I would love your take on Schneider’s post-53-man roster moves, where we now find ourselves depth-wise. And on how he played it (meaning who he left dangling but got back)
I think I read somewhere this offseason that Murphy had put on some weight. I wonder how close he is to 320 now, since he is listed as the NT. They must feel comfortable with his ability to command a double team on run downs. I wonder how much more they want him to bulk up if he is going to be a true NT. 325-330 is probably a happy weight at 6'0".
I would be surprised if he is excited about that. Murphy himself described being stuck at NT last season as "hell" and talked about how excited he was to play his natural position of 3 tech.
I feel like it was on Brian Nemhouser's podcast, and he puts out epsidoes like SSJ so I can't find it now. But he was saying he felt elated to play more 3T. It sure felt like more than 66 snaps lined up against the center, but I don't doubt your data is correct.
Snap count data is from PFF Premium. One note on Murphy's comments about playing 3T. He was referring to pass rush downs specifically, not run defense. I think people often conflate alignments in pass vs run downs, as well as in the various formations. 3-4-4, 3-3-5, and 2-4-5 are going to be the most common and make up like 90-95% of the snaps, but personnel alignments in those formations is going to vary, and the job of that alignment is going to vary, even if it is the same position on the field. For example, the 3T in the 2-4-5 nickel pass rush doesn't have the same job as the 3T in the 3-4-4 base run defense, and the person at 3T in one won't necessarily be the same person in the other. So Murphy may still be the 0T NT in the 3-4-4 base run defense, but play more 3T in pass defense, in whatever formation they are using.
I was really hoping they weren't going to use him much at NT. It seems like a misallocation of resources. Can he do a decent job in the middle? Sure. Is he more dangerous at 3Tech? I think so. And I think he'd wear down less, and have more explosive plays.
They've made some roster moves since the original 53, but nothing at NT that I've seen.
Just read, maybe an article SJ, that Coach Mac named the starting OLine. Two new, but as expected. Cross, Zabel, Sundell, Bradford, Abe. Quote “Jalen, right now, is our starting center.” 7 straight opening day starting centers for the Hawks. Great to have consistency.
Jalen was the right call. He'll f-up from time to time, but I think he'll do well, and get better and better as the season goes along......along with the rest of the o-line.
Not saying won’t be but Jalen or Olu, still 7 years. My contention even an average OLine rank is based on consistent 5 working as a unit. Had Olu not hurt his back, still 7 years and still be improvement in my opinion. And with Jalen and Olu, Haynes and Richman and Cabeldue, they can play all 3 IOL spots in an emergency. Will say I liked Sundell in those jumbo package looks, but with Ouzts, Jalen at C and Ouzts, we’re almost always in jumbo look!
Hope didn’t come across wrong. No insult etc in my post. I’m too. So hopeful. Sitting next to a couple Whiner fans at the racetrack right now. Told them to grab plenty of tissue for next Sunday. :-))
Yeah sorry, should have acknowledged that.....given Williams started last year, it will be 7 straight regardless. I can't tell you how pumped I will be if this unit really gets after San Fran week 1.
What caught my eye was you said 11 rookies with 3 on defense, and we only drafted 2. Draft isn’t only place guys come from. Nick out of nowhere. I remember people here speaking of Ivey on Day 3, but he went Undrafted. Holani comes in. Sits a year. Now on roster. And thank you again for posting the White post. Awesome stuff. Love the attitude of this team.
I’m glad GMs aren’t polygamists, as far as we know. Hanging around college campuses looking for rookie wives. Making trades with other polygamist GMs. Keeping potential wives on a practice squad…
But I digress. The exception to the youth of last year’s Eagles roster was the OL. That’s the one place where performance is based on group coordination above individual heroics. High entanglement.
