Leonard Williams’ first day with the Seahawks is immediately filled with competition

When Leonard Williams was originally introduced to the Seattle Seahawks’ team meeting procedures, he wasn’t asked to give a biography or discuss his background.

During the Wednesday morning meeting, he was requested to participate in a basketball shooting competition. and triumphed.

“He forced me to come up here and compete with some guys on the basketball rim instead of standing me up and making me introduce myself to the team,” Williams remarked. “I like it here because it fosters competition.”

On Wednesday, the newest athlete to join the Seahawks was away from the New York region for his first day of the NFL season. In the midst of his ninth professional season, Williams was dealt to the Pacific Northwest on Monday after playing for the Jets or Giants his entire career.

In an instant, he transformed a squad that was on the verge of double digit defeats into the NFC West leaders, who are off to a 5-2 start and have goals beyond merely making the playoffs.

“Anytime you see the team being aggressive, always trying to improve the roster, always trying; even if we’re doing well, they’re trying to find ways to make the team better,” said Bobby Wagner, a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. Thus, it’s advantageous. We constantly want to succeed, and we’ll stop at nothing to achieve that goal. That strikes me as cool.

Williams came to Seattle in exchange for a 2024 second-round selection and a 2025 fifth-round selection. In comparison to other trades completed prior to the trade deadline, the Seahawks paid a high price, but New York covered the lion’s share of Williams’ contract, leaving Seattle to cover the remaining portion merely with the prorated veteran minimum.

Williams expressed gratitude for the way Giants general manager Joe Schoen kept him and his representatives updated and involved throughout the trade process until the move was completed.

Regarding his 2019 move from the Jets to the Giants, Williams remarked, “I’ve been traded before and it was very abrupt and I kind of had no say or anything like that.”

“In this particular scenario, my general manager approached me and conveyed that he wasn’t trying to trade me, but rather, he was showing me that some teams, like Seattle, were competitive and could potentially advance this year, out of consideration for my experience and current career stage.”

Williams will join Mario Edwards Jr., Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones, and a plethora of edge rushers in Seattle’s deep defensive line group. Against the run, the Seahawks have been among the league’s best this season, allowing less than 100 yards a game and just 3.57 yards per carry.

It seemed to Reed, who gave Williams a tour of the team’s facilities, that Williams was a player who had previously played for the Seahawks and was making a comeback.

He’s a really cool, modest man. Just fits in,” remarked Reed. “To be honest, it seems a little strange, as if he has already been here.”

Pete Carroll, the coach of Seattle, and Williams agreed that it should be easy for Williams to pick up the defensive structure of the team. Williams is expected to play this week when Seattle takes on Baltimore.

There isn’t much room for a transition with a guy like this in particular. Carroll stated, “He’ll be there tomorrow.” He will be well-versed in his field, blend in seamlessly, and comprehend the fundamentals and blocking strategies. As a player, he is great technically. If you can just get him positioned correctly, he will perform great.