From his rookie to his second season in the NFL, Jaxon Smith-Njigba went from being a minor disappointment to one of Seattle’s most vital core players. That was not especially surprising. It’s what you expect from a first-round draft pick. The Seattle Seahawks had two established studs at receiver during JSN’s first season.
In hindsight, it was never likely that he would step right into the alpha receiver role in 2023. Age began to catch up with Tyler Lockett in 2024. DK Metcalf struggled with injury and with his role under a new offensive system. JSN stepped into the void and became Seattle's best receiver.
There’s no reason he should not continue to improve. Six touchdowns and an 11.3 yards-per-catch are adequate. But he should be making more big plays in 2025 and beyond. That’s all part of a very natural progression for a young player in the NFL.
Four Seattle Seahawks players who are candidates for breakout seasons in 2025
Do the Seahawks have any young players poised for a similar breakout in 2025? The answer had better be yes because the roster still has significant holes, and John Schneider does not have a boatload of money to throw around. Right now, he doesn’t have any. That will change as players are cut and contracts are reworked, but there is not likely to be major help coming from free agency. Improvement needs to come from within.
Fortunately, there are several players who could take big steps forward in the coming season. Here are four likely candidates, each entering his second season in the league.
Byron Murphy II – defensive tackle
Like Smith-Njigba, the 2024 first-round draft pick’s rookie year was not a train wreck. But it was nothing special either. Also like JSN, Murphy found himself as more of a rotational player behind veterans Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed. There’s nothing especially wrong with that, but hopes entering the season were higher for the former Texas Longhorn.
He was arguably outperformed by his former college teammate T’Vondre Sweat, who was chosen 22 picks after the Seahawks took Murphy. Sweat became an immediate starter and solid contributor in Tennessee.
Reed may have played his final game for Seattle. The same is probably true of veteran Johnathan Hankins. In 2025, the door will be wide open for Murphy to step through. Playing alongside a dominant force like Williams should present him with plenty of one-on-one matchups.
A couple of seasons ago, the Rams were in a similar position. Their young interior lineman Kobie Turner benefitted greatly from playing next to Aaron Donald. When Donald retired before the 2024 season, Turner was ready to take on a much more important role. The Hawks should expect the same trajectory from Byron Murphy in 2025.
AJ Barner – tight end
Here is Seattle's current crop of tight ends: Pharaoh Brown is a 30-year-old free agent. Brady Russell and Tyler Mabry are exclusive rights free agents who have yet to make a mark at the professional level. 2024 starter Noah Fant had a fairly average season and is owed more than ten million dollars in the final year of his contract. On a team already over the salary cap, he may be a classic cap casualty.
That leaves AJ Barner, the fourth-round pick out of Michigan, as potentially the only experienced returning tight end on the roster. His rookie year was decent. He has an ideal frame for a two-way tight end, and his blocking ability has always been apparent. To really step up in 2025, he needs to become more of a receiving threat, especially downfield.
He showed some flashes of that in 2024, but not enough; his pass-catching numbers were solid for a player who was rarely utilized. More than 70 percent of his 30 catches resulted in either first downs or touchdowns. If he can maintain numbers like that with increased usage in 2025, he could become a very valuable weapon. Klint Kubiak has gotten decent production out of tight ends like Tyler Conklin and Greg Dulcich in the past. Barner has a higher upside than both.
Tyrice Knight – linebacker
Tyrice Knight stepped into the void left when John Schneider admitted defeat with regard to his two major linebacker signings in the 2024 offseason. Though the fourth-round pick from UTEP was not supposed to log major snaps as a rookie, he started alongside Ernest Jones in the second half of the season and helped patch a leaky Hawks defense.
Knight flashed early in training camp with his nose for the ball and his sure tackling. He does not have quite the same physical tools as Jacksonville’s Foyesade Oluokun, but he has the look of a potential tackling machine like the Jaguar. His coverage skills were adequate and should improve with experience, as will his ability to diagnose running plays.
The defense that Mike Macdonald plays requires two active interior linebackers. In Baltimore, Patrick Queen could line up on the edge, but he could also play inside next to Roqaun Smith. When he did, Baltimore was tough to run on. Knight and Jones could provide similar production for Seattle.
Jalen Sundell – offensive line
I may be the only person who believes that Jalen Sundell will one day be an above-average starting offensive lineman in the NFL. Well, the only person apart from Sundell himself. As the Seahawks rotated through one failed option after another at right guard, I kept hoping they would give the 2024 undrafted free agent a shot. It never came.
Sundell was a star at both center and tackle for North Dakota State, the perennial FCS-level powerhouse. The fact that he even made the squad as a rookie attests to his ability. Though he rarely got on the field, whenever he did, Sundell never looked overmatched in the way draft picks Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea, and Michael Jerrell often did. That could be simply because he didn’t play enough to get exposed.
But I think with time and experience, Sundell will be the best of that lot. His best position in the pros is center, but if Seattle opts to stick with Olu Oluwatimi in 2025, I think Sundell could step in at guard. To the best of my knowledge, he has never played the position, but his success at both center and tackle suggests he could pick it up rather quickly.
One or two of these players should take a big step forward in 2025. If all four do it, Seattle is well on its way to a return to the playoffs.