From Liability to Luxury: Seahawks’ Defensive Line Now Among Best in NFL
What we have learned in the last few Super Bowls is that one of the biggest difference makers a championship team can have is a disruptive defensive line. From the Bucs stifling Patrick Mahomes in 2020, to the Eagles flummoxing the two-time MVP last Super Bowl, it’s clear an elite defensive line can win you a title.
In 2021, Seattle’s defensive line lacked consistent pressure. The Seahawks finished with just 34 sacks, ranking in the bottom third of the league. While veterans like Carlos Dunlap and rising pass-rusher Darrell Taylor flashed potential, there wasn’t enough sustained heat on opposing quarterbacks.
The next year, the pass rushing improved for Seattle, but the run defense was abysmal in 2022. The team ranked 27th in yards per carry allowed, even while their sack total increased to 45 with Taylor and newcomer Uchenna Nwosu leading the way.
The transformation began in earnest in 2023, when the Seahawks made deliberate moves to rebuild the trenches. The front office brought back Jarran Reed to anchor the interior, signed Dre’Mont Jones to add athleticism inside, and later traded for veteran Leonard Williams, whose presence immediately raised the unit’s floor. Meanwhile, Seattle found a solid young edge rushers like Boye Mafe, who had a breakout sophomore season in 2023.
Still, the Seahawks ranked near the bottom in run defense in Pete Carroll’s final season as head coach, likely a big reason behind the decision to move on from the Super Bowl winner.
The two biggest moves Seattle made to turn their defense, and especially their defensive line, from a liability into a luxury, was first, to hire Mike Macdonald away from being the defensive wizard of the Baltimore Ravens. Complementing that move, the franchise re-signed the Big Cat himself, Leonard Williams, to anchor the interior line.
Those two moves might have completely changed the trajectory of a franchise eager to usher in a new era.
At the end of the 2022 season, the Seahawks defensive line had a lineup of players like Shelby Harris, Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, Darrell Taylor, and LJ Collier.
Now, those names have been replaced by two-time Pro Bowler Leonard Williams, first round pick Byron Murphy II, the resurgent Jarran Reed, and four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence, along with Nwosu and Mafe. The influx of superior talent has been drastic.
Now, it appears the Seahawks have one of the best defensive lines in football. That was on full display against the Jaguars on Sunday. The defense had a whopping 33 pressures along with seven sacks against Trevor Lawrence, who had only been sacked six times total in Jacksonville’s first five games.
Per Brady Henderson of ESPN, “Byron Murphy II had seven pressures today, the most by a Seahawks player in a game since Carlos Dunlap also had seven against the Bears in 2021 (Week 16). Murphy had two sacks, giving him 4.5 on the year.”
The emergence of a second-year blue-chip talent in Murphy has seen this Seattle defensive line reach a new level. Since the start of last year, Williams has been one of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in football. Last season, he was the fourth-highest graded interior lineman per Pro Football Focus. This year, he sits at 17th. It’s hard not to have him in the conversation among the most disruptive defenders in the league at any position.
Don’t forget about Jarran Reed. Re-signing Reed ahead in 2023 after he departed Seattle in 2020 was one of the savviest moves this front office has made. 2024 was Reed’s highest graded season of his entire career and his 48 pressures was his most since 2018.
Currently, the Seahawks defense is tied for second in the NFL in sacks (20) while also allowing the second-least amount of yards per carry on the ground. That combination suggests this defensive line has entered the ranks of elite, which can help take Macdonald’s squad on a deep playoff run.
The Seahawks have five players in the top 66 graded defensive tackles and defensive ends in all the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
What a difference a few seasons can make.