And there’s nothing that Polygamist GMs hate more than entanglement. Or so we can assume…
I've said this before, so forgive the repetitiveness, but Pete stopped following his own rules. He was THE GUY that said the notion you lose 1 game for every rookie you start was nonsense, and he embraced like nobody else getting youth and speed on the field. Then loyalty to 'his guys' diverted him from his own philosophy, and the team got older, and oh yeah, lost more games.
I loved Pete and was so sad when he got the axe. He loved his guys and they (except Earl Thomas) loved him. But in hindsight, it was his very loyalty to his players that was hurting the roster over time. I wish him all the best in Vegas, but it kind of looks like he's doing the same thing all over again.
I have no basis to quibble with the decision to keep Horton and let go of MVS, or any of the other youth oriented moves. I simply want to say that having seen MVS in two separate YouTube interviews, I really liked him; super bright, great perspective on the game. While I want the Seahawks D to shut him down this year, I really wish guys like that well.
That'll be five Hail Mary's and Ten push ups. I conifer absolutshin upon you...it's the price word sinners musk pay for not writing with speel check right?
Great article. Cool to see this trend playing out without anything that really looks like a total rebuild for the team - just a gradual shift. And, not seeing any of our division rivals in the Top 10 is interesting too.
One thing that jumped out to me from the depth chart is the difference between offense and defense - very young offense, especially the OL, while D has many more middle-aged starters, especially DL with Reed, Leo, D-Law, Nwosu. Rams look the opposite - young DL, vet OL. Niners look kinda old on both lines, though their D front has guys right in that 26-29yo sweet spot. So I wonder - who do we want in the trenches? Young bucks or grizzled vets? I guess we’ll see how it plays out this year.
It's also the natural result of drafting so many offensive players in one draft. It could be a youth movement in stages, with next year's possible defensive focus as stage 3 of 4 (coaches, offense/OL, defense/DL, BPA)?
Good point, the position groups all roll thru different phases, age and salary. Hopefully in 2-3 yrs Charles and Abe are making $20M+ each in their prime, bookending the best line in the league.
I was thinking the same - youth at speed positions. So the silver lining for us is that if we can succeed with this young line, the future is bright! (And it’s always worth mentioning again, veteran Charles Cross is only 24!)
Sometimes “luck” happens. See KC and their picks. Or famously Ozzie, a good TE but great GM, always seemed to get just the right guys at the right time. Maybe Hortons fall turns into another Tyler Lockett or Doug Baldwin.
Jerseys are fine, but the helmet is absolute FIRE as the kids say. Unfortunately, I don't wear helmets as an adult and I am skeptical of how those threads are going to sell.
Yeah I was thinking same. On Twitter I didn’t see things clearly and thought a couple other teams looked pretty good. But then saw the helmet and its dang good. Our old style silver over that first ever iridescent green. Slick.
Seems like a lazy retool of the ducks, to me. I do like it, though. It just wasn't quite creative enough for my taste. I would have liked to see a little more of the sound waves instead of the stripe down the side of the pants, maybe even a seismograph wave instead? But, the holographic color melding helmets are super sick. All-in-all, I do like them. Buffalo's are super clean looking. The rest are just boring to me, or downright questionable decisions like the rams'. But, I'm glad the rams unis look like the center of the jerseys got redacted.
The average age for starting players across the NFL was approximately 25.6 years old in 2025, with specific team averages varying significantly, such as the Commanders' average starter age of around 28.1 years compared to the Packers' 25.2. Age peaks vary by position, with tight ends developing later (around age 27.7) compared to running backs (peak ~25.7) and wide receivers (peak ~26.8).
Average Age by Team (as of mid-2025)
The Commanders: have the oldest average starter age at approximately 28.1 years old.
The Packers: have the youngest average starter age at approximately 25.2 years old.
Age Trends by Position
Quarterbacks: have an average age in the early to mid-30s.
Tight Ends: typically peak in age around 27.7 years old.
Wide Receivers: often peak in their 20s, around 26.8 years old.
Running Backs: tend to have their peak performance at an average of approximately 25.7 years old.
Overall League Age
The average age of an NFL player has been getting younger over time.
