Defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Leonard Williams trade signals Seahawks loading up for NFC arms race

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 10/30/23

The Seattle Seahawks know if they want to make it far in the postseason, they’re going to have to find ways to get to opposing quarterbacks.

Which explains why the team paid such a high price (a 2024 second-round pick plus a 2025 fifth-rounder) to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Leonard Williams on Monday.

Williams is the second defensive lineman the Seahawks have added in the last week, joining former Denver Broncos edge-rusher Frank Clark, who signed with the team five days ago.

New Seahawks DL Leonard Williams has $10 million due for the rest of 2023. Seattle will only be responsible for the prorated veteran minimum, with the Giants converting the rest to a signing bonus and picking that up pre-trade, sources say.

So again, Giants pay to up the picks.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 30, 2023

Though the cost to land Williams was steep, it was a necessary move for a Seahawks team needing to bolster its pass rush with the loss of Uchenna Nwosu, who had 15 pressures, 10 hurries, four tackles for loss and two sacks in six games, to a season-ending pectoral surgery.

Among DTs with 150 or more snaps, Williams is 11th in QB hits (16) and pass-rush win-rate (12.4%), and he’s tied for 14th in pressures (22), per Pro Football Focus. He ranked second on the Giants in hurries and QB hits, third in pressures and sacks and he even blocked a kick.

Some Leonard Williams numbers:

77.2 pass rush grade this year (11th among DTs)

64 pressures since 2020 (7th most among DTs)

18.0 sacks since 2020 (8th most among DTs)

The Seahawks basically added a top 10 pass rushing DT, something they have yet to do in the draft. pic.twitter.com/h5FCJt3Mwd
— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) October 30, 2023

Adding Williams to a defensive tackle rotation that also includes Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones gives Seattle three interior defensive linemen with 19 or more pressures and 12 or more hurries this season.

It also gives the Seahawks a formidable pass rush up the middle as well as on the edge with Boye Mafe (23 pressures, 15 hurries, five sacks), Darrell Taylor (2.5 sacks), Mario Edwards (13 pressures, seven hurries) and Clark.

Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, Detroit’s Jared Goff, San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, Dallas’ Dak Prescott and New Orleans’ Derek Carr are just a few of the quarterbacks the Seattle Seahawks could face in the postseason. In adding Williams (along with Clark), Seattle has closed the gap between itself and the other top teams in the NFC.

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