The Seattle Seahawks might get an upgrade along their defensive line in 2026 from a player who rarely played in 2025. Rylie Mills couldn't. He was busy rehabbing from a knee injury he suffered late in his last season at Notre Dame. He made quite the impression in the Super Bowl in just five snaps, though.
Mills was projected to be a defensive tackle, though he likely could get reps as an edge rusher, too. He isn't the fastest on the outside, but he is obviously strong enough to disrupt. Imagine what he might be able to do over many years lined up next to 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy II.
Mills certainly does. Speaking after organized team activities on Thursday, Mills raved about his teammate.
Rylie Mills ready to play next to Seattle Seahawks teammate Byron Murphy II for the long run
"You’ve all seen Murph," Mills said. "He’s a freak. It’s great being next to him because you know something crazy’s gonna happen. He’s spoken up a lot this offseason. He’s a great leader."
The 2026 offseason is the first offseason in Mills' young career that he gets to practice next to Murphy, Leonard Williams, and Jarran Reed before a season begins. The Notre Dame product ascended at the end of last season as a rookie. While only getting in on a couple of tackles in Week 17, he had two quarterback pressures, a run stuff, and a sack in the title game.
That appears to be just a tease for what is yet to come for the fifth-round choice in 2025. Had it not been for his knee injury, he likely would have been, at worst, a third-round selection. In other words, the Seahawks likely got a steal in the late-middle rounds of last year's draft.
As for Murphy, he needed a season to fully acclimate to the NFL. Last season, he was one of the more underrated players in the NFL, though. From his interior defensive line spot, he produced 61 quarterback pressures, including seven sacks and 13 quarterback hits, and 43 run stuffs. He also doesn't miss tackle attempts much, whiffing just 4.5 percent of the time in 2025.
In the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks won, of course, but 12s might have also gotten a glimpse of greatness for the future. Not only did Rylie Mills get his sack by overpowering an offensive lineman, taking the lineman down at the same time he sacked quarterback Drake Maye, but Byron Murphy II got two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Mills and Murphy might be the force along the Seattle defensive line that is a real problem for opposing offenses for much of the next decade. The current excellence of head coach Mike Macdonald's defense lasting for many more seasons. Mills certainly believes that will be the case.
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