The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2025 season with some formidable weapons on their defensive front. Leonard Williams remains one of the best all-around big men in the game. If free agent acquisition DeMarcus Lawrence is fully healthy, he also supplies a plus two-way player on the edge who should constitute an upgrade over Dre’Mont Jones.
In Byron Murphy II and Rylie Mills, Mike Macdonald has two athletic young tackles who can line up anywhere across the line and create havoc in the backfield. And Jarran Reed provides an anchor in the middle.
Still, one position on the defensive front remains a major question mark. The Seahawks have a lot of players who might answer that question, but until one steps up, doubts will remain. And failing to resolve it will prevent Seattle’s defense from becoming the force Macdonald wants it to be.
Who will be terrorizing opposing passers from the edge for the Seahawks in 2025?
That position is the rush linebacker. He will typically line up opposite Lawrence and will be in on most obvious passing situations. And though the Hawks’ defense will need whoever plays this position to work effectively against the run, his main mission will be to attack the opposing QB.
In each of the last three seasons, this position has been one of the team leaders in sacks. The problem is that each year it has been a different player. In 2022, Uchenna Nwosu exploded on the scene with 9.5 sacks and 61 total pressures.
When he was hurt the following season, Boye Mafe looked for a while like he would be even more productive. He ended 2023 with nine sacks and 58 pressures.
Last season, Derick Hall showed what he could do with eight sacks and 45 pressures in just 673 defensive snaps. If Seattle could rely on similar production this season from any one of those players, they would be delighted. But there are warning signs all over the place.
As good as Hall looked last year as a pass rusher, at this early stage, he remains the least versatile of the three. His 37 tackles and six tackles-for-loss pale in comparison to what Nwosu and Mafe produced when healthy. If Hall does not shore up his run defense, he can’t be on the field enough to hold down this role.
Mafe looks to be the real deal and should only get better as he grows more comfortable in Macdonald’s defense. However, there is one troubling aspect of his recent success. After recording a sack in seven straight games early in 2023, he then went seven of his final eight games without getting another.
His sacks and pressures in 2024 were decent despite battling a knee injury throughout the season.
Seattle is desperately hoping Nwosu can stay healthy and return to his form of 2022. If he can, he becomes a key member of the defense and a great bookend for Lawrence. Both can play the run and the pass.
But after playing more than 900 snaps in 2022, the former USC star has been on the field for fewer than 500 snaps combined in ’23 and ’24. When he came from the Chargers as a free agent in 2022, the former second-round pick had been something of a disappointment. So, two questions plague the potential starter at rush linebacker.
Can he stay healthy? And was 2022 a fluke?
Enter Connor O’Toole, a rookie undrafted free agent from Utah. He also battled injuries throughout his college career, but has a clean bill of health now. At 6’4” and 252 pounds, O’Toole has excellent length, and his measurables reveal very good athleticism. He entered college as a wide receiver and, despite adding some bulk, has retained solid speed and agility.
As a defensive end in college, he proved to be a quality pass rusher. He impressed Seahawks decision-makers enough to offer him a guarantee of $234,000 with a $30,000 signing bonus – both high numbers for a UDFA. Of course, those numbers are minor compared to what Seattle will pay to its top players. But they do suggest the Seahawks wanted this guy.
At this early point, it is hard to imagine O’Toole overtaking either Mafe or Hall, but it’s a long off-season. He will have a chance to show if he can fit into Macdonald’s defense. And Nwosu’s injuries remain a major concern.
No one in the Seahawks’ hierarchy is putting any kind of timetable on his return. It remains to be seen how much he will be able to do this summer and whether he will be ready to begin the season on the roster.
This is where the development of a player like O’Toole could force a decision. If he performs well over the summer, and if Nwosu’s health issues linger, John Schneider may decide it is time to cut his losses and move forward with a younger player.
No one wants to see that happen. The best-case scenario for the Seahawks is a healthy Nwosu, allowing O’Toole to develop on the practice squad this season. But stranger things have happened. Roster decisions often hinge on availability, and as the team moves forward with OTAs, Connor O’Toole is available, while Uchenna Nwosu is not.