Byron Murphy II More Valuable to Seahawks Than Myles Garrett Trade, Says Dontre Wilson

When the Los Angeles Rams finally landed Myles Garrett, the trade came together without a piece almost everyone assumed would be included: Seattle Seahawks second-year defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. For former Ohio State Buckeyes running back and wide receiver, and briefly a Los Angeles Chargers running back, Dontre Wilson, that omission wasn't a surprise. It was confirmation of something Seahawks fans already believed.

A Blockbuster Deal Built Without Seattle

Garrett's nine-year run in Cleveland ended when the Browns sent the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year to the Rams for pass rusher Jared Verse and a stacked draft haul: a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder. The move closed the book on a Browns career that included 134 games, 412 tackles, 125.5 sacks and an NFL single-season sack record of 23, set in 2025.

General manager Andrew Berry made it clear that the organization never wanted to move on from Garrett, but described the choice as one the front office ultimately felt it had to make for the franchise's future. Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam echoed that sentiment, framing Verse's arrival, along with the accompanying draft capital, as the foundation for the next era of Browns football.

Why the Seahawks Walked Away

Seattle had been floated as a landing spot for Garrett throughout the offseason, but any realistic offer would have meant surrendering either Murphy or fellow cornerback Devon Witherspoon. According to Rob Staton of SeahawksDraftBlog.com, that was a line the front office was never going to cross, and Cleveland may have preferred an edge rusher in return anyway. Once the Rams put Verse on the table, the Browns had the centerpiece they wanted, and Seattle's decision not to bid its own core players away looked less like hesitation and more like organizational conviction.

Wilson: 'We Cannot Get Rid of Byron'

Wilson didn't need convincing. Speaking with LandonBuford.com, he explained that Seattle keeping Murphy out of any Garrett package spoke directly to how central the young defender has become to the Seahawks' identity up front. Garrett, he acknowledged, is a rare, generational talent, but he argued that in the context of Seattle's specific scheme and personnel, Murphy's disruption on early downs may carry even more weight for how the defense actually functions.

"I mean, that just shows you how important he is to that defense, man. That just shows you, we cannot get rid of Byron. We don't care how good Myles Garrett is—he's a once-in-a-lifetime player, you know. But when it comes to our team and our dynamic, he may just be more important than us having Myles Garrett on the outside," Wilson shared with LandonBuford.com. "Byron, he gonna mess up the inside run, he gonna put pressure on the quarterback every play. The center and the guards, they gonna really have to come on with it. It's gonna be a thinking game, because this young brother is gonna run through my chest damn near every play. So it just shows you how important, and how much they value him as a player."

In Wilson's view, that interior pressure is precisely what makes Murphy harder to replace than it might appear on paper. A pass rusher of Garrett's caliber wins from the edge; Murphy, still just entering his third NFL season, is already forcing centers and guards to adjust protections before the snap. For a defense built around collapsing pockets from the inside out, that kind of disruption is not easily substituted, regardless of who else might be available on the trade market.

The Depth Argument

Even with Garrett now anchoring a Rams front that also features Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner and Byron Young, NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah has pushed back on the idea that Los Angeles' line is clearly superior to Seattle's. Seattle's starting group, headlined by Leonard Williams, Murphy, DeMarcus Lawrence and Jarran Reed, still compares favorably, and Daniel Jeremiah has pointed to depth as the real separator between the two rosters.

Jeremiah wrote that Seattle's backups are clearly stronger than the Rams', adding, "depth has been HUGE for the last two SB winners."

You can debate Rams starting DL vs Seahawks starting DL. You can’t debate the backups. Seahawks 2nd unit is much better. Depth has been HUGE for the last 2 SB winners.

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) June 5, 2026

That framing lines up with Wilson's broader point. Garrett may be the most talented individual player involved in the trade, but the Seahawks appear to be betting that a deep, disruptive front, with Murphy at the center of it, gives them a more sustainable path through a long season than adding one dominant name would have.

The Bigger Picture for Seattle

For now, the Garrett trade has reshaped the NFC and AFC hierarchy without touching Seattle's roster at all. Wilson's reaction suggests plenty of Seahawks-connected voices see that as the right outcome. Losing out on a player as accomplished as Garrett stings in the moment, but if Murphy keeps developing the way Seattle's staff expects, the decision to keep him instead of chasing a blockbuster may end up looking like the more important move of the offseason.