Being 12-3 and playing some of the best football in the NFL in 2025 made it inevitable the Seattle Seahawks would be laden with Pro-Bowlers, but a favorite of head coach Mike Macdonald is arguably the biggest snub from the annual all-star game.
It’s beefy defensive tackle Byron Murphy II who should feel aggrieved, according to Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. He wasn’t on the list of Seahawks Pro Bowl selections that featured quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, defensive linemen Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence, along with return ace Rashid Shaheed and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
All of those players are deserving, but Murphy can feel justified in resenting the snub. Especially when his fate was sealed by other players and pro coaches.
Bell pointed out how Murphy, the 16th player drafted a year ago, “led fan voting at defensive tackle.” Yet, Murphy still finds himself omitted from the Pro Bowl because the process for entry involves “combining votes of NFL fans, coaches and players. Each counts one-third toward the final balloting.”
It seems that while fans respect his game, Murphy didn’t get enough love from his peers. Nor from those whose profession it is to build teams and design game-plans.
At least Murphy’s own coach knows his value.
Mike Macdonald Knows Byron Murphy II’s Value
Murphy being left out of the Pro Bowls is a surprise when “Murphy co-leads the Seahawks with seven sacks. That’s third-most in the league for true interior defensive linemen,” per Bell.
Those sacks are reward for Murphy’s growth as a pass-rusher. He’s improved his takeoff and short-area agility, like for this sack against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
More than just numbers, Murphy has become the cornerstone of one of the league’s toughest defenses. As Bell pointed out, Murphy’s “gone from playing less than 50% of Seattle’s defensive snaps as a rookie to an indispensable run-stopper and pass rusher coach Mike Macdonald can rarely afford to take off the field,” according to Bell.
Macdonald hasn’t been shy about talking up Murphy’s ability to dominate the line of scrimmage. That’s a good enough reason to earn anybody Pro Bowl-level accolades, but Murphy must be content with anchoring a defense set to power the Seahawks in the playoffs.
Seahawks Defense Can Still Carry Team
Ironically, it was Darnold, Smith-Nijigba and the offense carrying the load during Week 16’s epic 38-37 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. Yet the defense still stood tall when it mattered, forcing a trio of three-and-outs during the clutch moments of the game.
Those late stands can’t completely mask how the Rams gashed Murphy and Co. for 581 total yards. Fortunately, Macdonald has both the personnel and the innate creative mindset to come up with a few new things for the playoffs.
It’s safe to expect a few more elaborate blitz packages and disguised coverages to make the difference in knockout football. Those things are sure to be welcomed by Witherspoon and do-all safety Nick Emmanwori, who might win his own award, but the Seahawks’ defense will still need the natural anchor Murphy provides.
His ability to disrupt both phases of an offense could yet land the 23-year-old a higher award than participation in any Pro Bowl.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks ‘Indispensable’ Star Denied Pro Bowl by Voting Quirk appeared first on Heavy Sports.