STOCK UPš: 5 SEAHAWKS ON THE RISE
Seahawks can build around these 5 players
By firing Ryan Grubb, the Seahawks couldnāt hide the fact that John Schneider and Mike Macdonald (and Jody Allen?) were at least a little bit disappointed by the 2024 season. Many of Seattleās free agency choices were misfires, the teamās number two pick couldnāt crack second string, and just this week I was reminded that the team traded a sixth round pick for Trevis Gipson.
Gipson recorded no tackles ā no stats whatsoever ā in five appearances.
That being said, the Seahawks also didnāt take a step back. Macdonald took over a roster that was already lacking elite/great/very good talent, won more games than the previous season, and made huge strides with a defense that had been pretty terrible over Pete Carrollās final five years.
For those of us who thought that 2024 was more of an āaudition seasonā than an effort to win the Super Bowl, then any player with a falling stock is actually just helping the Seahawks figure out who needs to stay and who needs to be replaced.
These are 5 players who solidified themselves as part of the solution.
DL Leonard Williams
Pro Stats: 53 stops (4th among DL), 11 sacks (5th among DL), 1 pick-6
The only other two defensive linemen who had 40+ stops, 9+ sacks, and one interception were Nick Bosa and Zach Sieler.
Whatās most encouraging about Williamsā breakout
I can believe itās real because as a former top-10 pick, weāve always known that Leonard Williams is a unique talent. And though heās been in the NFL for 10 years, the 30-year-old Williams plays a position that has produced ālate bloomersā who can play at a high level into their mid-30s:
Steelersā Cam Heyward just made his fifth All-Pro team at age 35 and four of those accolades have come since he turned 30.
Itās also great that Williams is already paired with Byron Murphy II, as those two can continue to play off of each other and the Seahawks can focus their roster rebuild on the other side of the line.