Seahawks Preview: Will deep DL help problems against the run?

Sep 2, 2024, 2:18 PM | Updated: Sep 7, 2024, 4:30 pm

Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks in action during a 2023 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

Every day between now and the Sept. 8 season opener, we at Seattle Sports are previewing each of the Seattle Seahawks’ 11 position groups. Today, we take a look at the defensive line.

Who Bump thinks will be a Seahawks Pro Bowler in 2024

Links to our other position group previews will be included here as they are posted: Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback, safety and special teams.

Roster breakdown

Projected starters: Leonard Williams, Johnathan Hankins, Jarran Reed

Projected backups: Byron Murphy II, Mike Morris, Myles Adams

PUP list: Cameron Young

Offseason summary

Who’s out: Mario Edwards Jr. signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans during the offseason. Austin Faoliu signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. Matthew Gotel, a Tacoma native, was released by the team during the 53-man roster cutdown.

Who’s in: The Seahawks signed Hankins to a one-year deal in the offseason. Seattle selected Murphy in the first round with the 16th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

2024 outlook

The defensive line figures to be one of the deeper areas of the team with a trio proven veterans and a promising rookie first-rounder in the fold. Williams, Reed and Hankins are the projected starters here, but expect Murphy to see plenty of snaps as a key member of the rotation in the trenches.

Williams and Murphy have the potential to make the biggest impact as all-around threats against the run and pass, while Hankins (a run stuffer) and Reed (a good interior pass rusher) each bring their own strengths to the table. Morris, who played at Michigan while Macdonald was the defensive coordinator for one season, could be another name to watch after missing all but one game of his rookie season with a shoulder injury.

The Seahawks have invested quite a bit in this group. Williams, who was acquired for a second-round pick in a mid-season trade with the Giants last year, signed a three-year, $64.5 contract to stay with the team, while veterans Hankins and Reed have a combined cap hit of roughly $8.3 million. Plus, Seattle used its first-round pick on Murphy, who was the second defensive player to be taken of the board in April. The hope is that the investment pays off by shoring up a run defense that ranked last in the NFL the past two seasons.

Leonard Williams | 6-5, 310| Age: 30 | 10th year

2023 stats: 62 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5 1/2 sacks (18 games)

The former No. 6 overall pick has been consistently productive throughout his NFL career, but has just one Pro Bowl appearance from his second pro season to show for it. Williams has posted double digits in tackles for loss in four seasons, but he hasn’t had the eye-popping sack totals with a career-best 11 1/2 in 2020 being his only campaign in double digits. However, he’s still Seattle’s most complete all-around alignment In nine pro seasons, Williams has totaled 68 tackles for loss, 43 1/2 sacks and six forced fumbles.

Johnathan Hankins | 6-3, 335 | Age: 32 | 12th year

2023 stats: 27 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 sacks (14 games)

Outside of a standout second season in the league when he posted career highs of 51 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2014, Hankins has never produced a loud stat line, but he’s been a solid pro for over a decade. In 11 season previous seasons, he’s totaled 39 tackles for loss, 17 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles. Hankins is expected to make his biggest impact against the run, but he also posted his highest sack total (three) since 2016 while playing under new Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde – who was Hankins defensive line coach with the Cowboys – last season.

Byron Murphy II | 6-0, 306 | Age: 21 | 1st year

2023 college stats: 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks (14 games)

With plenty of praise coming his way from teammates and prominent NFL analysts, expectations are high for Murphy, the No. 16 overall pick and second defensive player to be taken off the board in the NFL Draft. The Texas product backed up his draft status with a strong training camp and has the potential to immediately make a major impact on what’s been the NFL’s worst run defense. After standout rookie years from cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Murphy could give Seattle a legitimate Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate for a third straight season. Murphy is still young at just 21 years old, but it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he ends up being considered as the Seahawks’ best defensive lineman by the end of the season.

Draft call drop. 📞

The moment @ByronMurphyII found out he'd be playing for his favorite team. pic.twitter.com/nAGoFWsXCz

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 26, 2024

Jarran Reed | 6-3, 315 | Age: 31 | 9th year

2023 stats: 54 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Reed is preparing for his seventh campaign in Seattle and has been a stalwart on the defensive line since being picked in the second round of the 2017 draft, playing all but two of his pro seasons with the Seahawks. The Alabama product provided a spark to the interior pass rush with seven sacks and was also solid against the run in a resurgent return to the Pacific Northwest last year. However, added depth, a new scheme and age (he turns 32 this season) could result in a dip in production for Reed, but he remains a key piece for the defensive front.

Mike Morris | 6-6, 306 | Age: 23 | 2nd year

2023 stats: 3 tackles (1 game)

Morris had potential to make an impact as a member of the defensive line rotation during his rookie campaign before a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 1 wiped out his year. The Michigan product closed the 2024 preseason on a high note, registering a combined one sack, two pass deflections and three quarterback hits in games against the Titans and Browns, but the path to playing time appears to be more rigorous this season with Williams, Hankins and Murphy all being added to the mix since Morris’ injury.

Myles Adams | 6-2, 300 | Age: 26 | 4th year

2023 stats: 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack (11 games)

Adams, who went undrafted, joined the Seahawks practice squad late in December of 2020 and made his pro debut the following season. In 23 career games, the Rice product has amassed 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup. He’ll be battling Morris for snaps at on the backend of the rotation on the line.

Cameron Young | 6-3, 325 | Age: 24 | 2nd year

2023 stats: 18 tackles, 1 tackle for loss (16 games)

Young will miss at least the first four games after being placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start the season. The second-year D-lineman missed all of Seattle’s offseason activities with what head coach Mike Macdonald called a lower-body injury and also missed the preseason. Young, a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2023, logged one start and 205 defensive snaps as a rookie.