The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a forgettable 2024 season, missing the playoffs and finishing with the 14th-ranked team in Total Defense. Many people wouldn’t suspect that the team would then be ranked by experts as the best defense in the NFL a few months later; however, Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer has done just that.
In a surprise move, Kapadia ranked the Seahawks‘ defense number one in his August 21 “Where Does Every NFL Defense Rank for 2025?” article. Kapadia believes that both new players and returning players taking the next step will be the catalyst for the Seahawks to shock people this year.
Mike Macdonald’s Scheme
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s reputation preceded him before coming to Seattle. The former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator is known as a defensive guru. Sheil Kapadia, in his article, pointed out that Macdonald’s defenses over the last three seasons have all finished in the top 10 in efficiency, including the Seahawks after coming on strong to end the season.
Another season in Macdonald’s system will allow players to get more acclimated and build off the progress they made to end 2024. One of the primary reasons for that turnaround was the addition of linebacker Ernest Jones IV. Jones was the perfect linebacker for Macdonald’s system and helped completely transform the Seahawks‘ defense.
Russell Baxter of Sports Illustrated, in his July 6 article, highlighted just how impactful Jones was last season.
“The midseason addition of linebacker Ernest Jones IV helped immensely, especially when it came to stopping the run,” Baxter said. “In their last eight contests, the Seahawks allowed a total of 147 points and just 14 offensive touchdowns. In their six games prior to their 6-2 finish, Seattle gave up 178 points and 20 offensive TDs during a 1-5 showing.”
The Seahawks’ defense will also be bolstered this year by new additions, both young and old.
Lawrence’s Veteran Presence
The Seahawks already featured one of the better lines in the NFL with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II. Still, it got even better with the free agent addition of 11-year veteran Demarcus Lawrence. Perhaps most excited about his addition was head coach Mike Macdonald, who, in John Boyle’s July 25 article for Seahawks.com, praised how Lawrence runs drills.
“He’s like the best drill player I’ve ever seen in my life,” Macdonald said. “You could ask him to do any drill known to mankind, and just the trust he has in why you’re doing it, he’s 1,000 percent every rep, the intent in what he’s trying to create, and that’s the standard that he’s setting for our front, so the guys don’t have a choice but to fall in line. It’s just exciting to see him out there working. You know what he can do on the field, the tape speaks for itself, but you understand how it comes to life based on how he works.”
Lawrence is one of the veterans who will set the standard for the team and who young players can look to and mimic Lawrence’s work ethic. One of those young players is a celebrated, early-round draft pick by the Seahawks.
Emmanwori’s Coachable
Another addition that is expected to bring juice to the Seahawks’ defense is second-round safety Nick Emmanwori. Emmanwori is another player that Macdonald loves for their potential. During training camp, Macdonald told Seahawks insider Chris Cluff about how coachable the rookie out of the University of South Carolina is.
“We keep giving him stuff, and he keeps executing, you have to be mindful that you don’t take the playmaker out of the player. That’s something that is on my mind. He just keeps learning and keeps executing and keeps making plays. He’s got great enthusiasm and any time you’ve got a coaching point for him, he’s very receptive towards it. We’ve said this kind of ad nauseam here, but he’s just a really fun player to coach.”
Sheil Kapadia is going on a limb predicating the Seahawks will have the best defense in the NFL, but upon closer examination, it is not as absurd as some may think.
The Ringer Ranks the Seahawks as the Number One Defense in the NFL