Why Leonard Williams can ‘hit the ground running’ with Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks suddenly see an opening in the NFC, and their trade Monday with the New York Giants for one-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams is certainly a move you see from a team serious about making a run.

How well could Williams fit into the Seahawks’ defense?

What does first-place Seahawks’ trade for Leonard Williams say?

John Jastremski, who covers the NFL from a New York point of view for The Ringer, told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy that he expects the addition of Williams to go smoothly for head coach Pete Carroll’s Hawks.

“(Williams) is a guy who is going to fit into Pete Carroll’s system seamlessly,” Jastremski said Monday, “and I don’t think he’s going to have much trouble kind of catching on as far as learning the playbook, the scheme and whatnot.”

A big part of Jastremski’s reasoning is that the 29-year-old Williams has seen a lot in his NFL career, which has included 4 1/2 seasons with each of the New York Jets and New York Giants.

“He’s been in so many systems, he’s played for so many different head coaches. I think he should be able to get right in there and hit the ground running.”

Carroll: Seahawks watched Leonard Williams for a long time

What kind of player are the Seahawks getting in the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Williams?

“I’ve always thought Leonard Williams was an excellent run defender,” said Jastremski, who hosts The Ringer’s “New York, New York” podcast. “I always thought as far as getting after the quarterback, you know, (he gets) a lot of quarterback hurries, but when it comes to actually sealing the deal and getting sacks, he doesn’t do a good enough job of that. … He’s been so workmanlike. Let’s put it this way – he’s not one of these guys that to me really, really jumps off the page at you, but he’s just really good at his job. He’s fighting in the trenches, he’s winning battles.”

DOWN he goes! (part 2)

📺: @NFLonFOX & Giants App pic.twitter.com/fllKiNOx2f

— New York Giants (@Giants) October 17, 2021

Perhaps just as important, Jastremski has never heard someone say anything negative about Williams as a person, which he said is rare.

“He’s a really good guy. That’s something the film can’t tell you. He’s very likable – with the Jets he was very likeable, with the Giants he was very likable. So I don’t think he’s going to have any problem assimilating himself into the culture that Pete Carroll has with the Seattle Seahawks, which you both know is a very good culture. … Dead serious when I say this, there is not one bad thing I’ve heard about Leonard Williams as a human being, so I think you guys are getting yourself one (heck) of a dude.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation with The Ringer’s John Jastremski in the podcast at this link or in the audio player near the top of this post.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks trade for DL Leonard Williams in blockbuster move
• Rost: Seattle Seahawks are in first place, but they have some warts
• Jordyn Brooks, Boye Mafe emerging as keys to Seahawks’ defense
• What They Said: Seattle Seahawks on last-minute win over Browns

Follow @BrentStecker