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An Eventful Year 2 For Byron Murphy II Means Bigger Goals For Year 3

Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II had a year filled with a lot of big moments on and off the field. 

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Byron Murphy II had quite the year in his second season in the NFL. On the field he saw his production take a huge leap from Year 1, going from 0.5 sacks his rookie year to 7.0 sacks in the regular season and 2.0 sacks in the Seahawks Super Bowl win. He also started and played in all 17 games in the regular season and had 62 tackles and 13 quarterback hits, all increases from his rookie year.

Off the field, Murphy became a father and a husband.

His daughter, who was born prematurely and spent a few months in the hospital before being able to go home, is seven months old and thriving. "She getting big, she's growing a lot," Murphy said. "She's chunky."

And now having a child is something that helps Murphy relate to the other fathers in Seattle's locker room.

"We talk about our kids all the time," he said. "What we go through with the diapers, the milk, and just everything."

He added, "Kids change [your life], so that's one thing I've realized so far, and it taught me a lot about patience."

Murphy also said his vows in style with the Lombardi Trophy present at his wedding. Although it was not the real trophy, it was a gift from his agent.

"He told me he had a gift for me and everything. Cut the box open, and it just happened to be the trophy. I was surprised he threw me for a loop. I wasn't expecting that, and he told me it was the real one. So I'm thinking I got the real one the whole time, so I'm even more turnt at the wedding, but it was a great time. It was a great gift as well."

The Lombardi which represents all the success Murphy and the rest of the team has is a reminder of their hard work but it's also motivation to "run their process forward," as head coach Mike Macdonald has said to emphasize the idea that Seattle won't be "defending champs" or "running it back."

Murphy said, "We accomplished a lot last season, but that's behind us now. We've just got to start back from the bottom to work our way up back to the top."

The idea of running it forward for Murphy means to self-evaluate and then start from square one.

"I feel like we gotta start from scratch," he said. "I feel like we should ask ourselves, what are the things we can improve on as far as what we did last year? How can we build on that? How can [we] just keep going and fix little errors, the little mistakes that we had last year. How can [we] go about that and perfect that and then take it to another level."

It's not an easy feat though to start over.

"It's very challenging," he said. "Last year, when you win a Super Bowl, it feels like you're at the top of the world. So, it is a bit challenging, but, [we] just got to keep reminding ourselves, what do we do to get there, to get to that point? How can we do it again, if not better?"

Personally, Murphy would like to see his production on the field continue to increase.

"Hopefully I can take my game, to a whole other level. I did a lot last year, but I feel like I can get in that [double-digit sack range]. You know, hopefully, shoot for All-Pro."

Macdonald says Murphy has already made huge strides but knows he can elevate his game even more.

"The three-down pass rush plan for him, being able to rush from different spots, taking his pass rush to another level, which I actually thought was really good last year," he said. "But talk about a guy that has a process that he believes in and just does the daily inputs. I think that's where he's probably made the most strides in his game and where he's at right now. I know he had a great practice, looks great. Just keep on doing his thing."

The Seahawks participated in another practice as part of their OTA program on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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