The peak age range for the majority of NFL players is between 24 and 30 years old, with a significant portion falling between 25 and 27.
Thanks AI! I don't know if any this is right...FYI.
And it would have been interesting to put up the ladder positions that each team finished when they had those youth. Or maybe show the average age of teams that have won the SB compared to the rest.
There's a lot of nuances to it, so that would be hard to sort through. If you've drafted and coached really well, a younger team can be just as successful as an older roster, and maybe better due to lower injury rate. However, if you haven't drafted and/or coached well, you probably consistently draft in the top 10. Young and bad doesn't work too well.
I think part would be starting lineups vs an entire roster. I would expect there to be more young guys as backups on most every team, but perhaps enough on some that it would sway the average.
With the salary cap and the way 2nd contracts for rookies are trending higher, bang for the buck is replacing expensive players looking for a 2nd contract with a rookie. I’m sure there are some positions, like WR and RB, where you can reach a high performance level very early in your career. Then there are some positions, like QB and OL that take longer to reach a high level of performance. Perhaps you prioritize those positions (QB and OL, etc) for 2nd contracts, and replace positions like WR, RB, etc., where you can easily start over with a young player on their first contract.
Can’t wait for JS’s book, “The Art of Roster Construction For the Perennial Super Bowl Champion Seahawks” to come out in 10 years when he retires.
'Perhaps you prioritize those positions (QB and OL, etc) for 2nd contracts, and replace positions like WR, RB, etc., where you can (more) easily start over with a young player on their first contract'
From JS’s press conference yesterday, it sounds like they attempted to talk about extending some of the 2022 class without success so far, and there are some of the 2022 class they are playing a wait and see how they do this year. My guess is Woolen, Mafe and K9 are a wait and see based on this year’s performance. Lucas is a wait and see for his health. Cross is extended on the 5th year option. And Bryant, who I thought might be extended cheaply, could be someone who feels he could get more if he waits and bets on himself.
Safeties in Coby Bryant's range almost never re-sign. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, it just means that in the last 5ish years, the only safeties to re-sign with their original teams are the top-5 highest paid safeties in the NFL. Pretty much every other safety found out he was more valuable on the market than with the team he was drafted by. Because Seattle has a Julian Love and picked Nick Emmanwori, it's kind of a perfect match for the theory that the Seahawks are drafting FA replacements.
Yeah, plus Emmanwori is likely to grow into a safety that can play deep, although perhaps not this year. I just figured he’d be cheap to keep. I like his nose for the ball and he’s a hitter. He stays pretty healthy as well. But he might feel he can get more if he plays well this year.
I would love your take on Schneider’s post-53-man roster moves, where we now find ourselves depth-wise. And on how he played it (meaning who he left dangling but got back)
I think I read somewhere this offseason that Murphy had put on some weight. I wonder how close he is to 320 now, since he is listed as the NT. They must feel comfortable with his ability to command a double team on run downs. I wonder how much more they want him to bulk up if he is going to be a true NT. 325-330 is probably a happy weight at 6'0".
I would be surprised if he is excited about that. Murphy himself described being stuck at NT last season as "hell" and talked about how excited he was to play his natural position of 3 tech.
Murphy only had 24 snaps in 2024 lined up at 0T, and 42 snaps at 1T (about 15% of his overall snapcount). Hankins was the primary NT.
I feel like it was on Brian Nemhouser's podcast, and he puts out epsidoes like SSJ so I can't find it now. But he was saying he felt elated to play more 3T. It sure felt like more than 66 snaps lined up against the center, but I don't doubt your data is correct.
