Seahawks 'top option' to replace Boye Mafe is ex-Rams, Cowboys 58.5 sack veteran
Seahawks 'top option' to replace Boye Mafe is ex-Rams, Cowboys 58.5 sack veteran originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Seattle Seahawks addressed a lot of their top needs during the 2026 NFL Draft. In Round 1, they took Jadarian Price to resolve their running back room, and then took Bud Clark in Round 2 to fill their safety room.
Cornerback was addressed with a few additions, as was the interior of the offensive line. There is only one spot that has yet to be filled: outside linebacker.
Seattle has yet to fill the void left by Boye Mafe singing with the Cincinnati Bengals . Their "top option," according to ESPN's Brady Henderson , is former Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams veteran Dante Fowler Jr.
Seahawks' top OLB option is Dante Fowler Jr.
"With the Seahawks having yet to replace Mafe in their outside linebacker rotation, veteran Dante Fowler Jr. - who was coached by defensive coordinator Aden Durde in Atlanta and Dallas - remains one of their top options in free agency," Henderson writes.
The Seahawks need to find more depth in their outside linebacker room to bolster the team's pass rush in 2026.
Seattle's secondary, off-ball linebacker, and defensive line rooms are in a good spot. The only thing missing is another depth piece in the pass rush room.
Fowler, the 10-year veteran who most recently played with the Cowboys in 2025, has 58.5 sacks in his career, with 3.0 last year and 10.5 the year before.
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He began his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars , where he had 14 sacks in three years. He was dealt to the Rams, and Fowler recorded 13.5 sacks for Los Angeles during his two seasons with the team.
Across his lengthy NFL career, the former third-overall pick from 2015 has played in 159 games, recorded one interception (67-yard pick-six), 23 passes defended, 15 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries (two touchdowns), and 58.5 sacks.
He also has 294 career tackles, 97 quarterback hits, and 74 tackles for loss since the 2016 rookie season with the Jaguars.
At this point in the offseason, it's hard to find players as good as Fowler, so he's clearly Seattle's top option for their Mafe replacement.
