Seattle Seahawks' Triple Threat on Defense May Be Just Getting Warmed Up

The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2026 season on a major roll. The team finished 14-3 during the regular season, their three losses by a combined nine points. Including their successful three-game postseason run, Mike Macdonald’s club takes a 10-game winning streak into its Week 1 Super Bowl LX rematch with the New England Patriots. Those victories were a combined score of 290-145.

Quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Kenneth Walker III (now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs) saved their very best for the stretch run and the playoffs. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and the offensive line was an improved unit. However, the steady force for Macdonald’s club was the league’s sixth-ranked defense in terms of fewest total yards allowed per game. Only two teams gave up more rushing yards in 2025, and the Seahawks allowed an NFL-low 292 points.

Leonard Williams, Ernest Jones IV, and Devon Witherspoon lead Seattle’s defense

Gilberto Manzano of SI.com recently ranked all 32 defensive “triplets” for each team in the league. The recent addition of defensive end Myles Garrett elevated the Los Angeles Rams to the top of the list. They are followed by the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. Seattle’s trio of defensive lineman Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones IV, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon wound up in the fifth spot.

“This high-level trio was instrumental in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win last season,” stated Manzano. “Witherspoon made a sizable leap in his third season and is now recognized as an elite cornerback…For Williams, it’s time that he gets more recognition for being the rare kind of defensive lineman who can play multiple techniques across the defensive line…And Jones has been the perfect middle-of-the-field general for Macdonald since arriving in a trade in 2024.”

Seattle Seahawks’ defense jelled in a big way in 2025

Leonard Williams — Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft doesn’t have gawdy interception numbers, however Witherspoon has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. In 46 total games with the ‘Hawks (including playoffs) dating back to 2020, Williams has amassed 23.0 sacks, totaled six passes defensed, and returned an interception 92 yards for a score.

Seahawks’ LB Ernest Jones IV is an unsung star

Meanwhile, the underappreciated Jones has put up huge numbers since being acquired from the Tennessee Titans via trade during the 2024 season. He finished third on the club that year with 94 tackles despite playing in only 10 games with the team.

Ernest Jones IV 2 INT, 1 TD, 12 TKL vs MIN Today.pic.twitter.com/1E2TUBYYM2 https://t.co/H746LlDfdU
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) December 1, 2025

In 2025, he led Macdonald’s squad with 126 stops and five interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown) despite missing two games. In the postseason, Jones finished with a combined 25 tackles (20 solo), an interception and a forced fumble. The two-time Super Bowl champion is due for a Pro Bowl invitation.

Macdonald enters his third season as the Seahawks’ head coach, which means another year in his system for this talented trifecta. They all bear watching in 2026, and who knows which of these performers could garner First Team All-Pro honors as well.

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