The Seahawks didn’t exactly need another pass rusher. Even after losing Boye Mafe, Seattle still had one of the deepest and most versatile groups in football off the edge. But general manager John Schneider went looking for insurance anyway, taking a familiar route by dipping into the Cowboys’ veteran pass-rushing pool and bringing in Dante Fowler Jr. on a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
Week 1 didn’t do much to change the sense that this was more extra than essential.
In Seattle’s 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots, Fowler was barely on the field. He logged just 16 snaps, with two of them coming in the box, and finished without a single stat. For a player brought in to provide depth, that’s not a disaster - but it also didn’t look like the kind of addition that changes the shape of a defense.
There was one moment that stood out. Fowler got pressure on Drake Maye and helped force a throw that became one of the quarterback’s interceptions. It won’t show up in the box score, but it at least gave Seahawks fans something to point to after an otherwise quiet debut.
Still, that flash was hard to separate from the bigger picture. Fowler followed the same broad path as DeMarcus Lawrence, another veteran Seattle pulled from Dallas in hopes of squeezing out one more productive stretch. The difference is obvious: Fowler doesn’t bring nearly the same impact.
That’s where the questions start. Fowler knew he was signing up for a limited role, and winning makes everything easier to swallow. But players still want to be on the field, and even if his best years are behind him, he may still believe he can offer more than a spot appearance here and there.
For now, Mike Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde have no reason to abandon what they’re doing. The pass rush was already working, and there wasn’t a pressing need to clutter the room with another body. If Seattle decides it wants more help there, the next move should be for someone who can actually play meaningful snaps and tilt games.
Otherwise, this was always the kind of signing that looked unnecessary. After Week 1, it still does.
In Other News...
Seahawks Fans Have An Ugly Lumen Field Debate After Wild Opener Brawl
The Seahawks got the kind of opening night result that can energize a stadium, rallying past the Patriots after Drew Lock helped spark a comeback at Lumen Field. But alongside the football, there was an ugly scene in the stands when a seating dispute between a New England fan and Seattle supporters boiled over into a larger fight that pulled in multiple people and forced police intervention.
What happened next in the crowd is now part of the conversation around the opener, with the Patriots fan arrested and no further details on the charges released. For a fan base that came to watch a stirring finish on the field, the incident left a sour aftertaste and another reminder of how quickly a routine game-day argument can turn into something far messier. [Read more 🡒]
DreMont Jones Just Turned A Painful Patriots Hit Into Drama
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Mike Macdonald later said there is no fracture, which at least cleared away the worst-case concern, but it did not answer the bigger question for Seattles season. Darnolds recovery timeline is still uncertain, and for a team trying to settle in early, the status of its quarterback now looms over everything that came out of an otherwise routine defensive play. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Secured The One Thing Seahawks Fans Feared Most
Kyle Shanahans future in San Francisco was quietly settled this offseason, and that matters plenty in Seattle. The 49ers coach, now entering his 10th season on the sideline, reached a contract extension that will keep him with the franchise for the long haul, even though the team never made a public announcement about it.
For Seahawks fans, the timing is the point. Shanahan has spent years making the 49ers one of the NFCs most consistent threats, with repeated playoff runs and Super Bowl trips along the way, and the prospect of him sticking around only deepens the challenge in a division where every season already starts with familiar pressure. The deal removes any lingering speculation about San Franciscos most important figure, and it leaves Seattle facing the same problem it has had for much of this rivalry: a proven coach with no immediate exit in sight. [Read more 🡒]