The Seattle Seahawks Are Betting On Uchenna Nwosu This Season

Despite having the opportunity and motive to move off of Nwosu this offseason, the Seahawks are bringing him back for his contract season.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) scores a touch down during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The final thing Uchenna Nwosu did last season was put the final nail in the coffin of Super Bowl LX. Making a (very impressive) interception on an errant throw from Drake Maye thanks to a Devon Witherspoon hit, Nwosu rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown that dashed whatever hopes the Patriots had of a miracle comeback. It was a beautiful play we’ll all remember.

However, overall, the final three months of Nwosu’s season was rather forgettable, and did a lot to lend credence to the idea that he was past his prime. After getting off to a promising start over the first eight games of the campaign, his pass rush production slowed to a trickle, and by the end he was mostly just an effective run defender who could eat snaps.

What He’s Brought

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (10) against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

How Nwosu has gotten to that point at just twenty-nine years old requires an understanding of his career to this point. After a modest four-year run with the Chargers, mostly as a rotational edge rusher, the Seahawks gave him a two year deal in 2022. He rewarded them with the best season of his career, posting 9.5 sacks and being the top edge on a playoff team.

He was quickly extended to a much more lucrative deal, and it seemed like his career was coming together and he was entering his prime. However, things were derailed after this due to injuries. After the first six games of the 2023 season, a pectoral injury sent him to injured reserve, and he did not return until the 2024 offseason.

His troubles did not end there, as his 2024 return was almost immediately frozen by a preseason knee injury that kept him out for the first month of the regular season. He then played a single game before re-aggravating that injury, which kept him out until December. Two seasons had now been lost to injury, enough to make you wonder about his future.

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

A Tale Of Two Seasons

His 2025 season got off to a great start. He missed week one, but began making a big impact from week two on. Coming off the bench in a rotation for the first four games, Nwosu became a starter from that point on, giving effective run defense snaps while also providing 5.5 sacks and 17 pressures according to PFR in his first eight games. He looked like he was back.

And then, things flipped in the second half of the year. Despite playing significant snaps in all eight games, Uchenna had just 1.5 sacks and 6 pressures. He had no games of more than one pressure. It seemed like he ran out of gas as a pass rusher. He had a couple super bowl pressures, and one in the NFC championship game, but something was missing.

San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) blocks Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The Decision

Nwosu is due a cap hit of over $20 million in 2025, third highest on the team. Based on his production last season, that’s difficult to justify. There was a time when Seattle could have released him, saving over $11.5 million and owing him just around $8.5 million. That time has passed, and Nwosu remains on the roster, meaning they’ve committed to him.

Perhaps the choice was motivated by the team not needing the savings right now, or just believing that even a weakened Nwosu is worth $11.5 million to this team given their issues at the edge. But, on some level, there has to be a belief that he can sustain his first half play from 2025 for a full 2026, or at the very least take forward strides from it.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) looks on during the Super Bowl LX parade. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

What To Expect

I’m a little bearish here. I can’t help but suspect that Nwosu’s strong first half of 2025 was the final gasp of high level football in his career, which has sadly been severely limited by multiple big injuries that he’ll never truly be fully moved on from. His days of offering really strong pass rushing abilities are likely over, and there’s not much that can be done about it.

That’s not to say Nwosu can’t help this team win games. His effectiveness against the run remains, and in this Mike Macdonald defense that’s very valuable. So he will continue to be a net-positive player, particularly on early downs. He won’t be worth every dollar of that $20 million, perhaps, but we have bigger things to concern ourselves with right now.

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