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.
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The Seattle Mariners added depth at catcher by acquiring 29-year-old Jhonny Pereda from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.
In a corresponding move, the Mariners designated right-handed reliever Jackson Kowar for assignment to clear space on their 40-man roster.
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Pereda joins free agent addition Andrew Knizner as potential backup catcher options for Seattle behind Cal Raleigh. The Mariners signed the 30-year-old Knizner to a one-year contract in December.
Pereda made his MLB debut in April 2024 with the Miami Marlins and spent the 2025 season with the Athletics and Minnesota Twins. The Venezuelan native has appeared in 48 career MLB games, slashing .241/.299/.296 with six doubles.
Pereda was designated for assignment by the Twins last Friday. He has one minor league option remaining.
Kowar, 29, was acquired by the Mariners as part of the December 2023 trade that sent outfielder Jarred Kelenic to the Atlanta Braves.
Kowar missed the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent last season hopping between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. He made 15 relief appearances with the Mariners last year, posting a 4.24 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks in 17 innings after being activated from the injured list in late May.
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SEATTLE – We start off dry on Tuesday, then the chance of showers returns this evening. We have been dry for 14 days now with zero measurable rainfall at SEA Airport. Late Tuesday into Wednesday we could see potential freezing rain at the passes. Winds will be gusty at times Tuesday from the east, then switch to more westerly winds by Wednesday.
We start off dry on Tuesday, then the chance of showers returns this evening.
What’s next:
We will see mostly cloudy skies Tuesday with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s, with showers returning by the late evening hours.
We will see mostly cloudy skies Tuesday with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s.
A few showers will start to move in later Tuesday, with snowflakes or freezing rain into early Wednesday.
A few showers will start to move in later Tuesday, with snowflakes or freezing rain into early Wednesday.
Winds are forecasted to pick up Wednesday as our next system starts to roll through. Strongest winds will be along the coast and north interior.
Winds are forecasted to pick up Wednesday as our next system starts to roll through. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Shower chances continue through the rest of the week with milder afternoon temperatures. Snow levels will also be high through Friday, reaching 6000 to 7000ft. Forecast is looking a little drier for the weekend, with a few sprinkles still in the forecast for now.
Shower chances continue through the rest of the week with milder afternoon temperatures.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
Over the past month, Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has seemingly struck the right balance between attacking downhill and taking the yardage in front of him, while still mixing in the tantalizing elusiveness and explosion that makes him such a dangerous home-run threat.
It’s resulted in the best stretch of his career.
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And it was on display again in Sunday night’s NFC Championship, as Walker totaled 111 yards from scrimmage to help Seattle advance to the Super Bowl with a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Walker rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while adding four catches for 49 yards. And he did so while taking on the bulk of the workload in the Seahawks’ first game since second-leading rusher Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending torn ACL.
“I thought Ken Walker was outstanding last night, considering he was being hit in the backfield (on some plays) almost as soon as he was handed the ball,” Bob Stelton said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “He was driving the pile. The legs were churning.
“It just really felt like he set a tone,” Stelton added. “He ran with an attitude. And it was really cool to see that, because they needed it.”
Kenneth Walker III TOUCHDOWN. Seattle starts fast.
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/iH8SOGpK5o— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026
Walker set that tone on the Seahawks’ opening drive, turning a potential loss of yardage into a hard-fought 4-yard gain while bulldozing his way to the Rams’ 2-yard line. Then, on the ensuing third-and-goal play, Walker showcased his spectacular explosion by bouncing outside and racing around the edge for a 2-yard TD to put Seattle on the board.
Walker really dazzled on the next possession, when he led the Seahawks on a field-goal drive with an impressive three-play sequence. It began with Walker bursting through a hole for an 8-yard gain. On the next play, he unleashed a jaw-dropping juke on linebacker Omar Speights for another 8-yard gain. And he followed that by taking a screen pass for 14 more yards.
“That juke he put on Omar Speights, that was amazing,” Stelton said. “… He had the defender grabbing at air.”
This was nasty by Kenneth Walker III
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9V7pJ3DQCd— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026
During a third-quarter touchdown drive, Walker had another tough, physical run where he pushed the pile an extra 5 yards for an 11-yard gain.
And in the game’s closing minutes, Walker kickstarted a pivotal clock-chewing drive by catching a short pass in the flat and eluding three defenders on his way to a 15-yard gain.
“He had a lot of great runs,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during his Monday afternoon press conference. “He really did. And talk about hidden yardage within that game, he’s responsible for a lot of those hidden yards.
“I mean, we’d like to block him a little bit better at points. But when you have a guy like K9, he can make it right for you, so that was awesome.”
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