One unsung Seahawks player is surprisingly turning heads during OTAs

The good news is that every player on the Seattle Seahawks' currently bloated roster showed up to organized team activities (OTAs) at some point over the last two weeks. There were no holdouts or contract drama, partly due to quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf being traded.

There are several injury issues, but these are also pre-training camp practices where there is no contact and no reason to risk players getting hurt. The rookies need OTAs more, and many are doing extremely well so far.

But so is one veteran who has been getting a bunch of first-team reps due to other vets being held out for various reasons. Defensive tackle Brandon Pili was a late-season addition in 2024 after moving on from the Miami Dolphins. He didn't appear in any games for Seattle last year.

Brandon Pili could steal a roster spot on the Seahawks' defensive line this season

That might change in 2025, though. Not only does the interior lineman have the size at 6'3" and 320 pounds to earn a rotational spot, especially on run downs, but he also has good strength.

Pili was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2023, and over most of two seasons with Miami, he was involved in just 98 snaps. 65 of those were run plays. He did have a couple of quarterback pressures, but he had four run stuffs, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

He didn't receive overly high grades from PFF, but he also did not play very much. With more experience and more opportunity to play, Pili might turn himself into a long-time NFL player who excels on obvious run downs.

The issue for Pili is what happens when other players presumed to be roster locks begin getting more reps in training camp. Jarran Reed is certainly going to start along the interior of the D-line, and he was given time off during OTAs.

Veteran Jonathan Hankins was recently signed back to the team, and he was also allowed to rest in OTAs. There is no reason to think Hankins won't take on a spot on the active 53-man roster.

Second-year player Byron Murphy II is obviously going to be on the team, and he could see an uptick in his reps in 2025.

Pili's stiffest competition for earning a deep roster spot might come from former Michigan Wolverines player Mike Morris. Morris played one year in Ann Arbor under current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator for Michigan.

Morris has struggled to stay healthy, though, and that might leave the proverbial door open to steal a spot. As effective as he has been in OTAs so far, Pili might become a staple in the Seahawks' run defense rotation.