I've been reading the coffee leaves in Seattle and I'm wondering if McDougald might get an interesting role this season. I think they might be going to a base big nickel 4-2-5 cover 3 with the SS and Big Nickel up in the box defending the flats. Last season they used Jeremy Lane as a nickel corner slash nickel SAM, but they didn't seem ecstatic about his performance there, and with Snead going down with injury they are likely to move Lane outside to start the season. They signed McDougald, an in the box safety with cover skills who Schneider talked about as one of the highest rated defenders on their FA board, and drafted box safety / nickel corner Delano Hill in the 3rd(!), while letting their SAM go in FA.
It really makes all the sense in the world for them to move into a big nickel base, which could mean that they would be in nickel 85-90% of the time. They have fast and rangy LBs and the best centerfield safety in the league, with physical CBs on the outside and a deep and talented DL rotation. A big nickel base would allow them to have an 8 man front on every play and stay very aggressive on the ball with a lot of opportunity to disguise and throw blitz packages. There's been some talk about other teams "figuring out" the SEA defense so it seems like the perfect timing to shake things up a little.
They drafted a box safety in the 3rd so McDougald doesn't have a guaranteed grip on that job, but I think there's a pretty good chance that the veteran will get the first shot. As someone else eluded to SEA isn't typically the prime spot for IDP production, but...if he gets a close to everydown role with plenty of time in the box he should be very startable.