'Resilience' pays off for Seattle Seahawks LB Tyrice Knight

SEATTLE – A knee injury. A heart issue. Getting passed on the depth chart.

It’s been a trying past few months for Tyrice Knight.

But through it all, the second-year Seattle Seahawks linebacker stayed ready. And when opportunity arrived, he took full advantage.

Starting in place of injured linebacker Ernest Jones IV, Knight helped deliver two of the biggest plays in Seattle’s 44-22 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

Observations from Seahawks’ emphatic rout of Cardinals

Twice in the first half, Knight shot through Arizona’s offensive line on a blitz. Both times, Knight got to backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett and knocked the ball free for a strip-sack fumble. And both times, four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence snatched the ball off a bounce and returned it for a touchdown.

Afterward, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald awarded Knight one of the team’s game balls.

“You’ve gotta stay ready in how you prepare, and he’s playing great football,” Macdonald said. “Obviously we want Ernest back as soon as possible, but (Tyrice) is showing that he can go in and play great ball for us and execute.

“Both of those were pressures that we haven’t run before. And so to be able to go in and execute those things – having not gotten all the reps – was some high-powered stuff.”

DEMARCUS LAWRENCE SCOOP-N-SCORE!

AZvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/u8zHFcadls

— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025

Knight, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick out of UTEP, earned a full-time starting role midway through last season. He played well down the stretch, teaming with Jones to help stabilize the middle of Seattle’s defense.

This summer, however, Knight was sidelined for part of training camp with a knee injury and a separate medical issue. After Sunday’s game, Knight revealed that the medical issue was “a little heart situation.”

Knight said the heart issue was quickly resolved, but that it took a while to regain his speed after the knee injury.

“When I got back, everything just felt slow,” Knight said.

Knight started the first three games of the season, but then was overtaken on the depth chart by linebacker Drake Thomas. Knight and Thomas rotated snaps in Weeks 4 and 5, but Thomas took over as the full-time starter in Weeks 6 and 7.

But Knight stayed ready.

And after Jones suffered a knee injury late in the first half of Seattle’s blowout win over the Washington Commanders last week, Knight filled in and posted a team-high 10 tackles in 37 defensive snaps.

Knight was then one of the stars on Sunday, helping produce a pair of defensive scores.

“I see resilience,” Lawrence said of his teammate. “Things ain’t going your way, but you’re still able to get back in there and fight and come strong for the team. He’s definitely a resilient guy, and I’m glad he’s on my team.”

DEMARCUS LAWRENCE WITH HIS 2ND SCOOP-N-SCORE!

AZvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/rdrh4DKds9

— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025

Knight, meanwhile, is glad he’s feeling like himself again.

“Honestly, it just feels good to be back healthy,” Knight said. “I mean, there ain’t no excuse early in the season. But right now, I just feel like me again.”

‘Resilience’ pays off for Seattle Seahawks LB Tyrice Knight

Tags: