The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2026 NFL season as reigning Super Bowl champions. Moreover, given how dominant the defense was in leading to that championship, many would assume the talk would be about whether the Seahawks could repeat. However, the Los Angeles Rams stole that spotlight.
Los Angeles made the biggest move of the offseason, trading for Myles Garrett. Nonetheles, the Rams also traded for Trent McDuffie, among other transactions this offseason, which has catapulted Los Angeles to the front of the Super Bowl discussion.
Despite the national media focusing on the Rams, Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams noted that he’s fine with most overlooking Seattle as a repeat Super Bowl champion.
“I think that’s something that we have out here in Seattle,” Williams said on June 11 on NFL Network. “Playing in the Pacific Northwest, we feel like we get overlooked a lot of times.
“So I feel like we already kind of have a chip on our shoulder and even after winning the Super Bowl, we’re still not considered favorites. So I think that’s definitely stacking some chips on everybody’s shoulders and we’re just saying, ‘You know, watch out.'”
Williams was a key player for the Seahawks last season, playing 810 total snaps, leading to a 75.3 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he generated 58 total pressures, eight sacks, 36 hurries, and 14 QB hits. Meanwhile, against the run, the veteran recorded 39 solo tackles.
Seahawks Are Keeping the Same Approach in 2026
Despite being the reigning champions, Williams noted that the team isn’t approaching this season any differently. The team is taking the same approach it used last year, which laid the foundation for a Super Bowl run.
“I would say there’s no difference,” Williams added. “That’s something that actually we’ve been harping on a lot is starting from the ground just like we did last year. We talked about climbing that mountain and playing in the death zone, which is like what we harp on, our style of football is playing in the death zone.
“I think that’s a big part of it obviously is you know, keeping a lot of our roster the same. We have a lot of the same guys that we went all the way with last year, but I think bigger than the players that are here, I would say it’s the culture. So keeping that culture alive is what’s going to take us to where we want to go again. And, I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Seattle Expects Certain Players to Keep Improving
Even though Seattle didn’t make any major changes, Williams noted that they expect young players like Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori to continue improving and take major steps.
“I mean Devon, he’s just like one of the heartbeats, engines of the team. Like his energy and his passion, the way he plays the game, guys on the defense have no choice but to step up to that level because if he’s playing at a certain level, you’re going to stand out when you’re not playing at that level.,” Williams said.
“And that’s the way our whole defense is, and having a Swiss Army knife like Nick Emmanwori really keeps offenses guessing because, you know, we could line him up at safety, linebacker, D-line, anywhere you want, really. He could do it all.
“I think we just have a great combination of older guys who we could pass our wisdom down to the young guys and then we have young guys who are coming in with new talent, new ideas, new mottos and it’s just a great mix.”
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