Seattle Seahawks 'Always Competing,' Send Firm Message With Leonard Williams Trade
RENTON, Wash. - When it comes to the trade deadline, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have been as good as any front office duo at giving their team a midseason shot in the arm.
Before Schneider pulled off his latest blockbuster landing defensive tackle Leonard Williams from the New York Giants for a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick, the renowned executive had previously swung successful deals for tackle Duane Brown, safety Quandre Diggs, and defensive end Carlos Dunlap. All three of those veterans immediately made a positive impact upon arrival and each played at least two seasons with the franchise, proving to be more than short-term rentals.
Having been with the team when all three of those prior deals went down and now set to play alongside Williams for at least the rest of the season, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner has seen the organization's willingness to go all-in and persistent pursuit of roster improvement first hand, something he doesn't take for granted.
“Anytime you see a team being aggressive, always trying to improve the roster, even if we’re doing well or doing something trying to find ways to make the team better, it’s always a good thing," Wagner told reporters prior to Wednesday's practice, saying he found out about the Williams deal while relaxing on his day off. "We want to win and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win. I think that’s cool.”
As fans unfortunately know in the Pacific Northwest, not every professional sports franchise in the region functions with the same aggressive mindset as the Seahawks. Look no further than the Mariners in Major League Baseball, who failed to make any notable additions before the trade deadline in late July and ultimately missed the playoffs by two games.
While baseball fans continue to be told to be patient by Mariners ownership, the Seahawks don't operate the same way and it starts from the top. Jody Allen, who took over as the Chair of the franchise when her brother Paul passed away in 2018, has been active behind the scenes working with Schneider and Carroll since day one and signed off on seismic moves, including trading Russell Wilson in March 2022.
Backed by an owner who allows Schneider and Carroll to do their jobs and build the roster as they see fit while still having input on decisions, Seattle lives up to Carroll's "always compete" philosophy beyond the playing field. The front office and scouting department work in conjunction to ensure a stone never gets left unturned and when they sense an opportunity to improve their standing as a Super Bowl contender, as evidenced by the Brown, Diggs, and Dunlap deals, they don't sit pat.
Last fall, the Seahawks didn't make any moves at the deadline despite being a surprise playoff contender in the first season of the post-Wilson era, prioritizing holding onto draft picks as they continued to rebuild their roster with long-term contention in mind. They still managed to sneak into the postseason with a 9-8 record, ultimately losing to the 49ers in the wild card round.
Sensing an opportunity to make noise in a wide open NFC, Seahawks general manager John Schneider aggressively pursued Leonard Williams to further bolster their defensive line for the stretch run.
© Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
However, with another strong draft class added to the mix led by rising star Devon Witherspoon and the return of veterans such as Wagner and safety Jamal Adams helping push the team into first place in the NFC West after a 5-2 start, Schneider sent a clear message to coaches, players, and fans by trading for Williams. Unlike last year, simply making the playoffs isn't the goal and the time has arrived to contend with the NFC's best.
“We’re competing. That’s what we always say and tell you, that’s really what this is about; just trying to get better and trying to help our team," Carroll said. "This is one of the late opportunities to do something like that. John [Schneider] did a beautiful job of figuring it out and how to work it and pick out the guy that really fits and be a part of this team. I’m really excited for our guys to get to know Leonard [Williams] and see who he is and what he’s all about. His competitiveness is very similar to the guys we have in this program and he’s going to fit in great.”
As Wagner pointed out, the Seahawks already had an emerging top-10 defense before acquiring Williams. Winning three of their past four games, they have allowed 20 or fewer points in each contest, giving up only three passing touchdowns and picking off five passes while racking up 21 sacks during that span.
But well-ran organizations don't rest on their laurels and Carroll has long had his eye on Williams, who starred at USC and always seemed to play at his best against Seattle over the years. With the Giants scuffling to a 2-6 start, the door opened to add another difference maker to an improving unit and Schneider didn't miss out on the chance to immediately upgrade in the trenches.
Teaming the disruptive, versatile Williams with Jarran Reed, Dre'Mont Jones, and Mario Edwards should turn a surprising area of strength for the Seahawks into one of the most formidable defensive fronts in the entire league. Along with historically being a stout run defender who can play anywhere along the line, the California native has 39.5 sacks and 162 quarterback hits on his resume, adding more juice to an already talented pass rush.
"A lot of guys are doing a lot of great things already, so you add another piece in there it’s another person that you have to account for, another person you have to worry about," Wagner said. "You can switch up and do different things, guys can move around a little bit more because of the body types are a little bit different. You can have some fun with it as a defense of coordinator.”
As is the case anytime an NFL team trades away a high draft pick to bring in a proven veteran player scheduled to hit free agency, bringing Williams on board puts more pressure on Seattle to win now to make the investment worth it. Expectations will be raised with aspirations to claim an NFC West title for the first time since 2020 and advance past the Divisional Round for the first time since 2014.
But Carroll and Schneider aren't ones to shy away from heightened expectations. Believing they have the roster in place to orchestrate a deep playoff run in January and potentially make it to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII, they're banking on Williams being the missing piece to help get them over the hump and turn this latest trade deadline roll of the dice into a jackpot.
