The Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC next week, officially ushering in the first season under new coach Mike Macdonald.
In preparation for the new incoming season, we’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, diving into scheme fits, exploring best and worst case scenarios and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2024 campaign.
Rolling into his 10th NFL season with a new pricy contract in tow, will Leonard Williams be able to play up to heightened expectations in his first full year with the Seahawks?
Background
Following a legendary college career at USC that culminated in a pair of All-American selections, the Jets selected Williams with the sixth pick of the 2015 NFL Draft and though he only produced three sacks in his first season, he finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting. In parts of five seasons with the franchise, he generated 17 sacks and 32 tackles for loss, living up to this draft billing as a disruptive defensive line anchor. He moved from one locker room to another at Metlife Stadium after a midseason trade in 2019 to the Giants, tallying a career-best 11.5 sacks in his first full season with the organization. Dealt again at the deadline last year to the Seahawks, he made an instant impact in the trenches, posting four sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and nine tackles for loss in 10 games, earning himself a three-year, $64.5 million extension in March.
Scheme Fit
Renowned for his positional flexibility since his days starring at USC, the 6-5, 302-pound Williams has played up and down the line of scrimmage throughout his NFL career, playing more than 1,000 career snaps apiece as a 3-tech defensive tackle, 5-tech defensive end, and standup edge defender. Expected to play numerous roles in new coach Mike Macdonald's defense, that versatility will be fully maximized in his first full season with the Seahawks to keep opposing offensive lines on their toes.
Best Case Scenario
Thriving in an aggressive defense where he plays as many as six different positions, Williams gobbles up quarterbacks and running backs from the outset and enjoys one of the finest seasons of his NFL career, hitting eight sacks for only the second time and setting a new personal high with 15 tackles for loss to earn his second Pro Bowl selection.
Worst Case Scenario
Though Williams continues to be a solid starter, he begins to show signs of decline at 30 years of age and as the season unfolds, rookie Byron Murphy II begins to further eat into his snap count, leading to a somewhat underwhelming stat line with 4.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss that creates questions about his fit beyond 2024 at an expensive price tag.
What to Expect in 2024
In terms of sacks and tackles for loss, viewed by many as the most important metrics for assessing the value of defensive linemen, Williams hasn't been one of the more dominant interior defenders in the NFL, as he ranks 10th and 18th among defensive tackles in those categories since 2020. However, his value goes well beyond bringing quarterbacks and running backs down in the backfield, as he has eclipsed 47 pressures in three of the past four seasons and has averaged north of 60 tackles per year in that span.
To put Williams' production in context in his 10-game audition with the Seahawks, his 32 pressures ranked fourth on the team and he achieved the feat on more than 150 fewer snaps than Jarran Reed, Boye Mafe, and Dre'Mont Jones, the only three players ahead of him. He also tallied 13 run stops, nearly double what Jones did on far fewer snaps. Some may perceive his new contract as overpay if he isn't able to get to at least seven or eight sacks, but his impact goes well beyond traditional stats on the box score, and in a system where his versatility will be fully utilized, he should have a great opportunity to pick up where he left off and make the front office look smart for handing him north of $20 million per year.
