Three-Year Outlook: Seahawks Face a Few Pressing Questions on Defense Beyond 2026

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) celebrates with safety Nick Emmanwori (left) and defensive end Leonard Williams (right) after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium

As the calendar flips to April and the 2026 NFL Draft rapidly approaches, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves in the heat of the offseason, continuing to look into ways to improve their roster scanning the free agent market along with wrapping up draft evaluations while also exploring extensions to retain several of their top players.

While building the best roster for the upcoming season remains the top goal with eyes on defending their Super Bowl title, Seahawks general manager John Schneider also has to be cognizant of the future, making every decision in regard to free agency, extensions, and the draft with a multi-year window in mind.

Now less than a month away from the draft, how does Seattle’s defense look for both the present and the future? Here’s a deep dive into the state of each defensive position group through the 2028 season:

EDGE/Defensive End

Aside from losing Boye Mafe to the Bengals in free agency, with coach Mike Macdonald indicating Demarcus Lawrence planned to play next season after retirement speculation swirled earlier in the spring, the Seahawks will have their whole cast of characters returning at the EDGE position in 2026. The trio of Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall should still stack up nicely against other teams in the NFC with each player having different skill sets and strengths to complement one another. But only the 34-year-old Lawrence - who clearly is on a year-to-year plan at this point in his career - is under contract past next season from that group, as Nwosu had his contract restructured last year and only has one year left on his deal and Hall will be entering the last year of his rookie deal.

Looking towards the future, with Mafe already in Cincinnati, there’s a possibility Lawrence, Nwosu, and Hall could all be wearing different uniforms of their own by 2027. As for young players who could step up in that scenario, while Macdonald has talked up Jamie Sheriff and Connor O’Toole in recent weeks, neither former undrafted signee has played more than 50 regular season defensive snaps in the league. No matter what happens with Nwosu and Hall, who could each be candidates for extensions depending on price point, Schneider will have to be aggressive seeking reinforcements in the upcoming draft to take advantage of a deep, talented EDGE class. It would be a major surprise if the Seahawks don’t use one of their first two picks on one and they might even use two of their limited selections at the position due to the long-term question marks there.

Defensive Tackle

Boasting a three-headed monster that rivals any defensive front in the league, the Seahawks will have Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and budding star Byron Murphy II all back in 2026. But in a similar boat compared to the EDGE group, like Nwosu and Hall, “Big Cat” currently has only one year left on the three-year contract he signed in March 2024, while Reed’s cap hit jumps to nearly $10 million in the final year of his contract in 2027 when he turns 35 years old. Most likely, Schneider has already started negotiations with Williams on a new contract, as he still looks to have plenty of great football left in him and remains a foundational piece for Macdonald’s defense, but Reed’s situation is a more tenuous one with him being a couple years older and carrying the aforementioned cap hit. There’s also the nose tackle question, as Brandon Pili re-signed on a one-year deal but may not be the long-term answer there either.

On the plus side, assuming Williams receives another big money deal to potentially finish his career in Seattle, Schneider also has the fifth-year option at his disposal with Murphy, giving him more flexibility for a future extension as he has already done with tackle Charles Cross and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks also have a potential successor for Reed waiting in the wings in Rylie Mills, who missed most of his rookie season recovering from a torn ACL but returned to make a major impact in the playoffs, including sacking Drake Maye in the Super Bowl. The organization believes he has the upside to be a starter down the line, and pairing him with Williams and Murphy for the foreseeable future would set things up nicely up front.

Linebacker

On the surface, the Seahawks appear to be set at linebacker following the decision to re-sign Drake Thomas on a two-year deal last month. With that deal signed and delivered, Ernest Jones, Thomas, and Tyrice Knight all remain under contract through the 2027 season, providing great continuity in the middle of Macdonald’s defense. But none of those players are signed beyond 2027, so Schneider will have some choices to make this time next year. Jones, who will turn 27 years old in November, should be viewed as a lock to land another lucrative multi-year contract with negotiations set to begin next spring. Thomas will be a tougher call, however, especially if he builds off of a breakout 2025 season, as the team may not be able to afford two starting linebackers north of $8 million per year.

In the present, especially with Seattle only having four picks currently for this year’s draft, linebacker won’t be near the top of the team’s needs on the big board. But at the same time, with Jones, Thomas, and Knight all being a year away from the final year of their respective contracts, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Schneider decides to be proactive and select a linebacker a year earlier than expected, providing extra insurance in the case that Thomas and/or Knight isn’t retained for another contract. This position belongs in the wild card discussion as a underpublicized need for the future.

Cornerback

While Woolen wound up being outside Seattle’s price range to re-sign and heading to Philadelphia early in free agency, Schneider did manage to re-sign Josh Jobe on a three-year deal at $8 million per season, a strong contract for an underrated starter. In the midst of negotiations with Devon Witherspoon on a massive extension, assuming that deal gets done by the early stages of training camp, the Seahawks will have two of their starters under contract together through 2028. And even if Witherspoon isn’t re-signed right now, the team picked up his fifth-year option last month, so he’s tied to the organization for two more years regardless. From that standpoint, they are in fine shape atop the depth chart at cornerback.

Depth, on the other hand, remains a major issue following Woolen’s departure. With Macdonald’s high nickel and dime usage featuring five or more defensive backs on the field, Seattle will need another player to step up to play substantial snaps alongside Witherspoon and Jobe, and it remains to be seen if that player is currently on the roster. Former fifth round pick Nehemiah Pritchett has flashed at times in his first two seasons, but he also has been vulnerable to giving up explosive plays in coverage. Ex-Miami first round pick Noah Igbinoghene has yet to fulfill the promise many believed he had coming out of Auburn, though he does give inside/outside versatility and may be better suited than Pritchett to handle a sub-package role on a one-year prove it deal. More than likely, Woolen’s replacement isn’t on the roster yet, and Schneider will have a strong draft class to pick from at the position, potentially as early as round one for a prized prospect such as San Diego State’s Chris Johnson, Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds, or Tennessee’s Colton Hood.

Safety

The Seahawks hoped to be able to bring back Coby Bryant, but the two sides couldn’t strike a deal and the former Jim Thorpe Award winner took his talents to Chicago to sign a multi-year deal with the Bears. Losing a two-year starter who produced seven interceptions in that span will undoubtedly hurt. However, the team could afford to let him walk and not match Chicago’s deal because of the presence of Ty Okada, who provided a huge boost in the secondary last season by filling in admirably for Julian Love and Bryant in 11 total starts, eclipsing 60 tackles with 1.5 sacks and an interception. On a cheap exclusive rights tender and slated to be a restricted free agent next spring, Okada remains under affordable club control for at least the next season, if not two.

That’s a big development considering Seattle has Love signed through 2027 and Nick Emmanwori, who looks to be on a superstar track, has three years left on his rookie contract and won’t be a free agent until 2029. Depth-wise, Schneider made a pair of shrewd moves in free agency by signing ex-Colts starter Rodney Thomas II and bringing back D’Anthony Bell, who played in 11 games for the Seahawks last year before the Panthers stole him off of waivers in Week 18. Thomas offers a ball hawking skill set better suited for free safety and Bell thrives playing in the box, giving the team experienced insurance options behind Okada and Emmanwori. Drafting a safety can’t be ruled out, but eve after losing Bryant, it can be argued that no position is better set for the present and future on the Seahawks’ defense as constructed.