Uchenna Nwosu - , seahawks Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-17 | Full transcript (primary source).
Uchenna Nwosu spoke at a press conference for the Seattle Seahawks on September 17, 2026. The conference focused on the team's communication and performance improvements following their recent game.
Transcript
Nwosu: That's a lot of athletes. I am athletes. All right. Should have did that as I was walking up, man. That's my answer.
Nwosu: What would your walk-up music be if you had walk-up music? That's a good one. Maybe some 50-cent mini-man, probably. Yeah, that's a good one right there.
Nwosu: You ever get queued up? No, that's too late now. Maybe when I'm walking out.
Nwosu: What are you looking forward to improving on those from week one to week two? Just getting better at our communication. I feel like late in the game last week, it was a little off a little bit. So definitely just trying to make sure that's right, especially with practice today and all the stuff that we do. So just making sure communication is on point throughout the whole defensive line.
Nwosu: Is that surprising considering just how connected this unit is that communication would be off? Yeah, I think it's not so much that are connected, but at Lumen, it's pretty loud. Communication gets tough sometimes. So just making sure it really dialed into it and just making sure if a guy can't hear you going up to him, let him know, talk before the snap. But things like that.
Nwosu: Is that the stuff that you just remind each other before the snap? Like, hey, watch out for me. Is that what you're talking about? Yeah, definitely. We've got games called. Just making sure we're on the same page. Everybody's rushing together. Make sure everybody just knows what everybody's doing.
Nwosu: You guys know the Cardinals ran a ton of outside zone last week. What's the challenge for you guys on the edge? Yeah, just making sure we set great edges. We know they got great running backs, downhill running backs and outside running backs. So making sure we're great on the edge is strong. Not folding too soon. And just make sure we're sounding our assignments.
Nwosu: Last year, you were coming off a little bit of an injury. And how are you feeling this year? Like, how do you compare yourself to where you were last year right now? Yeah, I feel a lot better. You know, last year going into the season, I wasn't 100% still coming off injuries, you know, was limited. So now, you know, having a full off season to prepare, get my body right, train, I feel good. And I just got to keep working, keep taking care of my body and just making sure I'm prepared to go every week.
Nwosu: How did you feel limited or what did you feel like you were limited in being able to do on the field last year? You know, just trusting myself again. You know, it was my first time, you know, doing anything that year because I didn't do any training camp, you know, I didn't do any OTAs, nothing like that. So just being out there, just trusting my body again, my mind again, just being sure of all the effort I put in in the off season, my recovery. So it was really more of a mental process, I feel like, for me. And then once we got rolling through the season, it kind of picked up a little bit.
Nwosu: Was there anybody who helped you overcome those hurdles or was that kind of inherent? Yeah, the entire Seahawks organization. From the trainers to the coaches to my teammates, you know, they all believed in me and, you know, just told me, just keep trusting my process and, you know, just keep trusting and things will work out.
Nwosu: Okay, for the last couple of years, this defense has had a lot of guys who are, you know, late-round picks, undrafted guys, go from back up to starting roles, whether it's Tyacada, Drake Thomas. What do you think about the way Mike runs the program, allows guys to A, earn those opportunities, and then B, take advantage when they get them? Yeah, the development, the developmental process here is great. You know, it's always been next guy up mentality, and everybody knows that they're a player too away from, you know, becoming a starter or playing a significant role. So everybody prepares like they're going to be a starter. Prime example, Drew. First series, Sam goes out and Drew steps right in and doesn't skip a beat. So that's kind of been the mentality of our team and everybody is that no matter what, you better prepare like you're going to play because you never know when your time's coming.
Nwosu: Your run defense, 30 straight games without allowing 100 yard rusher. How much of that do you think is the commitment to like everybody just doing their job versus guys making great plays here and there? Yeah, definitely. It's a commitment. Like you said, it's also a mindset. You know, when you step on that field, we know we can't let them run the ball. That's always been our mindset. It's always been our number one focus. And then when I'm third down, we get to, you know, have fun. Mike calls up some great plays. You know, rushers can go rush. So we know it's a mindset. We stop them on first down, get them into second and long, and we have an opportunity to do something special and make some big plays.
