Can Uchenna Nwosu Find His 2022 Form For Seattle Again?

The Seahawks have some real questions about their EDGE rusher room going into this season, and Uchenna Nwosu could be the answer.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) runs to score a touchdown against the New England Patriots. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

If you look at a calendar, it will tell you that Seattle Seahawk EDGE rusher Uchenna Nwosu won’t turn 30 years old until late December. If you look at his stat page, it will tell you that he’s only played in 113 career games counting the postseason. So, numerically, there’s no particular reason to believe he’s washed up, or even past his prime.

And yet, when discussing Nwosu, it’s hard to frame him as much more than a decent snap eater who can do his job adequately and not get pushed around. Getting the Nwosu Seattle had in 2022 seems impossible now. Then, Uchenna led the team with 9.5 sacks and 28 (PFR) pressures, and seemed to be a very good starting edge at just 25 years old.

Two Lost Seasons

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu rushes Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff during the second half. | Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

And then, reality came to smack Nwosu in the face in the form of injuries. 2023 got about five and a half games out of Uchenna, totalling 2 sacks and 8 pressures, before a pectoral injury ended his season. 2024 was over before it began, as an infamous Wyatt Teller chop block in the preseason immediately put him on the sideline for the first four actual games.

He made his triumphant return in week five, only to immediately hit injured reserve with a thigh injury that cost him the next seven weeks. He was able to get some work in for the final five games of the season, finding a sack and six pressures in total, but overall the return on investment for the extension he had earned after 2022 was proving rather thin.

A Tale Of Two 2025s

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll checks on linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) in the second half. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When Nwosu missed the first game of 2025, it seemed like some higher power had deemed him unworthy of having nice things. But Uchenna went on to play in each of the next sixteen games, and then the three playoff games. Obviously, that’s a massive improvement over the previous two seasons. But playing and producing are two different things.

For the first half of the season, Nwosu did both. Starting from week two against the Steelers and going through week ten against the Cardinals, Uchenna gave the Seahawks 5.5 sacks and 17 pressures, while providing quality play against the run. That remained for the following eight games as well, but the pass rush production did not. 1.5 sacks and 6 pressures in that stretch.

He had three pressures in the playoffs, with no sacks, although his interception returned for a touchdown was the exclamation point in the Super Bowl. He went from a very good all-around edge rusher to one who just generally held his own and stayed in his lane. A playmaker to a table setter. And I can’t help but wonder what caused that.

Which Way, Uchenna?

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is chased by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7). | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Have injuries cut his prime short, and the first half of 2025 was just the last gasp of his playmaking abilities? Did he wear down after two shortened seasons and run on fumes for the last three months of the season? Was he playing through another injury during that stretch that the offseason healed? And which Nwosu are we getting as we try to repeat?

Answering the first three questions is a necessary step to properly answer the fourth. Seattle seems to be betting on him, as they’ve kept him on his previous contract that includes a 2026 cap hit of over $20 million, one of the highest on the team. If he’s just a capable run defender who can hold his ground outside, then so be it, he’s a mildly-overpaid role player.

But if he can rediscover the form he showed back in 2022, or the first half of 2025? That will go a long way in making sure the Seahawks have enough at the edge rusher position to get through 2026 without making a trade. With multiple edges on the roster already over 30, Nwosu’s ability to get it done with a bigger workload weighs heavy on this squad.

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