Seahawks LB Uchenna Nwosu Excited By Scheme Fit, Ready to Unlock 'True Potential'
RENTON, WA - Born and raised in southern California, Uchenna Nwosu has spent his entire life in the region. From starring at Narbonne High School to committing to play college ball at USC to being a second-round pick for the Los Angeles Chargers, throughout his journey to the NFL, he's stayed close to home.
But as Nwosu prepared to hit free agency for the first time last month, he desired a change of scenery. And yet, from a football perspective, coming off the best season of his career to date, he sought familiarity playing for an organization with a proven track record of winning.
While other teams inquired with interest in signing Nwosu, none of them matched those three criteria better than the Seahawks, who aggressively pursued him. Pitching the best financial offer for his services, the two sides agreed to terms on a two-year, $20 million contract.
"I had interest from other teams, but I felt Seattle was the best offer I had on the table at that time," Nwosu told reporters on Thursday. "So I just went with it."
Seeking a new team, the 25-year old Nwosu considered a number of factors. Staying fairly close to home remained important to him, but he also wanted the chance to explore a new city with far different surroundings than he was accustomed to. As one of the few cities that could check both boxes, Seattle emerged as a logical landing spot.
In addition, the presence of legendary coach Pete Carroll, who previously coached at Nwosu's alma mater and has led the Seahawks to the playoffs in eight of the past 10 seasons, played a key role in luring him to the Pacific Northwest. While it wasn't meant to be a slight at all to his former team or their followers, he also said he was excited to "experience a legit fan base" that has a reputation for making Lumen Field a challenging venue for opponents.
As the player humorously admitted, the absence of a state income tax in Washington didn't hurt recruiting efforts either.
"I just feel like Seattle has a great history... It's a breath of fresh air," Nwosu remarked. "The coaching staff and a lot of USC alumni in this place, so I feel like they'll take care of me and show me a lot of love and respect here."
Most notably, however, among all the other perks that appealed to him, one draw stood out above the rest as he made his decision where he would play in 2022. Piquing his interest, the Seahawks will be implementing a 3-4 defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt similar to the one Nwosu thrived in last season with the Chargers.
In his first three seasons in the league, Los Angeles ran a base 4-3 scheme with former Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley calling plays. Playing on the line of scrimmage the majority of the time, he primarily rushed the passer and set the edge as a run defender. Playing a reserve role in the shadows of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, he produced 10.0 sacks and 28 quarterback hits during those three seasons combined.
Last year, with Ingram departing and a new head coach Brandon Staley coming to town, Nwosu took on a far more significant role as a hybrid pass rushing linebacker for the Chargers in a 3-4 scheme. Doubling his career high for snaps, Pro Football Focus credited him with 40 pressures as he established new personal bests with 5.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.
Along with finding success pursuing opposing quarterbacks, Nwosu also recorded his first career interception while playing a career-high 56 snaps in coverage. Crediting his background as a safety and multi-sport athlete in high school for his aptitude dropping back against the pass, he received a respectable 62.9 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus and has eclipsed an 80.0 grade twice earlier in his career.
"I feel like when I got to the league, it really wasn't that much of a challenge for me because I've always had that background of being able to do multiple things," Nwosu said. "The evolutions just continuing to grow, and this new system in this scheme I'm playing in, I feel like I'll be able to capitalize on that more with my background of being athletic.”
After breaking out in 2021, Nwosu couldn't pass up on the chance to play for Carroll and Hurtt in a comparable scheme that suits his strengths and skill set so effectively. Without having to worry about much of a learning curve as he adjusts to his new team, he anticipates he'll pick up right where he left off a year ago and ready to take another major step forward in his progression.
"It allows me to play fast just being able to go into another year in the same scheme. Similar verbiage, similar tasks, similar responsibilities," Nwosu explained. "It allows me to be myself, allows me to unlock my true potential and what I can do. It was on display last season and it's going to be more on display this year."
While Nwosu didn't disclose whether he will be a strongside linebacker or LEO defensive end in Seattle's scheme, with the switch to more 3-4 looks, those two positions will be interchangeable as overhanging linebackers who can rush or drop into coverage. There likely will be little differentiation until they slide into base four-man fronts in pass rushing situations.
Now with a full year playing in a 3-4 defense under his belt, Nwosu will have a chance to terrorize quarterbacks working alongside third-year defender Darrell Taylor, giving Seattle two athletic, versatile edge players who present perfect fits for what the team hopes to do schematically. Deploying both players together will give Hurtt and associate head coach Sean Desai immense flexibility and make it far tougher for opponents to know who will be rushing each play based on personnel.
With visions of the 12s roaring when he sacks the quarterback on the field and a beautiful scenery to soak in off of it, Nwosu couldn't be happier with his new arrangements. Coming into his own, after being sold on a bright future for the franchise by Carroll and other coaches, he's looking forward to wreaking havoc for the Seahawks and helping them return to their winning ways in 2022.
"Everybody that is on the team or anybody that they bring in, that's what they realize and that's what they try to hold themselves to. I feel like no matter who comes in, who comes out, just the culture of the team and the culture of this organization has always been greatness and success. That's what everybody has instilled in their minds and what everybody's trying to pursue.”
