Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was one of the team’s prominent defenders who led them to Super Bowl LX. Murphy had an impressive 2025 season, recording 7.0 sacks, tied for the third-most among all defensive tackles in the NFL.
As a result, can Murphy replicate last season’s success or even exceed that to continue helping the Seahawks be a dominant defense?
During a segment on Seattle Sports’ “Brock and Salk,” Mike Salk and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard both backed the idea that Murphy won’t exceed his production and won’t hit the double-digit sack total this upcoming 2026 season.
Moreover, their prediction doesn’t depend on anything the player does; it’s more about head coach Mike Macdonald and his plan for the pass rush.
“Love me some Byron Murphy, and it’s not any sign of disrespect to think that a large run-stuffing defensive tackle doesn’t get to double-digit sacks,” Salk said on May 12 (h/t Seattle Sports). “I just think there’s so many other guys (on Seattle’s defense). … It’s not one guy.”
Seattle Will Likely Depend on Multiple Pass Rushers Again
Furthermore, Huard also believes the Seahawks’ defense is a collective unit, and the sack total will reflect that, with no one guy claiming the bulk of them. Last season, Seattle leaned on multiple players to get to the quarterback, and it seems that Macdonald will look to replicate that success in 2026.
“This (defense) isn’t one guy hitting 60 home runs,” Huard added. “It’s not one guy that’s getting set up and one guy that you’re creating one-on-ones for. They all get to eat, and it’s the beauty of it and why they did what they did a year ago. It was the volume of all of those guys, the unselfishness of all of those guys.”
Last season with Seattle, Murphy played 783 snaps, leading to a 72.4 overall PFF defensive grade. He would generate 50 total pressures as a pass rusher, including nine sacks, 38 hurries, and three hits. Against the run, Murphy recorded 37 solo tackles.
Seahawks DC Served as a Reason in Dante Fowler Jr. Signing
Recently, the Seahawks signed Dante Fowler Jr. to bolster the team’s pass-rushing depth. Fowler has appeared in 159 games with 58 starts over 10 seasons, totaling 58.5 sacks, including 3.0 last year and 10.5 in 2024.
Furthermore, he’s also recorded 294 total tackles, 74 tackles for loss, 97 quarterback hits, 15 forced fumbles, and 23 passes defensed. One of the reasons Fowler chose to sign with Seattle was because of defensive coordinator Aden Durde.
“Really because of the defensive coordinator, Coach AD,” Fowler said (h/t John Boyle of Seahawks.com). “Me and him have a really great relationship going all the way back to when I was playing with the Falcons, and when we had a really great defense with the Cowboys.
“So just being able to come and play for him again as a defensive coordinator is really cool. I’ve been a fan of Mike Macdonald since he was the defensive coordinator at the Baltimore Ravens, so just to be able to be a part of this defense is really special.
“He knows what he’s talking about, he’s a general, and he makes guys want to run through a wall for him. He knows what it takes, he knows how to push you to where you need to go, and he knows how to get the best out of his players.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Seahawks’ Byron Murphy II Lands Blunt Prediction for 2026 appeared first on HEAVY.