Byron Murphy is blossoming in the middle of the Seahawks' defense (and at just the right time)

RENTON, Wash. -- By the time Byron Murphy II wrapped up his college career at Texas, the defensive lineman found the game had started to slow down for him.

Murphy dominated as a junior, racking up five sacks in 14 games en route to being named a second-team All-American. After Murphy's tenure with the Longhorns concluded, the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Now seven games into his third NFL season, Murphy can hardly tell the difference between the college ranks and the pros.

"It's starting to feel like college days," he said last week. "Once the game is slowing down, it's like now I'm not thinking about nothing. I'm just going. I'm just being me. I'm just being Byron Murphy."

After tying for the team lead in sacks a season ago with seven, Murphy has three through seven games, tied with three teammates for most. His 21 pressures trail Leonard Williams by one for pole position, according to PFF via TruMedia. Murphy already has five tackles for loss, too, two shy of his career high.

As much as Murphy's stats pop off the page, defensive coordinator Aden Durde has also seen the 24-year-old's understanding of Seattle's scheme improve significantly since his rookie year.

"In this defense, you're not always in the same spot, so it's not like you're studying one player and, 'I'm going to play this player, and I know how he sets,'" Durde said. "He's going to be playing (against) three, maybe four different players throughout the game.

"Knowing how to deal in those moments, that's him learning. That's an experience that he's gained over the last two years, and it's coming to fruition now."

The 6-foot, 306-pound Murphy's athleticism is a separator as well, helping him play "dominant football," as coach Mike Macdonald put it. In part because Murphy is somewhat undersized for an interior lineman, he frequently wins one-on-one battles, which has a trickle-down effect on Seattle's defense.

During Sunday night's 20-3 dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs, in which the Seahawks held former Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III to 36 yards on 14 carries, Murphy logged only three tackles for the second consecutive week.

But he helped put linebackers Ernest Jones IV and Tyrice Knight, who combined for 17 tackles, in prime position to stifle Walker.

"It starts with Murph," Macdonald said. "I think the cool thing is the guys know it, too. They can see how well he's playing. I hope everybody else sees it as well."

Murphy certainly hopes general manager John Schneider and the rest of the Seahawks' front office will also take notice. As a first-round pick, his contract includes a fifth-year option for 2028 (the team must decide whether to exercise it by May 2027). He will also be eligible for an extension after the 2026 season ends, as all players are after three NFL seasons.

Schneider has rarely dished out the dough to players who have multiple years remaining on their contracts, but this offseason, he did so for both of Seattle's 2023 first-round picks: wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon. The Seahawks exercised the fifth-year option for both players, then signed both to contracts that reset the market at their respective positions.

Schneider also broke from his track record by paying Williams, at age 32, top-five money at his position on a three-year extension in August.

Even with that huge investment already made at the position, fellow defensive tackle Jarran Reed believes the Seahawks should lock up Murphy for the foreseeable future.

"You don't let someone like Byron walk out the door," Reed said. "He's like a generational-type player."

Elite interior defensive linemen are commanding hefty salaries, too. Since March, seven of them have signed extensions worth at least $26 million annually, including Williams at $30 million. Murphy's taking his play to another level couldn't be more timely as it pertains to his financial future, especially considering the Seahawks' new owners have demonstrated a willingness to open up their wallets.

NFL owners voted unanimously on Aug. 26 to approve the sale of the Seahawks to Vinod and Neeru Khosla for a league-record $9.612 billion. Williams landed his contract, which should allow him to retire as a Seahawk, a day later. Witherspoon's deal came 11 days earlier, just over a month after the Khoslas agreed to purchase the team.

The Khoslas have publicly shared their commitment to keeping the Seahawks Super Bowl contenders, and in the very early stages, the finances have backed up their intentions. Could they open the cash budget in a way that previous owners Paul and Jody Allen rarely did?

The Seahawks were 26th in cash spending from 2015 to 2024. Last year, they ranked 29th in total cash spending at $253.6 million, which was 9.2 percent under the cap, according to Over the Cap. This year, Seattle is third at $372.9 million, which is 25.9 percent over the cap and a 43 percent jump in total cash spending from last year. The team is also on track for large figures in future years.

"Our approach is generally going to be long-term focused," Vinod Khosla said in August. "That's our inclination always. So keep winning, take a long-term approach, and learn a lot."

Three years into Murphy's tenure in the Emerald City, the Seahawks have learned their stout defense benefits greatly from his presence. Murphy's self-assurance has only grown since last season, when he burst onto the scene following a relatively quiet rookie year.

With Murphy in the middle, Seattle's defense has, according to some advanced analytics, been more effective than last season, when it yielded the fewest points per game in the league.

The Seahawks rank second in expected points added on defense (62.92) this season, per TruMedia, and are on track to compile a higher overall figure than last season (125.58, which led the NFL). Only four teams have allowed fewer points than the Seahawks, and 47 of the 125 points Seattle has allowed have come off turnovers.

As the Seahawks near the halfway point in the season, their defense is as stingy as a season ago. That's thanks in no small part to Murphy, who is a bit short in stature for the position but hardly lacks in confidence these days.

"I feel great about my play," Murphy said. "I feel like I'm going in the right direction so far. Everything is looking good so far. Everything is set up for me to get the stats I want to reach my goals. So, all I got to do is just keep doing me."

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.