The Seattle Seahawks were a prominent team during the 2010s. They won two NFC championships and a Super Bowl, infamously losing another to the New England Patriots on Malcolm Butler‘s last second interception in Super Bowl XLIX. Their roster featured tons of standout players throughout the decade. Let’s take a look at Seattle’s 2010s All-Decade team.
Click here to read the Seattle Seahawks 2010s All-Decade Team: Offense.
Seattle Seahawks 2010s All-Decade Team: Defense
Defensive End: Michael Bennett
Bennett enjoyed three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in Seattle from 2013-2017. In 2015 he registered a career high 10 sacks, and was a consistent force in the run game as well. He brought high energy and high intensity. Bennett’s crowd interaction in Seattle was also impressive, as he could constantly be seen hyping up the “12th Man” after a big play.
Defensive End: Cliff Avril
Avril played in Seattle during the same stretch as Bennett, from 2013-2017. Over those five seasons, he registered 34.5 sacks, including a career high 11.5 in 2016, his sole Pro Bowl season. That season, he also forced five fumbles. In 2015, he recorded an impressive seven pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. He and Bennett together were an effective pass rushing duo, and key parts of the Super Bowl winning team for Seattle.
Defensive Tackle: Brandon Mebane
Though his Seahawks career began in 2007, before the turn of the decade, Mebane still made quite an impact during the 2010s. He had back to back seasons in 2011 and 2012 with 56 tackles, and he was literally a massive part of Seattle’s run defense for many years. He was one of the longest tenured Seahawks in recent memory and was impactful as a pass rusher as well.
Defensive Tackle: Jarran Reed
Reed is still in the prime of his career. In 2018, his third season, he landed a career high 10.5 sacks. Those sacks make him one of only three defensive tackles in franchise history to record a season with double digit sacks. Adding on to that, he registered 24 quarterback hits that season, and ended up as a Pro Bowl snub. Reed’s trajectory is impressive, and only time will tell how the rest of his Seattle career plays out.
Linebacker: Bobby Wagner
Wagner is the NFL’s best linebacker and one of the most complete players the Seahawks have ever fielded at the position, and he is a guaranteed Hall of Famer. He made the NFL’s All Decade team and has been named an All-Pro five times. He has led the NFL in tackles twice, most recently in 2019, with 159. Four defensive touchdowns also stand out on his resume. Wagner is an elite coverage linebacker, an elite run stuffing linebacker and an elite pass rushing linebacker. He will go down as perhaps the second greatest Seahawk when it’s all said and done.
Linebacker: K.J. Wright
Wright has been alongside Wagner for essentially their entire careers. Wagner is the franchise leader in tackles, Wright is third. He was a Pro Bowler in 2016, and one his more impressive stats is his 11 pass deflections in 2019. His jersey will one day be raised in the rafters at CenturyLink Field alongside Wagner’s.
Linebacker: Bruce Irvin
Irvin started on both Super Bowl teams for Seattle. He began his career as a defensive end, but soon moved to a strong side linebacker spot. He was a pass rushing force in the middle of Seattle’s defense, recording 22.5 sacks in his four seasons there. In 2014 he returned two interceptions for a touchdown, one of which was a 49 yarder. Although Irvin is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he has returned to Seattle to play in the 2020 season.
Cornerback: Richard Sherman
Sherman is another no-brainer as one of the founders of Seattle’s Legion of Boom. He had three consecutive All-Pro seasons from 2012-2104. Sherman picked off 20 passes over that three year span. Seattle fans loved him, and opposing fans hated him, mostly because of his brash style and attitude, but also on account of his being better than their favorite receiver. He is one of the NFL’s last true shutdown corners, and will definitely be retired in Canton as a member of the Hall of Fame.
Cornerback: Shaquill Griffin
Griffin is coming off his third NFL season, and his first Pro Bowl nod. He was drafted in 2017, and has made a quick rise to one of the NFL’s promising young corners. He is one of the anchors on Seattle’s current defense, and will continue to make a name for himself in 2020.
Safety: Earl Thomas
Though Sherman may have been the best player in Seattle’s Legion of Boom, Thomas was the heart and soul of it. He played all over the field and was constantly producing highlight reel plays, making it seem like he was in on every tackle. He was an excellent leader and an outstanding ball-hawking safety. Thomas had five consecutive Pro Bowl seasons from 2011-2015, three of which ended up being All-Pro seasons. He is one of the best and most loved players in Seahawks history, and his No. 29 jersey will one day fly at CenturyLink as well.
Safety: Kam Chancellor
If Marshawn Lynch was Beast Mode on offense, Kam Chancellor takes that title for the defense. Chancellor may be the hardest hitter in NFL history. His colossal attacks had the ability to suck all the air out of any stadium. He was a four time Pro Bowler for Seattle, and registered a career high 101 tackles in 2012. Chancellor is one of the most feared players in NFL history, and though his career was short-lived, it was brilliant.
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