Will a deep DL help against the run?

Every day from now until the season opener on September 8, we at Seattle Sports will take a look at each of the Seattle Seahawks’ 11 position groups. Today, we’ll take a look at the defensive line.

Who do you think Bump will make the Seahawks Pro Bowl in 2024?

Links to our previews of other position groups will be posted here as they are released: quarterback, wide receiver, wide receiver, middle linebacker, offensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback, safety, and special teams.

Division of the composition

Expected starters: Leonard Williams, Johnathan Hankins, Jarran Reed

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

PUP list: Cameron Young

Off-season recap

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

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

Outlook for 2024

The defensive line is expected to be one of the team’s deeper areas with a trio of proven veterans and a promising rookie in the first round of the draft. Williams, Reed and Hankins are the projected starters here, but expect Murphy to see plenty of action as a key member of the rotation in the trenches.

Williams and Murphy have the potential to make the biggest impact as versatile threats against the run and pass, while Hankins (a run stopper) 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 heavily in this group. Williams, acquired for a second-round pick in midseason from the Giants last year, signed a three-year, $64.5 million deal to stay with the team, while veterans Hankins and Reed have a combined cap impact of about $8.3 million. In addition, Seattle used its first-round pick on Murphy, who was the second defensive player to be cut in April. The hope is that investment will pay off by bolstering a run defense that has 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 sixth overall pick has been consistently productive throughout his NFL career, but has just one Pro Bowl appearance in his second professional season to show for it. Williams has recorded double-digit tackles for loss in four seasons, but he hasn’t had mind-blowing sack totals with a career-best 11 1/2 in 2020, his only campaign with double figures. However, he’s still Seattle’s most complete all-around receiver. In nine professional seasons, Williams has recorded 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 sophomore season in the league, in which he posted career-highs of 51 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2014, Hankins has never put up impressive stats, but he has been a solid pro for more than a decade. He has combined for 39 tackles for loss, 17 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles in the 11 previous seasons. Hankins is expected to have his biggest impact in the running game, but he also had his highest sack total (three) since 2016 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)

Given the tons of praise from teammates and prominent NFL analysts, expectations are high for Murphy, the 16th overall pick and the 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 make an immediate impact on what was the NFL’s worst run defense. After standout rookie years for cornerbacks Riq Woollen 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, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he was considered the Seahawks’ best defensive lineman by the end of the season.

The merger project was rejected. 📞

One sec @ByronMurphyII he found out that he would play for his favorite team. photo: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 selected in the second round of the 2017 draft, playing all but two seasons with the Seahawks. The Alabama product sparked the pass rush inside the backfield 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 decline in Reed’s production, but he remains a key part of the defensive front.

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

2023 stats: 3 tackles (1 match)

Morris had the 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 put an end to his season. The Michigan product finished the 2024 preseason on a high note, recording one sack, two pass deflections and three quarterback pressures in games against the Titans and Browns, but the path to playing time appears to be more rigorous this season as Williams, Hankins and Murphy have all been 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 in late December 2020 and made his pro debut the following season. In 23 career games, the Rice tight end has amassed 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup. He’ll compete with Morris for touchdowns at the end of the line rotation.

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 disabled list earlier this season. The second-year defensive lineman missed all of Seattle’s offseason with what coach Mike Macdonald called a lower-body injury and also missed the preseason. Young, a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2023, made one start and had 205 defensive snaps as a rookie.

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