Cassius Marsh finished third in the short shuttle for defensive ends and fourth in the three-cone drill. He also finished last in the bench and broad jump though, so while Marsh had some of the athletic skills that Pete Carroll looks for, he also lacks some others. That was still enough for him to get drafted in the fourth round by the Seahawks though, which may have ultimately come down to how Pete felt about Marsh’s work ethic; this is just a guess on my part though due to the fact that Marsh has remained a leader on special teams over the last two seasons despite barely showing up on the defense.
Over his last two seasons at UCLA, Marsh totaled 13 sacks and 18 TFLs with over 100 tackles. In two seasons as a pro, Marsh has 23 tackles and no sacks. Will that change now that Bruce Irvin is out of the picture?
It might. Marsh has gotten some first team reps at the SAM linebacker position during training camp this year and as of this writing is still in a competition for the starting gig against Mike Morgan, Eric Pinkins, and perhaps Kevin Pierre-Louis to an extent. Morgan is the veteran presence who Carroll might trust as much as any other player, Pinkins is a former safety who could excel in coverage, while Marsh might be the leading candidate to be out there in pass-rushing situations.
We’ll see how it plays out but I believe Marsh’s job with the team is secure, even if he’s relegated to being a backup utility player on defense and a leader on special teams.
Here’s a sample of what he did at UCLA as a highly-touted recruit: