Seattle Seahawks Trade for New York Giants DL Leonard Williams, Swing for Fences
After leap-frogging the San Francisco 49ers into first place in the NFC West and moving up to the second seed in the NFC with a 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider wasted little time improving his football team with the trade deadline looming.
Less than 24 hours after snagging the signature win against a talented Cleveland squad, Schneider orchestrated a blockbuster deal to bolster Seattle's defensive line, sending a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for defensive tackle Leonard Williams. The 29-year old veteran will now join forces with Jarran Reed, Dre'Mont Jones, and Mario Edwards, giving the team a four-headed monster in the interior.
With Williams heading towards free agency next March and potentially going elsewhere, trading away a second-round pick for a potential rental carries significant risk for the Seahawks. But at the same time, the NFC hasn't been this wide open in quite some time and after winning five of their first seven games, this is the type of bold, aggressive move that could push the franchise over the top to compete against the likes of the Eagles and 49ers in January.
Formerly a top-10 pick for the Jets out of USC in 2015, though he has only been selected to one Pro Bowl and never been named an All-Pro, Williams has been one of the NFL's best all-around defensive linemen for nearly a decade. Playing in at least 15 games in all but one of his previous eight seasons, he has been both durable and productive, often getting lost in the shuffle because he has played for underperforming teams most of his career and didn't play in the playoffs until last season.
According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-5, 300-pound Williams has reached at least 40 quarterback pressures seven times in nine seasons and produced 18 sacks over the past three-plus seasons, the eighth-most among defensive tackles since 2020. Though his sack numbers have declined each of the past three seasons, he still has 22 pressures this year, tied for 14th most among interior defensive linemen.
Adding Williams to a defensive line already featuring Jones and Reed, who have combined to amass 40 pressures and six sacks between the two of them thus far, along with a quality edge rushing group anchored by ascending star Boye Mafe, should open things up for the Bakersfield, California native to do more damage getting after the quarterback.
Always seeming to play at his best against the Seahawks, Williams will now join Geno Smith and company in the Pacific Northwest to chase after an NFC West title and potentially more.
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Historically, Williams also has been a stout run defender, finishing with at least a 70.0 grade from PFF in all but one of his first eight seasons. On three different occasions, he has received at least an 80.0 grade and frequently finished in the top 15 among defensive tackles in run stops. While his grade has plummeted to 59.4 this year, that may be more of a reflection on the talent around him and based on his lengthy track record, joining a contender should facilitate a quick bounce back for him.
Schematically, Williams should also be an excellent fit for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt's hybrid 3-4 defense. A plus athlete at 300 pounds who can play multiple positions across the defensive line, he has played over 600 snaps covering the A-gap in his career as well as over 3,000 snaps as a 3-tech defensive tackle and over 1,000 snaps over the tackle as a 5-tech defensive end. In addition, he's lined up outside the tackle on more than 1,000 snaps, demonstrating his impressive versatility.
With Seattle mixing and matching even and odd fronts, Seattle likely will use Williams in a 3-tech/4i-tech role most of the time. But he has enough size to reduce inside and play nose tackle, giving the team another viable option to spell Reed and keep the veteran fresh along with rookie Cameron Young. When Hurtt rolls with even fronts, he can play the traditional "big" end spot in a pinch.
Dealing away a high draft pick for a player on an expiring contract will certainly create extra pressure for the Seahawks to win now. As they learned the hard way dealing for Sheldon Richardson in a similar situation in 2017, if it doesn't work out as hoped, such a move can have negative ripple effects in the future.
But Super Bowl windows don't stay open long in the NFL and Schneider senses a far different situation in the present with the NFC West and the conference as a whole are there for the taking. Unlike 2017, the Seahawks don't have an aging roster with a window on the verge of slamming shut. Instead, they have a young nucleus on both sides of the ball that looks to be just getting started, making it a prime opportunity to add a quality veteran to the mix to help the team get over the hump.
In addition, the Giants reportedly will eat most of the money left on Williams' contract and the Seahawks currently have a high third-round pick coming their way courtesy of the Broncos, making the decision to give up a second-round pick as part of the trade more digestible for Schneider.
Regardless, by making this move for Williams right before Tuesday's deadline and giving up a quality package of draft compensation to make it happen, Schneider has sent a message to his players and coaches, other teams in the NFC, and the fan base. After being happy to simply make the playoffs last season, he's ready to go all-in with eyes on chasing after a division title and more in 2023.
