The Seahawks got one piece of good news when first-round running back Jadarian Price got back on the practice field after upper-leg soreness kept him out of the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. That helps ease the pressure in a backfield already without Zach Charbonnet, and Seattle has also brought in Anthony Hankerson to give the group another body during this injury-hit stretch.
Even with that, the position that should be driving Seattle’s last push before Week 1 is edge rusher.
If general manager John Schneider is going to make one more move before the defending champions open their title defense, the target should be Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Sam Williams. Seattle doesn’t need a splashy addition. It already has a strong starting defense and four established outside linebackers in Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, Dante Fowler Jr., and DeMarcus Lawrence.
The issue is what comes after those four.
Seattle’s preseason opener exposed a concern that had already been building through camp: the reserve pass rush didn’t create much consistent disruption against Dallas. A recent 53-man roster projection pointed out that the competition behind the top edge defenders has been underwhelming enough that the Seahawks could begin the season with only four pure outside linebackers, or they could go looking for help via trade, with Mike Morris as a possible emergency answer.
That’s a risky place to sit for a team trying to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Nwosu has had major injury trouble in recent seasons, Lawrence is in the later part of his career, and while Hall has become an important piece, Seattle would still benefit from another rusher who can handle rotational work without forcing a major change if one of the top four goes down.
Williams fits that description. Dallas brought him back on a one-year deal after an uneven first run with the team, but his standing got murkier once the Cowboys added Von Miller. The Cowboys now have a crowded edge group, with Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Malachi Lawrence also in the mix, and Williams has become one of the players whose spot could be squeezed.
There’s a reason he’s still intriguing. Williams posted 8.5 sacks over his first two NFL seasons as a rotational player before a torn ACL interrupted his career. He’s also dealt with penalties and inconsistency, which has kept him from locking down a long-term starting job.
For Seattle, that’s acceptable because he wouldn’t be asked to be a starter. He could step in as the fifth edge defender, attack quarterbacks in specific packages, and give Mike Macdonald another option without pushing the defense into a bigger adjustment. At his best, Williams has the burst and power to bother tackles, and the Seahawks would be betting that a smaller role in a disciplined defense could bring out more of the good and less of the bad.
The price should be light, too. A 2027 sixth-round pick would give Dallas something back for a player who may not have a clear path to regular snaps, while Seattle would avoid giving up premium draft capital for what amounts to insurance with upside.
That’s the cleanest part of this for Dallas. Williams no longer looks essential after the Miller addition, and future draft capital would be more useful than carrying more edge rushers than roster spots in late August.
For Seattle, the logic runs the other way. The Seahawks have four trustworthy edge players at the top of the chart, but the group behind them did little against Dallas and hasn’t separated itself in camp. Their current roster projection doesn’t even include a fifth edge rusher, which makes a trade a real possibility if the depth doesn’t improve.
Price returning to practice solves one offensive concern, and the uncertainty around Terrion Arnold doesn’t create the same kind of urgency because Seattle already has strong depth in the secondary. Edge rusher is the spot that still looks thin.
A high-profile move would cost too much and likely crowd the roster. Williams is the better kind of addition: available, affordable, and good enough to matter right away. For a team trying to protect itself for the long haul, that’s the move worth making before Week 1.
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For a division race that already figures to be shaped by health as much as talent, that leaves Arizona trying to piece together answers on the fly. Seattle has its own news to manage after locking up cornerback Devon Witherspoon and issuing updates on fullback Robbie Ouzts and Terrion Arnold, but the Cardinals situation is the one that most directly keeps the Seahawks watching the depth chart across the field. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Put The Seahawks At The Top Of The NFL Future
ESPNs latest future power rankings give the Seahawks a pretty flattering long-view snapshot, placing Seattle No. 1 through the 2029 season when it comes to overall roster strength outside the quarterback spot. The evaluation also reflects well on the people building and coaching the team, with the Seahawks staff and front office both landing high in the league-wide outlook.
The one area that keeps the picture from looking completely finished is at quarterback, where Seattle was ranked 16th. That split between a strong supporting cast and a more modest view of the most important position is what makes the ranking so interesting for Seahawks fans, since it suggests the organization has done a lot right everywhere but the most obvious place still leaves some room for debate. [Read more 🡒]