Darrell Taylor has had to deal with injury issues during training camp, but former Seahawks great K.J. Wright believes the edge rusher can achieve something no Seattle player has done since 1998 if he can stay on the field.

Coming off a 9.5-sack season, which tied Uchenna Nwosu for the team lead, Taylor has been dealing with a sprained shoulder in training camp.

Injury robbed Taylor of his rookie year, but he made up for lost time last year, with Taylor's 2022 production particularly exciting to Wright as he believes it came from a player who is nowhere close to the finished article.

Speaking on the 'K.J. Wright Show' with Brock Huard and Mike Salk on Seattle Sports 710AM, Wright backed Taylor as a player with the talent to rack up 15 sacks in a season. No Seahawk has recorded 15 sacks in a single campaign since Michael Sinclair had 16.5 in 1998.

Taylor would be just the third Seahawk to achieve the feat, the other being Jacob Green with 16 in 1983.

Wright said:

"I look at Darrell Taylor. He hasn't even figured it out yet. He has not figured out how good he can be. Now just look at what he brings to the table. He fell into 9.5 sacks last year. I'm telling you, if it can just click in his brain like, 'I am talented, I am good, I want to take this coaching from Cliff Avril and (Michael Bennett), I'm going to just tap into that dog inside of me,' this guy can be a 13-14 sack type of dude. He can be a three-down player. It's right there for the taking. I swear to you, it's right there for the taking."

While his sack numbers were impressive, Taylor produced just five run stops in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wright, however, has little doubt the 2020 second-round pick can consistently deliver an all-round impact.

"He has the physical ability to do it. But Salk you know how they say the game is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical? He has the physical ability to do it, but he has to tap into those details. He has to train his eyes properly. He has to just watch film and watch his get off… He is a guy that could be a 15-sack guy. And when I watched him last year, some games he's here, some games he's way over there. And so, when I watch Darrell Taylor, he's the guy that I'm really looking forward to seeing this year."

Taylor's 9.5 sacks came from just 27 pressures, per Sports Info Solutions, 30 fewer than Nwosu. The disparity in pass rush attempts, 404 for Nwosu to 273 for Taylor, somewhat explains that gap. However, Taylor's pressure rate of 10.3 percent was only good enough for tied-71st among defenders with at least 25 pressures.

More playing time, more focus and more consistency will be needed for Taylor to have a chance of living up to Wright's effusive praise, though first he must make sure he starts what could be a breakout season free of injury.

DK Metcalf’s stunning fade route catch could be a sign of things to come

An uptick might be on the horizon.

Featured Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports