Thomas Booker IV has had less than a month since he was traded to the Raiders to prove he deserves to play a key role on defense.

Mission accomplished.

Booker was listed as one of the starting defensive tackles on the depth chart for Sunday’s season opener at New England and figures to see extensive action in a deep rotation.

“He’s really smart,” coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday. “He’s really tough. His consistency of effort is excellent. Chases the ball really well. Technique-wise, he’s really sound. It jumped out right in the first couple days we got him out there that he understood what the expectations of the position were.”

But Booker isn’t satisfied with seeing his name at the top of a list on a piece of paper. The 25-year-old former Stanford player understands the importance of

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