Byron Murphy II's Return Critical For Seattle Seahawks Defense

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is 'optimistic' about rookie first-round pick Byron Murphy II's return to the field in Week 7.

Aug 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) stands on the sideline during the first quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Among a litany of defensive injuries for the Seattle Seahawks, first-round rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II is one the unit is missing the most.

Seattle has lost every game since Murphy sustained a hamstring injury in Week 3 versus the Miami Dolphins. From Weeks 1–3, Murphy ranked 54th in pass-rush snaps among interior defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus, while totaling the 23rd-most pressures (7).

The Seahawks drafted Murphy to bolster their run defense as well. When healthy, Seattle has one of the deepest defensive fronts in the NFL. But when one goes down, what should be a balanced snap distribution begins to become top-heavy.

Before Seattle played the San Francisco 49ers last Thursday, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was optimistic Murphy would return for Week 7. When speaking to reporters on Friday, Macdonald said he’s “hoping” Murphy will be ready to go against the Atlanta Falcons.

“I don’t have a timetable for you, but I’d be optimistic this week, I think,” Macdonald said. “We’ll see, it’s so early right now.”

It’s hard to gauge exactly what not having Murphy has changed for the defense, as he’s been far from the only missing piece the last few weeks. But the run defense has absolutely taken a hit since Murphy stopped suiting up.

In the first three games, Seattle allowed 116.3 rush yards per game, holding opponents under 100 yards twice. Over the latter three, the Seahawks have given up 173 rush yards per game — allowing a season-worst 228 yards in Week 6 to the Niners’ second- and third-string running backs.

With the defensive line deploying various units in different games, Seattle’s gap discipline has been lacking. But that doesn’t summarize the issue.

“It’s not just one thing. If it was just one thing, you’d just be, ‘Okay, we’ll just hit the one-thing button and we’ll get it fixed and that’s it,’” Macdonald said. “But if you do think about just football in general, if you do create explosive plays, either you’re getting beat one-on-one down the field — which right now that’s not happening — or it’s missed tackles at angles. And so, there’s creating lanes where guys can run through your defense unimpeded, which there’s just too many of those right now. So that’s something that we’re going to attack.”

Regardless, an NFL team doesn’t lose three straight games because of one small issue. Getting Murphy back will be a boost, but Macdonald and the Seahawks are aware of the other areas that need to be addressed.

So far, Murphy has appeared to be worth the No. 16 overall pick in this past draft. His return will put the Seahawks one step closer to being back at full strength.