I’ve been rewatching a lot of the Seahawks’ 2025 games this week. There’s not much else to do in these dog days before training camp begins. I mean, the last major transaction John Schneider conducted was signing journeyman offensive tackle Bobby Hart a month ago. This is Hart’s ninth stop since entering the league during the Obama administration.
So I’m rewatching. I’m doing it because, as you may recall, Seattle won almost every game in 2025. That makes watching fun. If I were a scout, I’d have to watch the games regardless of outcome. But as a fan, I can pick and choose. And I choose to watch the wins.
It’s like watching a mystery film for the second time. Since I don’t have to worry about the outcome, I can focus on smaller details. The “how” rather than the “what.” I knew that Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a stud in every game.
Seattle Seahawks' five unsung heroes of 2025
I knew Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II manhandled opposing offenses, and that players like Ernest Jones, Devon Witherspoon, and Nick Emmanwori flew all over the field on defense. But rewatching is allowing me to appreciate the unsung heroes.
To be clear, none of these players is anonymous. All were recognized for their play as the season went on. But maybe not enough.
The new guys – Darnold, Zabel, Shaheed, Lawrence, Emmanwori – they got a lot of credit for the Seahawks’ improved play. Deservedly so. Many of these players earned league-wide honors.
But let’s look at a few others who were almost as instrumental in Seattle’s championship success.
Jason Myers, kicker
The Seahawks’ veteran kicker led the league in scoring in 2025. He kicked the second-most field goals and did not miss a single extra point. He was a little erratic early on, missing five kicks in the first ten games. It culminated with his desperation miss from 61 yards out on the final play of Seattle’s first game against the Rams in mid-November. After that, like the rest of the team, Myers was money.
He converted all 18 kicks over the next six games, including six in a close win against the Colts. After a hiccup in the final regular season game, Myers was again perfect in the playoffs – eight for eight on field goals and eleven for eleven on extra points. He also was a major part of Seattle’s top-five kickoff coverage unit in 2025.
Ty Okada, safety
Entering his third season, the undrafted free agent from Montana State had recorded a total of four tackles. He had logged 33 total snaps on defense, most of them coming in one 2024 game against San Francisco. 2025 would be a breakout season. He appeared in every game, starting 11 of them. 65 tackles. His first career interception, fumble recovery, sack…
Okada got the chance due to injury. Julian Love missed roughly half the year. But it is very important to note Okada’s effect. In rookie Nick Emmanwori, Seattle had an obvious replacement for Love.
The ability of Okada to step into a deep tandem with Coby Bryant allowed Mike Macdonald to play Emmanwori as more of a rover, where he thrived. Seattle’s defense would have been just fine without Okada, but his presence allowed it to be truly special.
Eric Saubert, tight end
Eric Saubert was largely an afterthought when the 2025 season began. Seattle marked the eighth stop in his nine-year career. The Seahawks already had ascendent tight end AJ Barner and reigning TE1 Noah Fant.
They would soon spend a third-round draft pick on Elijah Arroyo and a day-three pick on Robbie Ouzts. Brady Russell was still around, and Nick Kallerup would be added after the draft. The odds of Saubert even making the roster were iffy.
He turned out to be exactly the type of player Seattle needed. A great blocker. A solid special teamer. He played in the first seven games and in the last seven (counting the playoffs) and was as steady as they come.
In the playoffs, Saubert was on the field for half Seattle’s offensive snaps and almost 60% of their special teams plays. One week after returning from a mid-season injury, Saubert made one of the most important catches of the year, converting the Seahawks’ winning conversion in overtime against the Rams.
Brady Russell, tight end/fullback
Anyone who didn’t understand the way John Schneider, Mike Macdonald and Klint Kubiak envisioned their Seahawks team before the 2025 season – and I am loath to admit I was one of them – figured Brady Russell’s time had come to an end in Seattle.
Sure, he was a great story. And he had the hair. But if Eric Saubert’s odds of making the roster were iffy, Russell seemed even less likely. Not after Robbie Ouzts was drafted. Even if Seattle was going to use a fullback in Kubiak’s new offense, would they really keep a backup fullback?
They would if he were the heart and soul of the special teams. Macdonald learned much of his craft under John Harbaugh in Baltimore, the only current NFL head coach who had been a special teams coordinator. The Ravens valued special teams more than any other franchise in the league.
Macdonald brought that special teams emphasis to Seattle, along with another Harbaugh to coach them.
And Brady Russell? In a season in which Seattle's kicking, punting, and return game were among the best in the league, Brady Russell was on the field for a staggering 87% of all special teams snaps, surpassing even Nick Bellore's best seasons with the Seahawks. He was the emotional tone setter for the club.
Abraham Lucas, offensive tackle
Lucas is a little bit different from the others on the list. For one thing, he was a high draft pick. Saubert went in the fifth round out of FCS-level Drake, while the others were all UDFAs. Lucas was chosen in the third round out of Washington State, and it was always intended that he would be a starter. That’s exactly what he became in his rookie season.
But he missed major time in the next two seasons with injuries. There was a growing sense that perhaps Seattle’s projected right tackle wouldn’t ever be healthy enough to make his mark. That changed in 2025, and it was essential. Lucas’ return to health was one of the most overlooked stories of the season.
And he didn’t just stay healthy. He played at a very high level, grading out as the 13th-best tackle in the entire league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). With left tackle Charles Cross also in the top 20, Seattle’s offensive line gained newfound stability, allowing the offense to soar.
The Seattle Seahawks won the 2025 championship in part because of their stars. But equal credit has to go to the middle and end of the roster built by Schneider. Other teams have stars. No team has mid-level players as good as Seattle.
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