Three Unsung Heroes Emerge in Seahawks’ Solid 3-1 Start

The Seattle Seahawks are off to a 3-1 start in their defense of their Super Bowl title. With it being a 17-game regular season, there is no round number for the quarter mark for games but most teams take stock after four contests. The Seahawks have, at times, looked every bit the Super Bowl contender they are. At times, they also have look more disjointed and undisciplined than we are accustomed to seeing.

Sure, stars like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones, and Julian Love are doing their part. Those are names most of the league knows and for good reason.

With Seattle dealing with a host of injuries yet winning three of their first four games, several players have had to step up. Who are the three biggest unsung heroes for the Seahawks so far?

Nehemiah Pritchett

If you asked the average Seahawks fan who is most likely to be cut by the Seahawks during camp, Pritchett’s name no doubt would have come up in the discussion. After all, Pritchett was just a fifth round pick back in 2024 and only had logged 249 snaps on defense in his first two years combined, producing subpar results in limited action.

But given the loss of Riq Woolen in free agency and Josh Jobe being re-signed as the main starter opposite Devon Witherspoon at corner, Pritchett became much more important this summer, especially after Nick Emmanwori and Ty Okada began the season hurt, leaving the entire secondary vulnerable to the quality of its depth.

Pritchett likely won’t become a perennial Pro Bowl cornerback. However, what he has done so far this season has been a most welcome surprise. Among all cornerbacks with at least 100 snaps this season, he ranks seventh in overall grade via Pro Football Focus. He slots in at ninth in coverage grade and 10th in passer rating allowed when targeted. Essentially, he has been a fringe top 10 cornerback in the NFL during the first month of the season.

Not bad for a player who many thought might be cut as he fell down the depth chart last season.

Rodney Thomas II

Much like Pritchett at corner, Thomas was forced into a bigger role early in camp after coming over from the Colts as a free agent in the offseason. With Okada and Emmanwori beginning the season on the shelf, and Okada still on said shelf, Thomas has been getting a lion’s share of snaps at safety. In fact, he is tied for the team lead in total defensive snaps with Ernest Jones IV at 259. He played a near flawless game in the season opener against the Patriots, allowing just nine receiving yards on three targets faced and mixed in four tackles.

In four games so far, Thomas has never allowed more than nine yards passing when targeted. He collected six tackles against the Chargers last Sunday and was credited with two big run stops. He is currently Seattle’s top-graded run defender among their safeties. Seattle looked to him as a fourth safety option and yet has had to play like their top safety next to Love for most of the season, looking the part.

Abraham Lucas

It’s been something of an uneven start for Lucas in 2026. He allowed a sack and three pressures against the Patriots on opening night. He was charged with five pressures in Seattle’s sloppy loss to the Commanders in Week 3, turning in a disappointing performance for his standards. However, against the Chargers’ strong front, he righted the ship. He held the Chargers without a single quarterback pressure against him in 26 pass blocking snaps.

When looking at the entire season so far, Lucas is currently Seattle’s top-graded offensive lineman. He usually gets the opponent’s best edge rusher game after game and is holding strong, even as there has been a revolving door at right guard next to him with Anthony Bradford on injured reserve and the duo of Christian Haynes and rookie Beau Stephens platooning during games. Seattle has struggled to run the ball consistently this season and numbers haven’t been pretty running to the right side most of the year, but that is no fault of Lucas’, as he owns a sparkling 84.8 run blocking grade, which ranks second among all right tackles.