Much-maligned Seahawks signing among NFL's best defensive free agent deals

The Seattle Seahawks were surprisingly one of the most aggressive teams in the NFL this offseason, and while most of the attention was rightfully on their offensive overhaul, they made one major signing on the other side of the ball as well.

Of course, that would be edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who earned four Pro Bowl selections over his 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Despite Lawrence's impressive resume, the signing still raised some eyebrows. Not only did he turn 33 in April, but he played just four games in 2024 due to a foot injury. As such, many analysts raised concerns over the Seahawks signing him to a three-year, $42 million contract.

So far, Lawrence has proved all those doubters wrong. He only has two sacks in five games, both of which came in the Seahawks' Week 6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the impact he's had on the pass rush is absolutely massive.

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence — Oct 12, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Seattle Seahawks lineman DeMarcus Lawrence (0) pressures Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

So massive, in fact, that The Athletic's Ted Nguyen named him as one of the five most impactful defensive free-agent signings so far, noting how Lawrence looks like a "revitalized player."

"Seattle’s defensive line was already very good and got even better with the emergence of defensive tackle Byron Murphy, last year’s first-round pick, but Lawrence gives the team a dominating force on the edge against the run and the pass," Nguyen wrote. "Many may think of head coach Michael Macdonald as an aggressive blitzer, but Seattle ranks 30th in blitz rate. ... Lawrence has bolstered the Seahawks’ four-man rush.

"In the games that Lawrence has played (he left early in Week 4 and didn’t play in Week 5), the Seahawks rank eighth in pressure rate (38.3 percent) when rushing four. In Weeks 4 and 5, without Lawrence, the Seahawks ranked 29th in pressure rate (24.4 percent) when rushing four."

Lawrence's return was immediately noticeable against the Jaguars, as the Seahawks racked up seven sacks in a dominating defensive performance. As mentioned, Lawrence had two of those sacks, reminding head coach Mike Macdonald of the player he knows him to be.

“That’s the DeMarcus Lawrence that I’m familiar with,” Macdonald told reporters Monday. “He’s a disruptive, violent and decisive player. I’ll tell you what, I’d love to play linebacker behind him. He’s just kicking butt in the rush game. In order to twist and run games, it takes a lot of communication and unselfishness, and our guys did that. D-Law was a huge part of it.”

Seattle currently has 20 sacks on the season, tied for the second-most in the league, and Lawrence has played a large part in that success so far.

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