Getty The Seattle Seahawks got an individual award in Week 1.
The Seattle Seahawks pulled off a major upset in Week 1 over the Denver Broncos in primetime on Monday Night Football. Now, the team and some of its players are starting to get some national recognition.
After his outstanding performance in Week 1, new Seahawks outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. The Seahawks shared the announcement on their official Twitter page.
Brought a fire that caught the eyes of the nation.
Congrats on the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor, @UchennaN_42! 👏
Nwosu had a massive impact in his first game for the Seahawks. He finished the game with seven tackles, a pass breakup, a QB hit, a sack on former Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, and a forced fumble on Melvin Gordon right at the goal line.
He may not have had the most pressures or sacks compared to other players around the league, but the plays that Nwosu made came at crucial times in the win.
How Uchenna Nwosu Came to Seattle
He may be one of the newest members of the Seahawks, but general manager John Schneider and his scouting department knew what they were getting when they signed him this offseason.
Nwosu wasn’t the biggest name coming out of Narbonne High School in California, ranked as a 3-star recruit at the safety position. He decided to stay in the state to play for the USC Trojans, and while he was a bit of a late bloomer, Nwosu came alive by his senior year.
In his final season, Nwosu racked up 75 total tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, and 14 pass breakups. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors for his amazing season, and that production helped him get selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Nwosu showed some real potential as a rookie, playing in all 16 games while racking up 3.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Over his four seasons in Los Angeles, he racked up 15 sacks with 132 combined tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. While he was never a Pro Bowler or All-Pro, the Seahawks offered Nwosu a two-year, $19 million contract this past offseason.
The move was part of an effort to help the Seahawks add some pass rushers. The team had seen some potential from Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson, but they decided to strengthen the position by signing Nwosu while drafting a pair of rookies in Boye Mafe and Tyreke Smith.
However, after just one game, Nwosu has already established himself as Seattle’s top edge defender.
Who Else Will Step Up on Seattle’s Defense?
Nwosu played a big part in Seattle’s Week 1 win. However, with All-Pro safety Jamal Adams likely out for the season with a torn quad, other defensive players will need to step up for the rest of the year in Seattle.
Third-year linebacker Jordyn Brooks will need to take a big step forward in terms of leadership. The former first-round pick had a quiet rookie season in 2020, but came into his own last year when he led the NFL with 109 solo tackles. Now that Bobby Wagner is with the Los Angeles Rams, Brooks will need to step up as a leader at linebacker, and is off to a promising start with 10 solo and 12 combined tackles in Week 1.
Adams’ replacement Josh Jones will also need to step up in a big way to replace the All-Pro safety’s dynamic skill set. Jones nearly flamed out of the league after a couple decent seasons with the Green Bay Packers, but he landed in Seattle at the tail end of last season and showed enough for the team to bring him back for 2022. He’s still just 27 years old, so Jones will have a great opportunity to show what he’s made of.
It takes 11 players for a defense to play at a high level, but certain players will still need to outperform expectations if the Seahawks want to make the playoffs this year.