The Seattle Seahawks are strengthening their defensive line after losing Boye Mafe in the offseason, once again poaching from the Dallas Cowboys by adding former No. 3 overall pick Dante Fowler. Fowler will team back up with teammate Demarcus Lawrence in the Pacific Northwest.
Lawrence made a very convincing sales pitch to get Fowler up to Seattle. After Lawrence's oft-maligned contract proved to be worth every penny after he contributed to a championship-winning team, Lawrence tempted Fowler with promises of some hardware at the end of the year.
Fowler, per the team's official website, said that Lawrence told him, "If you want to win a Super Bowl, you should come here." Considering that Lawrence's move helped him secure a title after years of playoff disappointments in Dallas, Fowler may have a similar ride in his future.
Demarcus Lawrence used Super Bowl to convince Dante Fowler Jr. to join Seattle Seahawks
Fowler, who spent three of the prior four seasons with the Cowboys, recorded 13 sacks in that time frame. Mixed in there was a 10.5-sack season with the Washington Commanders, though he was not retained for 2025. Perhaps the Seahawks can get that same Dan Quinn form out of him.
The starting defensive line appears set. On the edge, versatile veteran Leonard Williams and edge-rushing chesspiece Uchenna Nwosu will join Lawrence. Fowler is a depth move, as he will slide in next to Derick Hall and former fifth-round pick Mike Morris.
Fowler ranked as the 21st best edge rusher in football last year despite the fact that his pressure generation remains middle of the pack when compared to others across the league. Fowler is at his best when it comes to setting the edge, and stopping the run at a high level is part of what made Seattle's defense so deadly last year.
Dallas, meanwhile, may struggle to replace Fowler due to that edge-setting skill. Young players like Donovan Ezeiruaku and rookie Malachi Lawrence can get to the quarterback, but neither of them will likely come close to Fowler when it comes to filling the very specific role Seattle was interested in replicating in their defense.
Repeating is always hard, especially when the Seahawks don't have a Hall of Fame-level talent at the quarterback position. However, this defense is legit enough to beat almost anyone when they are locked in, and adding Fowler to the mix is only going to make them even more ferocious.
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