Seattle Seahawks fans, like fans of every other team in the NFC West, definitely didn't love the Los Angeles Rams trading for edge rusher Myles Garrett. Garrett is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL currently, and likely a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
But his addition, according to NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah, doesn't necessarily make the Rams' defensive line better than the Seahawks'. Seattle, of course, has high-end talent with its starting group: Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Jarran Reed (in a 4-3 base, which head coach Mike Macdonald doesn't use most of the time).
The Rams counter that with Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner, and on the outside, Garrett and Byron Young. That is an elite starting group. The difference in the teams, says Jeremiah, is that Seattle has better depth, and depth matters in Super Bowl runs.
Seattle Seahawks defensive backups are better than the Los Angeles Rams
Jeremiah tweeted recently, "You can debate Rams starting DL vs Seahawks starting DL. You can’t debate the backups. The Seahawks' second unit is much better. Depth has been HUGE for the last two SB winners."
Los Angeles does suffer a fairly precipitous drop in its group of backups. The starters are greatly impactful, but as defensive linemen and edge rushers are rotated out, backups play an extremely valuable role, more than, say, at cornerback or inside linebacker.
After the five players above, LA doesn't have a single player that jumps out as a problem for opposing offensive coordinators. The players can be good, of course, but they aren't expected to be great.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks are still fairly loaded, especially at edge rusher, where Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, and Dante Fowler are. Mike Macdonald's team also has Rylie Mills in the middle of the line, and the ascending second-year pro might be ready to break out in 2026.
Behind the defensive front, the Seahawks are clearly better. Even though the Rams rebuilt their cornerback group this offseason by trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson, along with good safeties Kamren Kinchens and Kam Curl, the group pales in comparison to Seattle's backend, which includes Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori, and rookie Bud Clark.
Most likely, just as in 2025, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are going to have a season-long battle for supremacy of the NFC West and the entire conference. But LA's recent additions, as good as they might be, still don't push them ahead of Seattle. Daniel Jeremiah is sure of it.
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