Snap count data is from PFF Premium. One note on Murphy's comments about playing 3T. He was referring to pass rush downs specifically, not run defense. I think people often conflate alignments in pass vs run downs, as well as in the various formations. 3-4-4, 3-3-5, and 2-4-5 are going to be the most common and make up like 90-95% of the snaps, but personnel alignments in those formations is going to vary, and the job of that alignment is going to vary, even if it is the same position on the field. For example, the 3T in the 2-4-5 nickel pass rush doesn't have the same job as the 3T in the 3-4-4 base run defense, and the person at 3T in one won't necessarily be the same person in the other. So Murphy may still be the 0T NT in the 3-4-4 base run defense, but play more 3T in pass defense, in whatever formation they are using.
I was really hoping they weren't going to use him much at NT. It seems like a misallocation of resources. Can he do a decent job in the middle? Sure. Is he more dangerous at 3Tech? I think so. And I think he'd wear down less, and have more explosive plays.
They've made some roster moves since the original 53, but nothing at NT that I've seen.
Just read, maybe an article SJ, that Coach Mac named the starting OLine. Two new, but as expected. Cross, Zabel, Sundell, Bradford, Abe. Quote “Jalen, right now, is our starting center.” 7 straight opening day starting centers for the Hawks. Great to have consistency.
Jalen was the right call. He'll f-up from time to time, but I think he'll do well, and get better and better as the season goes along......along with the rest of the o-line.
Not saying won’t be but Jalen or Olu, still 7 years. My contention even an average OLine rank is based on consistent 5 working as a unit. Had Olu not hurt his back, still 7 years and still be improvement in my opinion. And with Jalen and Olu, Haynes and Richman and Cabeldue, they can play all 3 IOL spots in an emergency. Will say I liked Sundell in those jumbo package looks, but with Ouzts, Jalen at C and Ouzts, we’re almost always in jumbo look!
Hope didn’t come across wrong. No insult etc in my post. I’m too. So hopeful. Sitting next to a couple Whiner fans at the racetrack right now. Told them to grab plenty of tissue for next Sunday. :-))
Yeah sorry, should have acknowledged that.....given Williams started last year, it will be 7 straight regardless. I can't tell you how pumped I will be if this unit really gets after San Fran week 1.
To be fair, anything that happened under Pete Carroll doesn't really count. He had his 14 years and he's moved on.
Yes true but still significant.
What caught my eye was you said 11 rookies with 3 on defense, and we only drafted 2. Draft isn’t only place guys come from. Nick out of nowhere. I remember people here speaking of Ivey on Day 3, but he went Undrafted. Holani comes in. Sits a year. Now on roster. And thank you again for posting the White post. Awesome stuff. Love the attitude of this team.
I’m glad GMs aren’t polygamists, as far as we know. Hanging around college campuses looking for rookie wives. Making trades with other polygamist GMs. Keeping potential wives on a practice squad…
But I digress. The exception to the youth of last year’s Eagles roster was the OL. That’s the one place where performance is based on group coordination above individual heroics. High entanglement.
And there’s nothing that Polygamist GMs hate more than entanglement. Or so we can assume…
What an oddly insightful comment - not odd that you're insightful, but an odd comment that was also insightful.
I've said this before, so forgive the repetitiveness, but Pete stopped following his own rules. He was THE GUY that said the notion you lose 1 game for every rookie you start was nonsense, and he embraced like nobody else getting youth and speed on the field. Then loyalty to 'his guys' diverted him from his own philosophy, and the team got older, and oh yeah, lost more games.
Chris/Chuck see his pick up today. Stone is a Raider now.
SMH. Good grief.
:-)
I loved Pete and was so sad when he got the axe. He loved his guys and they (except Earl Thomas) loved him. But in hindsight, it was his very loyalty to his players that was hurting the roster over time. I wish him all the best in Vegas, but it kind of looks like he's doing the same thing all over again.
It looks exactly like that. Not sure whatever happened to Win Forever.
I have no basis to quibble with the decision to keep Horton and let go of MVS, or any of the other youth oriented moves. I simply want to say that having seen MVS in two separate YouTube interviews, I really liked him; super bright, great perspective on the game. While I want the Seahawks D to shut him down this year, I really wish guys like that well.
Double rec on this, Mobilizer.
