The ramp-up to the Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 season begins in earnest on Wednesday, when the team kicks off training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center along the shore of Lake Washington.

Camp preview: Breaking down Seahawks’ offensive position battles

With camp about to get underway, here’s a position-by-position look at the Seahawks’ defense and how the battles for starting roles and roster spots could shape up.

This breakdown categorizes players into two groups – the virtual locks and the top contenders – based on their chances of making the 53-man roster. Players with an asterisk next to their name are included in multiple position groups.

A position-by-position look at the offense can be seen here.

Defensive line

• Locks: Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II, Rylie Mills (could open on PUP list)
• Other top contenders: Johnathan Hankins, Brandon Pili, Quinton Bohanna, Mike Morris

Leonard Williams is coming off a monster 11-sack season, Jarran Reed continues to be a productive force and 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy II could be poised for a Year 2 leap after a solid rookie campaign. If Murphy clicks, this could be one of the best interior D-line trios in the league.

Rookie fifth-round pick Rylie Mills was regarded as a potential steal in the draft, but he might miss the start of the season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL that he suffered last December. If he opens the season on injured reserve or the physically unable to perform list, that could open another roster spot in this group.

Johnathan Hankins is back as a veteran run-stopping nose tackle, having re-signed with the Seahawks after they didn’t take a nose tackle in the draft. Two other roster candidates at nose tackle are 6-foot-3, 334-pound Brandon Pili and 6-foot-4, 355-pound Quinton Bohanna, who both have multiple years of NFL experience.

Mike Morris, a 2023 fifth-round pick, enters a potential make-or-break year after missing most of his rookie season with an injury and struggling to earn consistent rotational snaps last season. His versatility along the D-line and value on special teams – he logged the third-most special teams snaps among Seahawks last year – could help his case.

Edge rushers

• Locks: Boye Mafe, DeMarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu (could open on PUP list)
• Other top contenders: Jared Ivey, Connor O’Toole, *Jamie Sheriff

There’s potential for the Seahawks to have a pretty formidable edge-rushing corps. Boye Mafe posted 15 sacks over the past two seasons. Derick Hall had a breakout eight-sack campaign last year. Four-time All-Pro free-agent addition DeMarcus Lawrence is past his prime at age 33, but still is still one of the better run-stopping defensive ends in the league and had three sacks in four games last year before a season-ending foot injury. And during his last full season in 2022, Uchenna Nwosu piled up 9.5 sacks.

But the big question mark here is the 28-year-old Nwosu’s health. He missed 11 games each of the past two seasons due to a trio of injuries, and he was placed on the PUP list last week as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. Nwosu’s status is why Seattle could still look to fortify this group with another free-agent addition.

Jared Ivey, an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, could nab a roster spot as a developmental piece. The 6-foot-6, 274-pound Ivey had seven sacks for Ole Miss last season and was projected as a fifth-round pick by multiple experts. Connor O’Toole, who switched from wide receiver to edge rusher during his college career at Utah, is another interesting undrafted rookie to watch.

Jamie Sheriff, a preseason star last year as an undrafted rookie edge rusher out of South Alabama, worked at inside linebacker this spring. It’s possible he could be in the mix for a hybrid role.

Linebackers

• Locks: Ernest Jones IV, Tyrice Knight
• Other top contenders: Drake Thomas, Josh Ross, Patrick O’Connell, *Jamie Sheriff

The Seahawks have a quality starting inside linebacker duo in veteran Ernest Jones IV and 2024 fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight, who both were part of a midseason shakeup at the position last year. Jones, who arrived in an October trade, stabilized the middle of the defense and played a massive role in the unit’s dramatic second-half turnaround. And the future looks bright for Knight, who played well down the stretch after being inserted into the starting lineup.

But behind Jones and Knight, the depth is razor-thin. Drake Thomas, a third-year pro with 41 career defensive snaps, is the front-runner for the top backup role as the only other inside linebacker on Seattle’s roster to log an NFL snap on defense. Josh Ross, a fourth-year pro who was claimed off waivers midway through last year, should be helped by the fact that he logged more than 300 combined special teams snaps with Baltimore and Seattle last season.

And as mentioned above, 2024 preseason star and former undrafted edge rusher Jamie Sheriff spent this spring working at inside linebacker. That could give him the versatility to push for a roster spot as a hybrid defender.

Safeties

• Locks: Julian Love, Coby Bryant, Nick Emmanwori
• Other top contenders: D’Anthony Bell, Jerrick Reed II, AJ Finley, Ty Okada

Safety has the potential to be one of Seattle’s best position groups. Julian Love has emerged as a defensive cornerstone after totaling seven interceptions and 22 pass breakups over the past two seasons. Coby Bryant, who moved from cornerback to safety last year, is coming off a breakout 2024 campaign that included three picks, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. And now that duo is joined by the ultra-athletic rookie second-round pick Nick Emmanwori, who has the positional flexibility to move around as a versatile chess piece in the second level of Mike Macdonald’s defense.

The fourth safety spot could have several contenders. Fourth-year pro D’Anthony Bell might be the early favorite, having recorded two interceptions and more than 1,000 special teams snaps with Cleveland over the past three seasons. Jerrick Reed II, a 2023 sixth-round pick, has made an impact on special teams despite having each of his past two seasons derailed by injuries. Third-year pro AJ Finley, who was claimed off waivers last year, also has considerable special teams experience. And third-year pro Ty Okada logged 25 defensive snaps in last year’s Week 11 win over the 49ers.

Cornerbacks

• Locks: Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Josh Jobe, Shaquill Griffin
• Other top contenders: Shemar Jean-Charles, Nehemiah Pritchett, Damarion Williams, Isas Waxter

Already with a pair of Pro Bowl nods in his first two seasons, 2023 first-round pick Devon Witherspoon looks like a budding star with his speed, versatility and playmaking ability. The 6-foot-4 Riq Woolen has big-time talent with his rare combination of height, speed and athleticism, but will need to play with more consistency as he enters the pivotal final year of his rookie deal. If Woolen can match his 2022 Pro Bowl level of play, then Seattle could have a top-tier corner duo.

Meanwhile, Josh Jobe and recent free-agent addition Shaquill Griffin are expected to battle for the third cornerback spot. That’s an important role in Macdonald’s defense, given how often they utilize three-cornerback sets that allow Witherspoon to slide inside to the nickel. Jobe, a former practice squad player, manned the third corner spot for the second half of last season. Griffin, who earned a Pro Bowl nod during his time as a four-year starter in Seattle from 2017 to 2020, is back where his career began and provides a veteran presence to this youth-filled room.

After that, there could be an interesting battle for the fifth and possibly final cornerback spot. Shemar Jean-Charles and Damarion Williams each have limited NFL experience with other teams, while 2024 fifth-round pick Nehemiah Pritchett got his feet wet while filling in at corner for the Seahawks last season. Isas Waxter, an undrafted rookie out of Villanova, is probably a longshot to make the team, but could make some noise in the preseason.

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