Seattle, WA
Why Seattle Seahawks' Byron Murphy already has insiders raving
All it took was one preseason game for Seattle Seahawks rookie defensive lineman Byron Murphy II to get attention on a national scale.
Insider: Seahawks have an unheralded DB who could break out
Murphy, the Seahawks’ top pick and the first defensive player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft at No. 16 overall out of Texas, had a number of NFL insiders shouting him out early this week after making his on-field debut in Seattle’s 16-3 preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Saturday.
On social media, there was this post from the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah that served as a warning for the Seahawks’ division rivals.
PSA for NFC West teams- You better have a plan for blocking Byron Murphy II. He’s going to be a big problem. Exceptional Quicks, leverage and power.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) August 13, 2024
Then on TV there was Marcus Spears, a former NFL defensive end who now regularly appears on ESPN’s NFL Live, Get Up! and First Take programs.
“Byron Murphy, the defensive lineman for Seattle, was physical. Getting into the backfield, making negative plays, being super active and pushing the pocket into the lap of the quarterback,” Spears said. “… His cat quickness is something that we talked about pre-draft… The ability to stay tight and be strong and dynamic on the interior of the pocket reminds me a lot of what Christian Wilkins did in Miami. It just kept coming to my mind is that is how Christian Wilkins plays. He’s active and always around the football.”
After hearing Spears’ comments, Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus – himself a former NFL wide receiver – used them as a way to explain how the 6-foot, 306-pound Murphy will help the Seahawks’ defense.
“He’s not gonna be the guy like (Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle) Chris Jones, I think, to get 10-plus sacks and wow you like that,” Bumpus said on Tuesday’s edition of Bump and Stacy. “You’re only going to have about two interior defensive linemen a year kind of play to that level. That’s not what you need him to do. You need him to do exactly what Marcus Spears described – get into the backfield and collapse the pocket, because once you have pressure up the middle, now these quarterbacks have to do what? Escape outside. You got Uchenna (Nwosu) waiting on one side, got Boye (Mafe) waiting on the other side. … His job is to create sacks for the other guys. (And) if he ends up getting sacks himself, then good for him.”
Combining Murphy with Macdonald
Next, Bumpus and his co-host Stacy Rost listened to what Mina Kimes had to say on the ESPN airwaves about Murphy, which included a comparison to a player who new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald helped in his previous role as Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator.
“I absolutely loved what I saw out of him,” Kimes said. “The power that he’s able to generate with his lower half, getting low against those double teams, the agility… I’m so curious to see how Mike Macdonald deploys him. You remember Justin Madubuike having his career year last year in Baltimore. I would not be surprised if we see really good production from Byron Murphy II in Year 1 because he seems to have that special talent.”
Bumpus dove further into how Macdonald’s defensive scheme could mean big things with Murphy in the mix.
“When we talk about defensive line, (Macdonald) knows how to maximize them, he knows how to create these matchups and these illusions for the offensive line that allow guys like Byron Murphy to maybe slip through the cracks and cause chaos in the backfield,” Bumpus said. “So when you have a track record of producing one of the best defenses of all-time – like, I don’t think people realize how good that defense was with Baltimore… his experience with these type of players is what really gets me excited about Byron Murphy. Not only Byron Murphy, but (Jarran) Reed, Leonard Williams – I mean, there are a bunch of guys here who can benefit from Mike Macdonald.
“Experience is everything. He knows how to use them and he knows how to coach them up. He’s a linebacker coach at heart so he spends a lot of time with these defensive linemen. I see nothing but good coming from the situation.”
Bump and Stacy airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports. Listen to the full conversation about Byron Murphy II in the middle segment of the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.
More Seattle Seahawks coverage
• A lesser-known Seahawks WR has Michael Bumpus’ attention
• Big Ray: A Seahawks rookie OL ‘jumped off the screen’
• Seahawks hoping addition of center Connor Williams will solidify O-line
• Brock and Salk: What stood out in Seahawks’ preseason win
• Brock: The Seattle Seahawks player who had best preseason opener
Thanks to Carrie Brown for the westward view of our Saturday night sunset. The high today hit 68 at the airport – eight degrees above normal – but nowhere near the record for this date, which was 89 degrees back in 2016. The forecast suggests two more days of partly sunny, almost-70-degree weather, before the chance of rain returns.
CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling New York Mets placed former Seattle Mariners second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right wrist contusion.
Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Robles, Vargas and more
The move was made retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Polanco went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old Polanco is batting .179 (10 for 56) with a homer and two RBIs in his first season with New York, which has lost nine straight.
“When doctors first took a look at him, it looked like he got hit by a pitch when he didn’t,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In talking to him, it was just a couple of swings that he took that night. … He didn’t think much of it, but just got worse the following day.
“So you just got to let it calm down a little bit and then we’ll go from there. But we don’t have a timetable for how long this is going to last.”
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December, also has been dealing with an ankle issue.
“He was trending in the right direction,” Mendoza said of the ankle injury. “It’s definitely going to help, obviously now with him being shut down. But the biggest thing now is that we’ve got to take care of that wrist.”
Polanco spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners, who acquired him in a February 2024 trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco struggled during his first season with Seattle in 2024, hitting just .213 with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury that didn’t become public knowledge until after the season.
But after the Mariners somewhat surprisingly brought him back for a one-year contract in 2025, Polanco rebounded to hit .265 with 26 homers and an .821 OPS in 138 games last season. He then added three homers during Seattle’s playoff run, along with a 15th-inning walkoff single in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years.
Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller to begin rehab assignment
Seattle, WA
Brandon Nimmo hits leadoff homer, Jacob deGrom works 4 scoreless as Rangers beat Seattle Mariners 5-0
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – APRIL 17: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers tags out Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff home run, Jacob deGrom threw four shutout innings and Gavin Collyer earned his first career win as the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Friday night.
Seattle lost its fourth straight game, and was shut out for the fourth time in 21 games, falling to 8-13. The Mariners were shut out six times during the 2025 season. Texas won its third straight game.
Nimmo led off the game with a 372-foot shot to right field off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (1-3). It was Nimmo’s 16th career leadoff homer and second of the season. He also hit a leadoff home run on April 11 in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DeGrom effectively maneuvered through Seattle’s lineup, and worked out of a one out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The two-time Cy Young Award winner recorded two of his three strikeouts after walking Josh Naylor to load the bases. Randy Arozarena fanned on a curveball, and Luke Raley swung through a fastball.
Texas added to its lead after Nimmo’s homer. Wyatt Langford’s single to left scored Corey Seager, who led off the third inning with a double. The Rangers stretched the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single from Jake Burger in the seventh.
The Mariners’ best scoring chance came in the sixth after Collyer (1-0), who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, left the game.
J.P. Crawford singled to left off Tyler Alexander with two out, and Mariners third base coach Carlos Cardoza sent Naylor from second base, but he was thrown out by Langford.
Texas added two more runs in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen and an RBI double by Josh Jung.
Seattle third baseman Brendan Donovan left the game early due to a left hip issue.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who started the year on the injured list with a left oblique injury, was at T-Mobile Park for the first time this season. He will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.
Up next
Mariners RHP George Kirby (2-2, 3.25) will face Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 5.40) on Saturday afternoon.
MORE MARINERS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Padres secure 8th straight win with 5-2 win over Seattle Mariners
Andrés Muñoz blows four-run lead in ninth inning as Seattle Mariners lose 7-6 to Padres
Ballpark Buzz: Mariners finding their offensive rhythm
Xander Bogaerts, Mason Miller lead Padres to 4-1 win over Seattle Mariners
WA grandmother looking for ‘plus one’ to Mariners home games
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
-
Milwaukee, WI36 seconds agoOne person injured following early Sunday morning shooting in Milwaukee
-
Atlanta, GA7 minutes agoPlay Fair ATL kicks off ‘The People’s Cup’ in Candler Park
-
Minneapolis, MN13 minutes agoBetween Minneapolis And Lake Superior Is The ‘Agate Capital Of The World’ With Cozy Charm And A State Park – Islands
-
Indianapolis, IN19 minutes ago1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side
-
Pittsburg, PA25 minutes agoGame #22: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
-
Augusta, GA31 minutes agoWhat is the cheapest city in Georgia to live with a roomate?
-
Washington, D.C37 minutes ago12th Honor Flight Tallahassee returns home from successful trip to Washington D.C.
-
Cleveland, OH43 minutes agoSupercross: Results From Cleveland, OH