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# AP All-Pro Voters Underestimate Power of Seahawks’ ‘Darkside’ Defense
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-ap-all-pro-voters-underestimate-darkside-defense/
- Published: 2026-01-10T19:53:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:16:26.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Ernest Jones, Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams, Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3320"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) celebrates after an interception during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27713189-format-original-2.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) celebrates after an interception during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

Helping lead the franchise to a single-season record 14 wins, an NFC West title, and the top seed in the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks’ ferocious defense carved out a name of its own amongst the best units in team history in 2025.

But while Seattle may have surrendered the fewest points in the NFL, boasted a top-three run defense, and finished first in third down conversion rate among other accolades, it appears voters don’t know the power of the “Darkside.”

Despite yielding just 17.2 points per game, stuffing running backs to a league-low 3.7 yards per carry, racking up 47 sacks, and forcing 25 turnovers, the Seahawks didn’t have a single defensive player named to the AP All-Pro First-Team. While some may argue it is a case where the sum is greater than the parts and three players - defensive tackle Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon - did earn Second-Team distinction, it’s a glaring omission for the league’s best all-around defense from a 14-win squad to not have anyone on the best 11 players.

As far as which players should have the biggest gripe, while he will celebrate being a Second-Team selection for the first time in his career, a strong argument can be made that Williams deserved to be on the First-Team as one of the top two defensive tackles. Along with producing 58 pressures and seven sacks as a pass rusher, he starred as a centerpiece for Seattle’s elite run defense, racking up 39 tackles against the rush with an average depth of tackle of 1.5 yards, often doing the dirty work as well to create opportunities for teammates.

Not selected to either All-Pro team, Byron Murphy II also may have had good reason to feel slighted as well. The sophomore defensive tackle erupted for 50 pressures and seven sacks, tying Williams in the latter department, while ranking in the top 15 among interior defenders in run stops (25) and stop percentage (9.2%). His ability to destroy double teams as a nose tackle served Seattle’s defense quite well beyond the box score, keeping Jones and fellow linebacker Drake Thomas free to make plays in the run game without blockers climbing to them.

At the linebacker spot, Detroit’s Jack Campbell tallied 176 tackles and five sacks, while Miami’s Jordyn Brooks led the league with 183 combined tackles and added 3.5 sacks, each enjoying strong seasons. But neither player had a single interception and Jones picked off a career-high five passes, including returning one for a touchdown, tying for the most among off-ball linebackers in the NFL. He hit this mark in just 15 games as well, making his achievement all the more impressive and creating questions about why he wasn’t a First-Team selection given the impact plays he consistently made in the middle as a top-tier cover linebacker.

In the secondary, Witherspoon ultimately received the nod as a Second-Team selection despite missing five games with a knee injury, and he justified that selection by surpassing 70 tackles and tying for the league lead among cornerbacks with 10 quarterback pressures while holding opposing receivers to just 8.9 yards per reception with four pass breakups and an interception.

But while Witherspoon performed at an All-Pro level when healthy, as far as snubs are concerned, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori had the more impressive resume across the board. The second round pick out of South Carolina led all safeties with eight pass breakups, registered 2.5 sacks as a blitzing weapon for the Seahawks, and recorded eight tackles for loss to go with an interception and a blocked field goal, stuffing the stat sheet while seeing snaps as a slot corner, linebacker, free/strong safety, and even as a defensive end, boasting skills that some may see as unnatural at 6-3, 225 pounds.

That versatility did earn Emmanwori two First-Team selections as a slot cornerback, but that wasn’t enough to land a spot on the team. Given his production at a multitude of positions, however, he deserved to at least be a Second-Team selection, if not one of the top two safeties.

Ultimately, the Seahawks aren’t in the business of playing for individual accolades, and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next month remains the lone goal. That team-first mindset has been a major part of their success dating back to the beginning of OTAs in April. If they win the Super Bowl, nobody will care at all if they didn’t have one defensive player garner First-Team All-Pro recognition.

At the same time, Seattle’s defense consists of hyper-competitive, confident players who believe they are the best and desire to be acknowledged as such. If they needed any bulletin board material to further their motivation just in time for the playoffs, this exclusion should provide the necessary ammunition.