Byron Murphy’s work paying off. That’s not why he’s a most thankful Seahawk
Byron Murphy may be the most thankful Seahawk this holiday weekend.
It’s for a blessing far bigger than his team-leading six sacks, or for being a half sack from the NFL’s most for a true defensive tackle.
When The News Tribune talked to Murphy in the locker room in Nashville last weekend minutes after what his coach called his best NFL game yet in Seatte’s 30-24 victory at Tennessee, he smiled talking about his sixth sack.
“I had a sack goal coming into the season,” he said.
“Yeah, I’ve passed it.”
But then he absolutely beamed — like, lit up the entire side of the visiting locker room at Nissan Stadium — when the TNT asked how his six-week-old baby daughter was doing.
“She GREAT!” the 306-pound Murphy said. “She passed 4 pounds!”
The first child of Murphy and fiancee Maya, little Danee’ Azaria Murphy, was born in early October, five days before Murphy had one of the best games of his football life in the Seahawks’ win at Jacksonville.
But baby Danee’ has yet to come home.
She arrived three months premature. She weighed just 2 pounds, 5 ounces. Every moment Murphy hasn’t been practicing or preparing to play Seahawks games the last six weeks, he’s been in the neonatal intensive-care unit at the hospital.
For six weeks, Danee’ has been inside a clear, plastic incubator with wires and tubes coming in and out of her, with machines beeping alarms.
For six weeks, a 23-year-old first-time dad has been inside a NICU and special-care nursery. That’s more harrowing than anything a quarterback or an offense can challenge Murphy with on Sunday.
For six weeks, Byron and Maya have been measuring success not by days and pounds but by hours and ounces.
They recently got their best news yet.
“They say she’s going to be home for the holidays!” Murphy said.
He said it with more enthusiasm and pride than he’s talked about anything since the Seahawks drafted him in the first round out of Texas in the spring of 2024.
“Yeah, man,” Murphy said. “Blessed.”
Byron Murphy’s breakout
Murphy has 11 quarterback hits on top of his six sacks. His 18 pressures are fourth-most in the league for a defensive tackle, his eight QB hurries are second-most.
And it’s not just his pass rush. His run-stopping is making it difficult if not foolish for coach and defensive play caller Mike Macdonald to take Murphy off the field. His 43 tackles are one fewer than 36-year-old Cameron Heyward, the four-time All-Pro for the Pittsburgh Steelers, for most in the league among defensive tackles. “Dad strength,” Seahawks teammate and fellow Dad Jarran Reed said of Murphy.
That was after Murphy had seven pressures and numerous big plays in the Jacksonville game days after his little girl was born.
That Dad strength showed up last weekend on one of Murphy’s more remarkable plays yet.
The Titans had a fourth and 1 late in the first half. The Seahawks led 13-3. Tennessee was trying to get back into the game, with the ball at the Seattle 40. The Titans ran a dive play straight at Murphy. At the snap the big tackle put a swim move so quick and decisive on guard Kevin Zeitler, he made the 14-year veteran look like a rookie. Zeitler went by Murphy onto the ground.
Murphy then stood up not one but two Titans linemen: tackle JC Latham blocking down from outside plus Peter Skoronski. All that happened in maybe 2 seconds. The running back slammed into Murphy then bounced off him into Seahawks tackle Brandon Pili. No gain. Turnovers on downs.
On the sideline, Macdonald roared like he’d just made the tackle.
Seattle then kicked a field goal and eventually pushed its lead to 23-3 after Murphy’s heroic play.
“That was one of Byron’s best games. I thought he was dominant,” Macdonald said after the win that pushed the Seahawks to 8-3 entering their game Sunday against Minnesota (4-7) at Lumen Field (1:05 p.m., FOX television, channel 13 locally).
“The play he made on fourth and short was just an incredible play. He really took on three defenders, set the point of attack.
“And I thought he rushed really well. There’s sometimes where we have to augment our communication with him up front of what we intend to do and how we intend to work together. But he’s playing at really high level right now, and happy to see it.”
Macdonald said he’s happiest to see Murphy have “the production to back up his work ethic.”
Produce and you will play. It’s been a hallmark of Macdonald’s first two seasons as Seahawks coach.
It’s why Murphy played 76% of the defensive snaps at Tennessee last weekend. The week before he played a career-high 88% of the snaps at the Rams.
Macdonald and the Seahawks defense had a goal for 2025 to raise Murphy’s snap count from last season, when he had the performance but not the numbers or the volumes to match his talent and potential. This season, Murphy has basically forced coaches to keep him on the field. He’s played 69% of Seattle’s defensive snaps. That’s up from 49% last season as a rookie.
“I do think his game has stepped up a notch,” Macdonald said. “I think it’s just coming in with more reps and experience and him realizing he can make certain plays. I think he’s moving more decisively and in the pass-rush game.” Murphy’s increased production on Seattle’s at-times dominant, front-four pass rush is why he’s getting more snaps overall.
“He’s earned the right to rush,” defensive coordinator Aden Durde said this week. “He does a huge job to allow us to rush because of the way he plays the run.”
Leonard Williams teaches
The new dad has a big brother.
Leonard Williams spent last year through training camp this summer teaching Murphy the nuances of rushing the passer in the NFL.
The 31-year-old veteran of 11 NFL seasons has been teaching Murphy, the former University of Texas run-stopper, how to read blockers just before the snap for “tells,” hints by the offensive linemen’s alignment that the imminent play is going to be a run or pass.
Once Williams had Murphy correcting and assessing that pre-snap, the Pro Bowl veteran had him change his feet to better take on the coming play.
“I’m trying to teach him how to read pass situations a little bit more, how to change his stance when he does see pass,” Williams said in September. “I think he’s a great run stopper. That’s something that’s shown up since college for him.
“I don’t think I can teach him much in the run game. He can play the double-team (blocks) better than me.
“But in the pass game, I think there’s times earlier in his career he (was) still getting caught in run stances when it was pass.”
Williams said that after Murphy had 1 1/2 sacks of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers in Seattle’s win at Pittsburgh in week two.
In Nashville last weekend, amid blaring music in the locker room and his thankfulness over his baby girl coming home soon, Murphy thought about where he’s come in the year and a half since the Seahawks drafted him.
Dad now has the production to match his effort.
“It shows that hard work pays off,” he said. “I was working on my pass rush this offseason...It’s paying off.
“During the season, week in and week out, the way I approach practices and everything, hard work is paying off.”
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
