Seahawks DE Michael Bennett: Losing CB Cary Williams turned season around

Seattle's Cary Williams covers Carolina's Ted Ginn Jr. in the second half of the Seahawks game against the Panthers, Sunday, October 18, 2015. Seattle's Cary Williams covers Carolina's Ted Ginn Jr. in the second half of the Seahawks game against the Panthers, Sunday, October 18, 2015. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, Seattlepi.com Photo: GENNA MARTIN, Seattlepi.com Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Seahawks DE Michael Bennett: Losing CB Cary Williams turned season around 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

That sound you heard might be the bus backing over former Seahawks cornerback Cary Williams, with defensive end Michael Bennett at the wheel.

In a piece published Friday, Bennett told TheMMQB's Jenny Vrentas that moving on from their biggest free agent signing of last offseason helped Seattle's defense return to form.

Williams signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Seahawks in March to replace Byron Maxwell opposite Richard Sherman in Seattle's defense. But Williams struggle to adapt to the team's system, and after starting the first 10 games, he was benched before being released on Dec. 7, replaced first by DeShawn Shead, then Jeremy Lane.

According to Bennett, moving players with more experience in the Seahawks' scheme into the starting lineup helped the entire defense.

"Losing Cary and adding J. Lane and D. Shead in the game has really turned our season around a lot," Bennett told Vrentas. "No offense to Cary, but these guys have been in the defense a lot longer than Cary, so they kind of understand where the holes are and what you have to do, and I think they have done a great job of taking us back to that level where we are used to playing."

"It gives us more time," Bennett added. "We were beating guys fast, and sometimes (quarterbacks) were getting the ball out, but now we are getting the quarterback to hold the ball. And that starts with everybody playing football together. We've got a lot of great players playing in one accord."

After his release, Williams signed with Washington, appearing in their NFC wild card round loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports editor Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.