Nwosu: Is there ever an urge to like sort of do more than your assignment to try to make a play? And I'm like, I hear guys talk about that. So sometimes they get in trouble if they try to do too much. You have to ever fight that urge. As a football player, as a playmaker, you always want to go out there and make plays, but you have to understand that, you know, if you do your job, the play is going to come to you. If you're just simply holding the edge, you know, guys in the middle are just eating the Murph and, you know, Jay Reed and Leo, they're eating up the double teams, and then the ball just bounces right to you and then you get TFL. You know, you don't have to do nothing but your job. So just knowing that you just stay, you know, sound to your assignment, the plays will come to you. And that's something I've learned over my career is not having to do too much. Just do my job and the plays will come.
Nwosu: What Brady just said was what a lot of you guys said three, four years ago when your rush defense wasn't as good here and everyone was trying to do too much. What changed? How did, besides the results, what changed? Um, I don't know. I just, is this the mentality that the coaches just, you know, just harped on every single week? Is this, it's one of our non-negotiables that we talk about is being able to stop the run, doing your job, being violent, and executing and having trust in one another. So that's pretty much been the key to our success in the run game, I feel like.
Nwosu: When you make a great play out there, how much, how often is it about you're being able to read something and anticipate what's coming versus physical, like beating someone physically? Yeah, it's a combination of both. You know, you got looks to own out there that we talk about. When, you know, when the offense gives a certain formation, you know what to expect. So kind of playing ahead of the play, and then just trusting your ability to go out there and make the play. And that kind of goes hand-to-hand.
Nwosu: You mentioned Drew earlier. Has somebody practiced against him all the time? Just how confident are you guys as a defense on what he's going to bring? Yeah, very confident. You know, Drew's been a starter in this league for a long time. He's played a lot of football. He's seen everything out there. So when, you know, Drew's, he's basically a starter, you know, so when he goes out there, we have full confidence in him and what he's done. And the way he prepares is unlike no other. So, you know, Drew has the keys right now, and he's just going to continue to lead us.
Nwosu: You've gotten to play a lot against Jacoby Brissette over the years. Now he's in a new offense. So what are your early impressions of the way that he fits in his skill set with what the floor is asking him to do there? Yeah, Brissette's doing a great job over there. He's very conservative. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Like I said, he's played a lot of football as well. You know, he's seen a lot of different defenses, and he's a vet. So he knows what to do. And he just makes all the right decisions. You know, he's smart. He can throw the ball. He can execute an offense at a high level. So I respect Jacoby and what he's bringing to the table, and it's going to be a great match on Sunday night or Sunday.
Nwosu: How important is it going to be to apply pressure, different looks for him? Does it mention quarterback has been around? Yeah, it's going to be very important to get pressure on them. Any quarterback, you get pressure on them. You know, they start to fold a little bit. So hitting them often and hitting them early is going to be key to this game, making sure we're affecting him as early as possible and getting quick wins and, you know, just making him uncomfortable as possible.
Nwosu: Where is this defense that you guys are 14 and 0 when you win the turnover battle in a Michael Donald? Yeah, we talk about it every day. You know, we try to make it a point in practice to get at least three turnovers every practice. We've got to get that ball because it's not important, that is, to our offense to go down in here and get points and extend leads. When we win the turnover battle, we win the game. So we keep making that a point in emphasis in practice and meeting rooms. And, you know, guys really go out there and make the effort to make it happen in practice.
Nwosu: Kenny, you guys are mostly the same group on the defensive front as you were last year. Dante is the one sort of new face in there. What's, because what do you learn about his game now that you've been around him for a couple months and what does he bring that's maybe unique to that group? Yeah, Teddy brings so much experience. He's been in the league I think 12, 13 years now. So he has a lot of experience. His athleticism is probably the best on the defensive line that we have, honestly. He's so athletic. He can make a lot of different moves and he's just so well seasoned, I guess, is another way to put it. He just offers so much versatility. He can line up in different positions and do a lot of different things. So I'm happy to have Tay on this team and the more he gets comfortable, the more he learns the scheme and the more he plays in practice, he's only going to get better and better.
Nwosu: Anything else? Thank you.
Nwosu: Thank you.
