Seahawks star Leonard Williams on what Byron Murphy does better than him

After two games it's not difficult to identify where the Seattle Seahawks' roster is strongest. Their defensive line is led by two long-time veterans who have been to multiple Pro Bowls, with a few up-and-coming young talents both inside and on the edge.

The (literally) biggest star in the bunch is defensive end Leonard Williams, who's been playing at an elite level since he came over from the New York Giants in a midseason trade in 2023. Williams has been sensational as an interior pass rusher, totaling 11 sacks last year - and stout against the run, posting 16 TFL.

As stout as he may be against the run, Williams says that 2024 first-round draft pick Byron Murphy II is actually better than him in one area: taking on double teams. Here's what he told reporters.

Leonard Williams on Byron Murphy II

Good, detailed answer here from Pro Bowl DE Leonard Williams on what he’s teaching Byron Murphy at D-tackle year 2 for the #Seahawks.

Changing to pass-rush stance when he reads pass.

The veteran says Murphy is better than he is in taking on double-teams vs the run. pic.twitter.com/035MoAcwjy
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) September 17, 2025

Murphy is also finally hitting his stride as a pass rusher, totaling 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits, already tripling the productin of his entire rookie season.

Murphy's breakout is only one small reason to be excited about this group, though.

Even though they have faced two strong rushing teams so far, the Seahawks have only allowed 95.5 rushing yards per game, the 11th fewest in the league. Heading into Week 3, Pro Football Focus has them graded out as the NFL's sixth-best run defense.

While the returns against the run are good, this group has been phenomenal at generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Seahawks have the highest pressure rate in the league (49.4%) while blitzing at the second-lowest rate (13%).

They haven't even been at full strength yet, either. The interior rotation is missing the top nose tackle on the depth chart in Johnathan Hankins, who's started out the year on the NFI list. Rookie defensive tackle Rylie Mills isalso on the NFI list.

Seattle's top outside linebacker has also not gotten up to speed, yet. Uchenna Nwosu missed the season opener against the 49ers and appeared to be a bit rusty against the Steelers. Once he has his legs under him, this should qualify as the toughest edge rotation in football.

So long as the key pieces stay healthy, this unit appears to be strong enough that it can carry the team through a deep playoff run.