This new Seahawks 3-4 defense seemed tailored for him. So what’s up with Darrell Taylor?

Darrell Taylor had swag entering this season.

Noticeably so.

No wonder. He was coming off a 6 1/2-sack year in his first full NFL season, essentially his rookie year of 2021. The second-round draft choice lost 2020 to slow recovery from surgery to fix a broken leg; he plays with a metal rod in it.

His Seahawks were changing from a 4-3 in which he was playing out of position as an end to a quicker, more versatile 3-4 defense for this year. The changes seemed specifically suited to the 25-year-old Taylor. The new system emphasizes speed off the outside edges. That made him one of Seattle’s primary pass rushers, back at his natural position of outside linebacker.

His future was so bright, Taylor was wearing sunglasses indoors during training camp.

“Just have a little progressive tint on them,” Taylor said, smiling behind his shades last month.

His start to this season has been like his defense’s, particularly against the run.

Not so bright.

Seahawks’ struggles vs. the run

The Seahawks went the 3-4 to be faster off the edges, disguise coverages more, blitz more and get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks trying to throw in the pass-happy league.

The first two games suggest the new system — or at least the players in it — may not be great at stopping the run.

Denver ran for more than 5 yards per carry in the opener. The 49ers rampaged 45 times for 189 yards and two touchdowns last weekend.

Taylor has often gotten blocked way out of plays in the new schemes in which he was supposed to standout. When he hasn’t been blocked, he’s often missed tackles.

He was unblocked free into San Francisco’s backfield early in the game last weekend. He had Deebo Samuel stutter-stepping directly in front of him seemingly for a loss of 3 yards on a hand-off around right end. Taylor then violated fundamental technique defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt preaches. He his feet and lunged at Samuel. The Niner ran through Taylor’s flailing arms en route to a 51-yard gain.

Instead of third and 11, the 49ers had first down at the Seattle 23-yard line. They scored a field goal to take a 6-0 lead.

The Seahawks never got closer. They lost 27-7, and it wasn’t even that close.

The Seahawks defense has played 134 snaps so far this season. Taylor has played 107 of those snaps. He has just three tackles, and no sacks, in those 107 plays.

Hurtt was Taylor’s line coach last season when he was between two positions. The coordinator was as direct as you will hear a Seahawks coach be when asked to assess Taylor’s season so far.

“I address that stuff, accountability-wise, with him privately,” Hurtt said after practice Wednesday.

His tone assured that addressing has already happened this week.

“What I will say is, obviously, there’s things he wants to play better,” Hurtt said. “We have to continue to coach him better, and clean up some details for him.

“But obviously we expect great things out of him, collectively, as a group. And there’s plays that he’s made.

“But we need the consistency to be right, is what it is.”

Seahawks defense’s multiple problems

Taylor’s issue mirror that of the defense. Getting blocked too easily. And when they aren’t blocked, missing tackles. Everybody pretty much everywhere, missing tackles.

The Seahawks are 24th in the NFL allowing 403 yards per game through two weeks. Only Washington, Arizona, Minnesota and Detroit have allowed more. Seattle is 25th in rush defense, 24th against the pass yet only 15th in allowing points (21.5 points per game).

The Seahawks are next to last, 31st, in allowing third-down conversions. Those have happened with the missed tackles and penalties. Four of the six conversions San Francisco had on third downs last weekend were on Seattle defensive penalties, two on cornerback Michael Jackson for pass interference, one rookie cornerback Coby Bryant for illegal contact.

The effects have been limiting the opportunities for the Seahawks’ offense to get back on the field in advantageous field position. Not having the ball a lot, and when they do get it being backed up near its own goal line, has contributed to the offense not scoring at all the last six quarters.

Darryl Johnson earns more time

Some changes are coming.

Coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday another Darryl, Darryl Johnson, has earned more playing time than the 18 snaps he had at San Francisco. Johnson broke into the 49ers backfield beating blocks on multiple occasions off the edge as an outside linebacker. He had a tackle for loss last weekend in his limited time.

Johnson, formerly with Buffalo and last season Carolina, came to Seattle off waivers Aug. 31. He didn’t play a defensive snap in the Seahawks’ opening win over Denver, only on special teams.

“He’s made a really positive impression,” Carroll said of the 260-pound Johnson flying around the field. “We’ll see more of him.”

That likely means rotating with Taylor.

The Seahawks probably don’t want to take opposite outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu off the field, unless momentarily to rest. Nwosu has been the defense’s best player through two games. He preserved Seattle’s lead and win over the Broncos by bursting through the line into the backfield to ruin the two running plays on which Denver fumbled inside the 5-yard line in the second half of Seattle’s 17-16 win Sept. 12.

Johnson is the tallest outside linebacker at 6 feet 6. Him entering the rotation should help provide fresher edge rushers on passing downs. The Seahawks have just three sacks in two games, by Nwosu, inside linebacker Cody Barton and rookie outside pass rusher Boye Mafe.

“Big, rugged outside ‘backer,” Hurtt said of Johnson. “Can set edges...disruptive. So he gives us another big body on the edge and obviously you continue to build depth. That way, you can take some plays and some things off for Darryl, you can take some plays off for ‘Chenna, so we have more legs on third down.”

A few of what the Seahawks drafted Taylor to do out of Tennessee in 2020 and changed the defense from 2021 to do — that is, sacks — would sure help reverse these early season numbers and trends.

“He’s learning. He’s learning,” Carroll said, speaking more diplomatically about Taylor than Hurtt did. “I think as we are adjusting in this early part of the season we’re trying to figure out how to best use our guys, proportionately and rushing versus playing on early downs and stuff like that. So, we’re working on that.

“He can do everything. We particularly like him as a rusher coming off the edge because of his speed and all that.

“We’re learning. He’s learning. We’re learning.”