Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Rylie Mills is no longer talking like a rookie just trying to get back on the field.
After spending most of last season working his way back from an ACL injury, Mills gave the Seahawks an encouraging update during his latest media session. Asked how close he feels to the player he was before the injury, Mills did not hedge.
“Yeah, I feel 100%,” Mills told reporters. “I feel great.”
That is a meaningful update for a Seahawks defensive line that could use Mills’ size, versatility and pass-rush upside in 2026. Mills arrived in Seattle after a productive college career at Notre Dame, where he totaled 17 sacks and 25 tackles for loss over 61 games. His best pass-rush season came in 2024, when he posted 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
But his rookie season became more about recovery than immediate production.
Mills said being healthy has made this offseason feel completely different.
“Way more fun,” Mills said. “It’s a lot more fun when you’re not just standing behind everybody just mentally going through drills.”
Rylie Mills Says He Feels Like a ‘Whole Different Player’
Mills’ first NFL season was interrupted before it ever had a chance to properly begin. He was rehabbing from an ACL injury, missed valuable practice time and had to learn Seattle’s defense while watching more than participating.
Now, with a normal offseason, Mills said the difference is obvious.
“It’s been nice having that offseason just to kind of get back to working out and get my body back,” Mills said. “But it feels great. I feel like a whole different player than I was when I first came back.”
That line may be the most important part of the update. Mills did return last season, but returning to the field and returning to form are different things, especially for a defensive lineman who relies on power, leverage and explosion.
Mills said last year’s goal was simply to get back. This year, the focus has changed.
“For me, it’s just taking this opportunity and trying to run with it,” Mills said. “Coming back from the injury, I feel like now I’m fully back to myself and fully back to who I was before the injury.”
Mills also framed his comeback as the end of one chapter and the start of another. He said his sack in the Super Bowl felt like a “storybook” ending to the rehab process, even though he acknowledged the bigger objective was becoming the player he was before the injury.
“I feel like I closed that chapter,” Mills said, “and I’m ready to get going and for this next chapter to start.”
Seahawks Could Use Mills’ Versatility Up Front
The health update matters because Mills is not just a developmental defensive lineman with a narrow path to snaps. He has the kind of inside-out versatility Seattle can use.
Mills said the Seahawks’ plan for him is “pretty similar” to how Notre Dame used him, though he noted there is “a little more end” involved in Seattle’s defense.
“The thing that’s interesting about me is I get to play kind of all different positions down the line,” Mills said. “And I love that because it kind of gives me an opportunity at any spot, because that’s how it kind of goes in the season.”
That versatility could be important over a long season. Seattle has invested heavily in its defensive front, but depth and flexibility are still valuable, especially if Mills can help as both a rotational interior player and occasional edge-aligned piece.
Mills said he has been learning from veteran defensive linemen and specifically mentioned how much the adjustment from college offenses to the NFL mattered. At Notre Dame, he said, everything was in the shotgun. In the NFL, he had to learn how different the game becomes with more under-center looks.
That was one unexpected benefit of rehab. Mills could watch, ask questions and absorb the defense without being thrown into every rep immediately.
Rylie Mills Praises Byron Murphy II: ‘That Dude’s a Freak’
One of the more interesting parts of Mills’ media session came when he was asked about practicing next to Byron Murphy II.
Mills did not need long to answer.
“You guys have already seen what Murf does,” Mills said. “That dude’s a freak.”
Mills said playing next to Murphy gives him confidence that “something crazy is going to happen,” and he believes he can play off Murphy’s disruption inside.
That is the kind of pairing Seattle would love to see develop. Murphy is already one of the most important young players on the roster, and Mills gives the Seahawks another big-bodied defensive lineman who can move around the front.
Mills also called Murphy a strong offseason leader, saying he has “spoken up a ton” and leads by example.
For Mills, the opportunity now is straightforward. He is healthy, he has a real offseason, and he has already seen how quickly NFL reps can test a young defensive lineman.
His first games back last season felt like a crash course.
“I feel like I learned best kind of getting thrown in the fire,” Mills said.
Now the Seahawks will find out what he looks like when he is no longer just trying to survive the comeback.
Seahawks Rookie With 17 College Sacks Says He Feels ‘100%’ After ACL Injury