The Shaquem Griffin experiment of 2019 is off to an intriguing start.

The Seahawks’ second-year linebacker has found himself in the team’s defensive game plan over the past two outings and has demonstrated at the very least that his speed can make things happen whether implemented while rushing the quarterback or in pursuit. Griffin had two quarterback hurries in 25 plays in last Sunday’s 17-9 win at Philadelphia, and his performance might have earned him more opportunities Monday night when Seattle (9-2) hosts Minnesota (8-3) at CenturyLink Field.

“He’s a total different dimension than what we have had,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said this week. “He’s a very unique player and we’re trying to figure out how to best incorporate that as we’re trying to pick things up.”

Carroll said he had been reluctant to use Griffin, a 2018 fifth-round pick out of Central Florida — where he had 18 1/2 sacks over his final two seasons — in a pass-rushing role because of his size. Griffin, whose twin brother Shaquill is the Seahawks’ star cornerback, is listed on the team’s roster at 6-feet, 227 pounds (For comparison’s sake, Ziggy Ansah is listed at 6-foot-5, 275; Jadeveon Clowney at 6-foot-5, 255).

Seattle’s coaches had a hard time envisioning success for Shaquem as a regular pass rusher, but over the past few weeks they’ve seen the spark they needed to give him a shot.

“It’s all about the speed, and it’s all about the heart,” said defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. when asked about Griffin’s size. “You see guys play this game at all shapes and sizes. I think there’s been enough examples at our positions for a long time. It doesn’t matter what size you are. It’s what you’re made of. I think that’s quite clear with him: He’s the type of guy that’s been overcoming odds and adversity his whole life.”

Ideally, both Clowney and Ansah will live up to the statistics on the backs of their respective football cards. Both have had Pro Bowl seasons in their pasts, but Ansah’s slow start to the season forced Seattle to continue searching for ways to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Clowney missed the team’s win over the Eagles after having his best game of the season the previous week in San Francisco, where he tallied a sack and five quarterback hurries. Encouragingly, Ansah had his best game of the year in Philly, producing 1 1/2 sacks and forcing a fumble. Griffin has also shown that he can be a factor during that stretch, offering a different dimension than his veteran teammates.

“Griff’s making a move on them,” Carroll said. “He looks like he’s got some stuff that we can incorporate and keep developing that he can be a factor as well. You can see that when (Clowney and Ansah) are going, we’ll be at our best. With Griff’s addition, too, with the things that he can bring, the speed that he injects is really valuable to us. I think it’s obvious when you watch the film or watch the games that he’s a factor. They’ve got to be careful, or he’s going to get them.”

There is no denying Griffin’s speed off the edge. In this second-quarter play against the Eagles, he blew past right tackle Andre Dillard to help apply pressure on a play that resulted in a sack of Carson Wentz.

Here, while rushing in the fourth quarter, Griffin’s mere presence caused Eagles right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai to aggressively kick-step outside of fear of getting beaten around the edge. Tackles always look to protect the edge, but it’s clear, especially from the end-zone camera, that Vaitai had seen enough to know that he had his hands full keeping Griffin from getting around him.

Vaitai’s aggressiveness, however, created an opening for Griffin to shoot inside with extreme quickness. It takes roughly six steps for Griffin to be in Carson Wentz’s face, forcing the quarterback to escape the pocket and chuck the ball deep to nobody to avoid a safety.

On the very next play, the Eagles assigned running back Miles Sanders to help on Griffin, again rushing from the left edge, by chipping him before releasing into the right flat. That allowed Vaitai to be a tad less aggressive with his kick step and better protect inside. Griffin went outside, Sanders chipped him and that helped Vaitai get his hands on Griffin before he could do any damage. (The Eagles did the exact same thing to Griffin on the next play.)

At least a few times, the Eagles used a slot receiver or a tight end to help on Griffin, whom they very clearly recognized as a pass-rushing threat.

Here, Philadelphia left him one-on-one against the right tackle and Griffin got inside for a near sack.

On this third-quarter play, the Eagles again provided no help again on Griffin, while Vaitai took a lackadaisical approach to blocking him on a slow-developing run play. Griffin didn’t force the ensuing fumble, but his quick pressure made Wentz rush the exchange and the ball came loose.

Griffin somewhat hilariously began jumping around in celebration while the ball was bouncing along the turf, but then realized that the play was still going and joined in on the chase.

“He initiated that play by being there,” Carroll said. “Kind of finished it, too. There was a moment in there where he was kind of leaving the action. He just kind of took a left turn celebrating and all that. Then he went back into it. He’s trying to find his way a little bit.”

While Griffin’s speed can be an issue for offensive lineman, his size is certainly a detriment. Once a bigger opponent gets his hands on Griffin, he has little chance of being able to push that lineman back into the quarterback. Here, Vaitai absolutely stonewalls him.

A similar thing happened near the goal line.

One element of Griffin’s game that was fascinating to watch was when he showed blitz inside only to drop into coverage in the middle of the field. (Note middle linebacker Bobby Wagner adjusting the pass rush pre-snap.)

The most interesting part of the play is watching Griffin show off his speed while in pursuit of Sanders out of the backfield. Griffin dropped about eight yards deep when Sanders caught the ball at the Eagles’ 41 while moving to Griffin’s right. Griffin then showed off his speed, jetting directly down the 45-yard line to track down Sanders before he could turn upfield. Few linebackers in the NFL have that type of ability.

Seattle is likely going to have to pick its spots with Griffin. He showed on Sunday that he could have an impact from a four-man rush. He might be even more impactful as a blitzer with both Clowney and Ansah on the field. However this evolves, Seattle has a new piece to play with during its quest to generate a championship-level pass rush.

“We’re trying to help him out and figure out how he can incorporate the style that he has,” Carroll said of Griffin.”He can’t rush in traditional fashion. He’s 50 pounds lighter than other guys. They’d do the same thing. We’re working on it. It’s pretty exciting.”

(Top photo: Photo by Elsa / Getty Images)