Even the teams that run the most cover-3 today don't run it more than 50% of the time. Offenses are too good at diagnosing coverages and attacking the weakness of whatever you run. The days of sitting in 1 defense on essentially every 1st down is over. From there, the reason cover-3 is so common is it also very flexible.GoingCommando wrote: Tue Apr 29, 2025 8:51 amIt looks like Dan Quinn is installing his classic Cover 3 scheme. The outside corners won't be a factor in run defense in this scheme because they're going to be way off the line. The run D will come down to the performance of the line, the linebackers, and the underneath safety/nickels/overhangs. You run an eight man box in base personnel with this scheme, and it should actually be pretty good at stopping the run considering that. We brought back Wagner and signed Will Harris to put good tacklers in our underneath zones, and we signed Javon Kinlaw and Deatrich Wise to add size to our DL. We should be better at stopping the run now.
Even going back to Seattle and the Legion of Boom (where Quinn sort of got his start), they ran a lot of press cover 3 which means at least 1 outside CB up at that line in press coverage.
So even teams that are running 50% of their defense as cover-3 aren't actually doing what you've described in terms of their corners 50% of the time and Seattle didn't do it a lot either. Also, they aren't doing what you are describing with their other players because a lot of cover 3 today uses a hole defender to cover up a hole in the zone (which cost you a box defender).
Even if you take first downs, if we do what you're describing on 40% of first downs, it be unusual today and probably a failure simply because at that rate teams would guess what we're and know how to attack it..
Further, it would be extremely odd in that all 3 of our CBs strengths historically have been reported as man defenders to play just a ton of zone. They've all played zone and are good at it, but man is really their strength (and there is variant of cover-3 where at least some of the CBs end up in man coverage (man cover-3) so it would be surprising if we don't do at least some of that. Realistically, I suspect that's what we'll do the most of on most passing downs.)
Lastly, the small guy in the interior of the last year DL was Newton who I expect if anything will get more snaps. Also bigger doesn't necessarily mean better against the run.
Will we be better at the run this year then last year? I suspect yes. We played a lot of light boxes last year because our corners weren't very good and we were trying to protect them. Having a full season of Lattimore and a 2nd pick invested as a CB, having Sainristil have a whole year under his belt as an NFL player, and having Quan having a full year as a safety likely make our secondary better and so we'll have to play fewer light boxes.
I also suspect a year recovering and a year as an NFL player also will make Newton better. It is also possible that the DL has been upgraded with the other additions.
But the idea that Amos is going to sit back in a deep zone and have minimal impact on the run game because we're going to play and old fashioned cover-3 a lot I suspect is at best misleading.
And if we have to limit our defense based on what he can't do, then that's not good and would be a reason for him to slip in the draft. And he's not really a top 30ish talent then.