Reading through it one more time, I'm embarrassed that I wrote "connotate" instead of connote.
You can't edit after you publish?
It's ok, I won't commentate on it
That'll be five Hail Mary's and Ten push ups. I conifer absolutshin upon you...it's the price word sinners musk pay for not writing with speel check right?
You spelt "hale" wrongly
Happens to us all!
20 push-ups.
At least Josh Jones isn't playing linebacker...amirite?
Great article. Cool to see this trend playing out without anything that really looks like a total rebuild for the team - just a gradual shift. And, not seeing any of our division rivals in the Top 10 is interesting too.
One thing that jumped out to me from the depth chart is the difference between offense and defense - very young offense, especially the OL, while D has many more middle-aged starters, especially DL with Reed, Leo, D-Law, Nwosu. Rams look the opposite - young DL, vet OL. Niners look kinda old on both lines, though their D front has guys right in that 26-29yo sweet spot. So I wonder - who do we want in the trenches? Young bucks or grizzled vets? I guess we’ll see how it plays out this year.
It's also the natural result of drafting so many offensive players in one draft. It could be a youth movement in stages, with next year's possible defensive focus as stage 3 of 4 (coaches, offense/OL, defense/DL, BPA)?
Good point, the position groups all roll thru different phases, age and salary. Hopefully in 2-3 yrs Charles and Abe are making $20M+ each in their prime, bookending the best line in the league.
I kinda feel like the trenches mostly lean towards success with older players, while many of the running/skill positions are slightly more youthful?
I was thinking the same - youth at speed positions. So the silver lining for us is that if we can succeed with this young line, the future is bright! (And it’s always worth mentioning again, veteran Charles Cross is only 24!)
Poor Kallerup. You're good enough to make the 53-man roster, but not good enough to make Kenneth's screenshot.
With any luck, Kallerup will go back forth from the PS. Then we can call him “Kallimup” Kallerup.
Told you MVS had a market :-))). lol.
"Sorry kid, it's not personal, it's business."
Indy!
It's very annoying to me that the Eagles were able to draft Jihaad Campbell at pick 31.
Sometimes “luck” happens. See KC and their picks. Or famously Ozzie, a good TE but great GM, always seemed to get just the right guys at the right time. Maybe Hortons fall turns into another Tyler Lockett or Doug Baldwin.
Yeah, I like him a lot. I'd still keep Zabel though.
On a side note, the rivalry jerseys dropped today, and the Hawks version is okay, but I do think the little 12s inside the numbers is very cool.
Jerseys are fine, but the helmet is absolute FIRE as the kids say. Unfortunately, I don't wear helmets as an adult and I am skeptical of how those threads are going to sell.
Yeah I was thinking same. On Twitter I didn’t see things clearly and thought a couple other teams looked pretty good. But then saw the helmet and its dang good. Our old style silver over that first ever iridescent green. Slick.
Dang it Chuck…I was looking forward to seeing you rock one of those helmets!
Yeah, I think they look nice.
I do find it odd that they didn't make more of an effort to separate themselves from the Ducks jerseys, especially given that they're made by Nike.
Seems like a lazy retool of the ducks, to me. I do like it, though. It just wasn't quite creative enough for my taste. I would have liked to see a little more of the sound waves instead of the stripe down the side of the pants, maybe even a seismograph wave instead? But, the holographic color melding helmets are super sick. All-in-all, I do like them. Buffalo's are super clean looking. The rest are just boring to me, or downright questionable decisions like the rams'. But, I'm glad the rams unis look like the center of the jerseys got redacted.
FTR! BEGAW!
Seaducks!
I suppose there’s only so many ‘bird’ designs one can come up with. 🦤
I've been harping on age for some time. I really appreciate this article holding up a mirror to the league and asking those questions. Keep it up!
