Bumpus: Why Seahawks need to extend Uchenna Nwosu
Jun 22, 2023, 12:25 PM
Seattle Seahawks LB Uchenna Nwosu reacts after recovering a fumble on Sept. 25, 2022. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
(Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks’ core is, for the most part, locked up for multiple years. But that’s not the case with one of their top defenders.
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The name of the game is quarterback play, and defensively, that means impacting the opposing team’s passer. Someone who was great at that for the Seahawks last year was outside linebacker/edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu, who came to Seattle last offseason in free agency on a two-year, $19 million deal.
Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus, who hosts Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports, thinks the Seahawks need to sign Nwosu to a contract extension soon rather than risking losing him next offseason.
“I definitely would, man,” Bumpus told Mike Salk during Thursday’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports. “I think that he is the attitude on that defense.”
In addition to being a major producer on the field, Nwosu emerged as a leader and tone-setter, too.
“We all know with defense, it is the more violent side of the football. He brings that to the table,” Bumpus said. “And also, he showed it with his first time actually being the guy. You gotta remember he was over there with with Los Angeles Chargers playing behind All-Pros and Pro Bowlers.”
Nwosu was mostly a rotational rusher for the Chargers, the team that drafted him in the third round out of USC, from 2018 to 2021. But he started every game for the Seahawks in 2022 and played nearly 80% of the team’s defensive snaps. As a result, he set career highs in sacks (9.5), QB hits (26) and tackles for loss (12).
“He showed you, ‘Look, I can handle it. I can give you 9.5 sacks, I can give you some TFLs, I can be the Player of the Week,'” Bumpus said. “So yeah, I think Uchenna is one of the guys that you don’t want to let go and that you want to extend because we talk about the culture and the identity of the Seattle Seahawks, this team, I automatically throw him in the mix. I think his presence is important and his play is important. He’s a guy who can produce. I’m expecting a big year out of this guy. I’m expecting 10.5 or 11 sacks.”
Replied Salk, “Wow. All right. Well, if you have 10.5 or 11 sacks, you’ll have wished that you signed him earlier to some sort of an extension.”
Listen to Bumpus’ discussion with Salk at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story.
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