As the Seahawks rose to prominence under Chuck Knox in the 1980s, a lot of attention went to stars on offense like Curt Warner, Steve Largent and Dave Krieg, and in the defensive secondary like Kenny Easley and Dave Brown. But another key to those teams' success was the defensive line trio of Jacob Green, Jeff Bryant and Joe Nash, who came to be known known as "The Die Hards."

Three decades later, the Seahawks followed a similar script. Star players like Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas III, Kam Chancellor and Bobby Wagner generated a lot of headlines, but once again, a sometimes underrated defensive line helped make it all go, a group that included Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Brandon Mebane.

Bennett, Avril, Mebane, Bryant, Green and Nash are among the best defensive linemen in team history, and as a result, they are all part of the Seahawks Top 50 Players. Also on that list are Cortez Kennedy, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Seahawks Ring of Honor, and Michael Sinclair, a three-time Pro-Bowl selection whose 73.5 career sacks are the second most in franchise history.

Those eight defensive linemen are among the top 50 players in franchise history, a group selected in honor of the Seahawks' upcoming 50^th season. The Top 50 Players were voted on by fans, media members and internal stakeholders. The voting process took place toward the end of the 2024 season, with more than 160 players eligible based on the following criteria:

• Started at least 45 games
• Voted to an AP All-Pro or NFL Pro Bowl team roster
• Won Seahawks Man of the Year or the Steve Largent Award
• Currently leads a career major statistical category, such as most receiving yards in a career
• Part of an iconic moment in Seahawks history

For more information on the defensive linemen selected to the Seahawks Top 50 Players, see the link below to their full bios:

**DE Cliff Avril, 2013-2017:** Signed as a free agent in 2013, Avril, along with Bennett, was a key part of the Seahawks' ability to improve from really good on defense in 2012 to historically great in a Super Bowl winning season. In his first season with the Seahawks, Avril contributed 8.0 sacks and a team-leading six forced fumbles as part of a Seahawks defense that led the NFL in points allowed, takeaways, yards allowed and passing yards allowed. Avril continued to be a key part of the Seahawks defense over the next four seasons, finishing his five-year run in Seattle with 34.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and 88 quarterback hits, and he earned Pro-Bowl honors in 2016 when he had 11.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. Avril's career was unfortunately cut short, however, due to a neck injury early in the 2017 season. Avril was also the team's nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2016.

DE Michael Bennett, 2009, 2013-2017: Bennett signed one day after Avril in free agency, and would spend the next five seasons establishing himself as one of the league's best and most versatile linemen. A three-time Pro-Bowler as a Seahawk, Bennett totaled 39.0 sacks, 69 tackles for loss, 118 quarterback this and seven forced fumbles in his time in Seattle, and he led the Super Bowl winning 2013 team with 8.5 sacks. Bennett also had one of the biggest personalities in team history, which sometimes came through in his sense of humor, and sometimes came through in his passion for social justice issues. Bennett, who was named the team's nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2017, joined forces in retirement with Avril and Doug Baldwin to form Champions of Change.

**DE Jeff Bryant, 1982-1993**: A first-round pick in 1982, Bryant spent his entire 12-year NFL career with the Seahawks, starting 167 games and appearing in 175, totals that rank fifth and sixth in franchise history, respectively. Bryant, who ranks third in Seahawks history with 63 sacks, also finished his career ranked in the top 10 in tackles, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, blocked field goals and blocked extra points. Bryant, the co-winner of the 1992 Steve Largent Award along with Nash, had his best season as part of the standout 1984 defense, recording 14.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception for a unit that also featured Defensive Player of the Year Kenny Easley and Pro-Bowl seasons from Easley, Nash and Dave Brown, and that forced 63 turnovers, the most by an NFL team since the merger.

DE Jacob Green, 1980-1991: Green joined the Seahawks as the 10^th overall pick in the 1980 draft, and over the course of the next 12 seasons, he would go on to establish himself as one of the top players in franchise history. A member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor, he is the franchise's all-time leader in sacks with 115.5. Green was a two-time Pro-Bowl selection who started 176 of 178 games played over 12 seasons in Seattle, giving him the third most starts in franchise history behind Hall of Famers Steve Largent (197) and Walter Jones (180), and the fifth most games played. Green's 28 forced fumbles and 17 fumble recoveries are also franchise records, his 718 tackles rank seventh, and second among defensive linemen, and his four return touchdowns (two interception returns and two fumble returns) are tied for second most. Green is also one of five players in team history with four sacks in a game.

**DT Cortez Kennedy, 1990-2000:** A dominant force who unfortunately played in an era in which the Seahawks had little team success, Kennedy was good enough to stand out even in the years the teams struggled. That was never more evident than in 1992 when, despite the team's 2-14 record, Kennedy was good enough to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors after recording 14.0 sacks, making him one of two players in team history to win that award along with fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame member Kenny Easley. An eight-time Pro-Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro, Kennedy was a member of the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team, and was the recipient of the team's Steve Largent Award in 1996. Kennedy, who went into the Seahawks Ring of Honor in 2006, and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012, died in 2017.

**DT Brandon Mebane, 2007-2015:** A third-round pick in the 2007 draft, Mebane began his career under Mike Holmgren but went on to be a key part of Pete Carroll's best defenses that led the team to two Super Bowls. Mebane spent nine seasons in Seattle, became a fan favorite for his passion for the game and his "Belly Roll" sack celebrations, and he was a valuable leader as a veteran surrounded by young players later in his career. A dependable mainstay on Seattle's defensive line, Mebane played in 16 games in five of his first seven seasons, and started 125 games during his nine seasons in Seattle. From 2012 to 2015, with Mebane as a stout presence, the Seahawks led the league scoring defense for four straight seasons, becoming the only team in the Super Bowl era to pull off that feat.

**NT/DT Joe Nash, 1982-1996:** Joe Nash went from being an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 1982 to an eventual focal point of a strong defensive line in the 1980s, and remained a fixture for an incredible run of 15 seasons. He holds the franchise record for most career games played with 218. In 1984, Nash was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler as the Seahawks won 12 games for first time in team history and made the postseason for the second straight year, making him the first Seattle defensive lineman to make a Pro Bowl. Nash registered seven sacks in 1984 and a career-high nine in 1985. Nash also totaled eight sacks in 1989, when he also posted a career-best 92 combined tackles.

**DE Michael Sinclair, 1992-2001:** A sixth-round pick, Sinclair became one of the franchise's premier pass rushers over an 11-year career in Seattle. A three-time Pro-Bowl selection, Sinclair ranks second in franchise history with 73.5 sacks, and in 1998 he set a franchise record with 16.5 sacks, a total that also led the league that season. Sinclair had at least 12 sacks for three consecutive seasons from 1996-1998, earning Pro-Bowl honors each year while also totaling 15 forced fumbles over that span.