From https://www.sportscasting.com/news/oldest-youngest-nfl-teams-2025-average-age-for-starters-on-offense-defense-special-teams/
Average Age of NFL Players in 2025 (By Position)
The average age for starting players across the NFL was approximately 25.6 years old in 2025, with specific team averages varying significantly, such as the Commanders' average starter age of around 28.1 years compared to the Packers' 25.2. Age peaks vary by position, with tight ends developing later (around age 27.7) compared to running backs (peak ~25.7) and wide receivers (peak ~26.8).
Average Age by Team (as of mid-2025)
The Commanders: have the oldest average starter age at approximately 28.1 years old.
The Packers: have the youngest average starter age at approximately 25.2 years old.
Age Trends by Position
Quarterbacks: have an average age in the early to mid-30s.
Tight Ends: typically peak in age around 27.7 years old.
Wide Receivers: often peak in their 20s, around 26.8 years old.
Running Backs: tend to have their peak performance at an average of approximately 25.7 years old.
Overall League Age
The average age of an NFL player has been getting younger over time.
The peak age range for the majority of NFL players is between 24 and 30 years old, with a significant portion falling between 25 and 27.
Thanks AI! I don't know if any this is right...FYI.
I don't know the data right now, but would be interesting to see average age 1990 vs 2000 vs 2010 vs 2025. Seems the NFL is much younger now.
And it would have been interesting to put up the ladder positions that each team finished when they had those youth. Or maybe show the average age of teams that have won the SB compared to the rest.
There's a lot of nuances to it, so that would be hard to sort through. If you've drafted and coached really well, a younger team can be just as successful as an older roster, and maybe better due to lower injury rate. However, if you haven't drafted and/or coached well, you probably consistently draft in the top 10. Young and bad doesn't work too well.
I think part would be starting lineups vs an entire roster. I would expect there to be more young guys as backups on most every team, but perhaps enough on some that it would sway the average.
Also data from phillyvoice.com;
1990 - 27 years
2000 - 26.5 years
2010 - 26.2 years
2020 - 25.7 years
Interesting article, and glad we're youngest by far in NFC West
With the salary cap and the way 2nd contracts for rookies are trending higher, bang for the buck is replacing expensive players looking for a 2nd contract with a rookie. I’m sure there are some positions, like WR and RB, where you can reach a high performance level very early in your career. Then there are some positions, like QB and OL that take longer to reach a high level of performance. Perhaps you prioritize those positions (QB and OL, etc) for 2nd contracts, and replace positions like WR, RB, etc., where you can easily start over with a young player on their first contract.
Can’t wait for JS’s book, “The Art of Roster Construction For the Perennial Super Bowl Champion Seahawks” to come out in 10 years when he retires.
'Perhaps you prioritize those positions (QB and OL, etc) for 2nd contracts, and replace positions like WR, RB, etc., where you can (more) easily start over with a young player on their first contract'
Exactly how I see it....
From JS’s press conference yesterday, it sounds like they attempted to talk about extending some of the 2022 class without success so far, and there are some of the 2022 class they are playing a wait and see how they do this year. My guess is Woolen, Mafe and K9 are a wait and see based on this year’s performance. Lucas is a wait and see for his health. Cross is extended on the 5th year option. And Bryant, who I thought might be extended cheaply, could be someone who feels he could get more if he waits and bets on himself.
Safeties in Coby Bryant's range almost never re-sign. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, it just means that in the last 5ish years, the only safeties to re-sign with their original teams are the top-5 highest paid safeties in the NFL. Pretty much every other safety found out he was more valuable on the market than with the team he was drafted by. Because Seattle has a Julian Love and picked Nick Emmanwori, it's kind of a perfect match for the theory that the Seahawks are drafting FA replacements.
I agree on all the others.
Yeah, plus Emmanwori is likely to grow into a safety that can play deep, although perhaps not this year. I just figured he’d be cheap to keep. I like his nose for the ball and he’s a hitter. He stays pretty healthy as well. But he might feel he can get more if he plays well this year.
I hate hearing that news...I love CB, he's so smart ahhhhh...no oooo