Brock: An area where Seahawks need young players to ascend

After winning a Super Bowl last season with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks are well positioned for a run of sustained success.

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However, there’s one position group where Seattle could use an infusion of young talent beyond this season.

Of the Seahawks’ projected top eight defensive linemen/edge rushers heading into this fall, five are veterans whose futures are at least somewhat uncertain after 2026: DeMarcus Lawrence (age 34), Jarran Reed (age 33), Leonard Williams (age 32), Dante Fowler Jr. (age 31) and Uchenna Nwosu (age 29).

Lawrence has two years left on his contract, but realistically is probably on a year-to-year basis after acknowledging there was a “very slim” chance he could have retired this offseason. Reed also has two years left on his deal, but his salary cap hit rises to $9.5 million in 2027. Meanwhile, Williams and Nwosu are in the final years of their contracts, while Fowler is on a one-year deal.

Given those long-term question marks, it’s imperative the Seahawks continue to develop a young nucleus up front, as former NFL quarterback Brock Huard emphasized during Monday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

The good news? The Seahawks have several promising young players with the potential to form a long-term nucleus along the defensive front.

Byron Murphy II (age 23) looks like a budding star after finishing tied for third among all NFL defensive tackles with 7.0 sacks last season. Edge rusher Derick Hall (age 25) had an 8.0-sack 2024 campaign and recently signed an extension that keeps him under contract through 2029. And defensive lineman Rylie Mills (age 24) showed a glimpse of his intriguing potential with a jaw-dropping sack in the Super Bowl.

“There’s going to be this transition from all the 30-somethings – the 33-year-old Jaren Reed, the 32-year-old Leonard Williams, the 31-year-old Dante Fowler, the nearly 30-year-old Uchenna Nwosu,” Huard said. “You’re going to need these 20-somethings – Byron Murphy and Rylie Mills and Derick Hall – to ascend and take that next step.

“It was a big reason why you wanted Derick Hall signed in this offseason. … But you need this young group to ascend, because for many of those (older) guys, this (could) be it.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player above. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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