Leonard Williams trade signals Seahawks loading up for NFC arms race

Though the cost to land Williams was steep, it was a necessary move for a Seahawks team needing to bolster its pass rush with the loss of Uchenna Nwosu, who had 15 pressures, 10 hurries, four tackles for loss and two sacks in six games, to a season-ending pectoral surgery.

Among DTs with 150 or more snaps, Williams is 11th in QB hits (16) and pass-rush win-rate (12.4%), and he’s tied for 14th in pressures (22), per Pro Football Focus. He ranked second on the Giants in hurries and QB hits, third in pressures and sacks and he even blocked a kick.

Adding Williams to a defensive tackle rotation that also includes Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones gives Seattle three interior defensive linemen with 19 or more pressures and 12 or more hurries this season. 

It also gives the Seahawks a formidable pass rush up the middle as well as on the edge with Boye Mafe (23 pressures, 15 hurries, five sacks), Darrell Taylor (2.5 sacks), Mario Edwards (13 pressures, seven hurries) and Clark.

Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, Detroit’s Jared Goff, San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, Dallas’ Dak Prescott and New Orleans’ Derek Carr are just a few of the quarterbacks the Seattle Seahawks could face in the postseason. In adding Williams (along with Clark), Seattle has closed the gap between itself and the other top teams in the NFC.