With Derick Hall emerging, Seahawks trading Darrell Taylor to Chicago for a draft choice

Darrell Taylor has and can rush the passer.

He hasn’t and can’t do what his new Seahawks coach demands outside linebackers do: Set the edge against the run.

Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall can.

That is why Seattle is trading Taylor, their second-round draft choice in 2020, to the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks are getting a sixth-round draft choice in 2025. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was among the first to report the trade Friday morning.

Taylor, 27, missed his rookie season after he had surgery at the end of his college career at Tennessee. Surgeons put a metal rod in his leg to repair a fracture. He debuted in 2021 with 6 1/2 sacks. In 2022, he and fellow outside linebacker Nwosu co-led the Seahawks with 9 1/2 sacks each.

Taylor was an every-down linebacker at the start of that ‘22 season. At 6 feet 4 and 267 pounds, he had the size to take on blockers and set the edge on running plays. But he didn’t. Taylor often ran up the field into the backfield to take himself out of running plays. When he tried to take on blockers, he got moved out of the hole.

Hall, 6-3, 260, has emerged this month as one of the standouts of training camp. He played only 26% of snaps with 30 tackles on defense last season as a Seahawks rookie.

But he’s been a wrecking force off the edge in practices, in the joint practices Seattle had against Tennessee in Nashville last week, and in the Seahawks’ two preseason games entering the exhibition finale Saturday against Cleveland at Lumen Field (7 p.m., KING-5 television).

Hall made what Macdonald called “an all-time great play” last weekend in Seattle’s preseason game at Tennessee. Hall blew up two pulling blockers in the hole and tackled the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage.

That play may have sealed Taylor’s trade to Chicago.

“We talk about the style of how we want to play. That’s it right there,” Macdonald said, smiling proudly. “Art of contact. All the above.

“Just an all-time great play from him. Talking about how he just ... eliminating space.”

The head man and former linebackers coach laughed.

“That’s probably the best way to do it, is just knock the guy out.”

Mafe, 6-4, 261, has remained the starter at outside linebacker opposite Nwosu in practices. He is entering his third season as Seattle’s first of two second-round picks in 2022.