When the NFL draft concluded back in April, it was clear what Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider were trying to find.
They didn't seek out players who needed time to develop. They wanted a group that could help from the start.
While it’s been a mixed bag with some surprises and some disappointments, the Seahawks seem to have accomplished their goal. The group may not have the initial flash of some of Seattle’s previous draft classes, but the Seahawks found significant contributors.
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Alton Robinson (98) reacts with teammates after he sacked Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Seattle. (AP PhotoScott Eklund)
“We have gotten really good results from these guys,” Carroll said. “These guys have all factored in and done something to help us win.”
The most notable rookies have been starting weak-side linebacker Jordyn Brooks and guard Damien Lewis, both of whom seem to have starting spots locked up for the future. But the depth of the rookie group has the Seahawks feeling optimistic about the future.
Running back DeeJay Dallas started two games around midseason due to injuries after being pegged as most a third-down option earlier in the season. Defensive end Alton Robinson has four sacks while playing mostly in a reserve role.
Freddie Swain was thought to be a possible training camp cut, but has become vital as a fourth receiver in Seattle’s offensive sets due to a season-long injury to Phillip Dorsett. Swain has 13 receptions and a pair of touchdowns.
“It hasn’t been too big for any of them. They’ve been able to handle it. They’ve responded well. They’ve played well early. They’re growing now. Guys are experienced players for us and contributing,” Carroll said.
“So I think there’s nothing to change us, I think, moving forward from that. The care that we took in the individual guys and who they were in their makeup. It was really important for us.”
Brooks and Lewis have been the stars of the group.
Lewis was deemed a starter from the moment Seattle drafted him in the third round out of LSU. He met those expectations in training camp and has started every game. Should he start Sunday vs. San Francisco, Lewis would be the seventh offensive lineman in team history to start all 16 games as a rookie.
Brooks was Seattle’s surprise pick in the first round, but the value of his selection has increased as the year has progressed. When Bruce Irvin was lost for the year with a knee injury and K.J. Wright shifted to a different position, the Seahawks called on Brooks to step in.
Last week against the Los Angeles Rams was perhaps the best example of Brooks’ impact so far. He played 28 defensive snaps — not even 50% — but still tied for the team lead with eight tackles.
“You can tell at the end of the season is really starting to come into his own. ... He’s only (at the) tip of the iceberg. This kid, he has a lot to give and he’s just getting started,” Seattle defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said.
It hasn’t all been successful. Seattle drafted defensive end Darrell Taylor in the second round expressly to help with its biggest offseason concern, the pass rush.
But Taylor has suffered multiple setbacks after having offseason surgery for a stress fracture in his lower leg and is likely not to play a down this season. Carroll was optimistic a week ago that Taylor could potentially be available in the playoffs, but that tone turned more pessimistic earlier this week.
Still, it's a group Carroll believes has foundational pieces moving ahead.
“We really like this class. If we could do it again, we’d be thrilled,” Carroll said.
NOTES: Seattle signed veteran TE Luke Willson and LB Ray-Ray Armstrong to the practice squad on Wednesday. Willson appeared in five games for Seattle earlier in the season before being released. Willson was signed by Baltimore and appeared in three games for the Ravens before being let go.
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ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Travis Head took off his helmet and gloves, dropped to his knees and planted a kiss on the pitch after posting a century in a fourth consecutive test on his home ground at the Adelaide Oval.
It was trademark “Travball" on Day 3 of the third Ashes cricket test.
The freewheeling Australia batter had a huge reprieve on 99 when he slashed at a Jofra Archer delivery and was dropped by Harry Brook at gully. That was after he fended a Joe Root tweaker into the on-side and took off for a quick single, only to be sent back by batting partner Alex Carey.
He faced eight balls without scoring while on 99, then went for broke and advanced down the pitch and drove the ball back over Root’s head to the long-on boundary to move to 103.
It was his 11th century in 63 tests, and second in five innings since being promoted from No. 5 to open the innings in Perth. That's where his match-winning innings sealed Australia's eight-wicket win to open the series.
By stumps Friday, Head was unbeaten on 142 and his unbroken partnership with fellow South Australian Carey (52) was 122. Australia was 271-4, with a lead of 356.
Brook took two excellent catches in the slips to remove Marnus Labuschagne (13) and Cameron Green (7) off Josh Tongue's bowling, but the one he missed against Head was costly.
The Australians went in to bat after dismissing England for 286 just before lunch, after Ben Stokes and Archer helped cut the first-innings margin to 85 with a record 106-run ninth-wicket stand.
Stokes walked off the field yelling at himself and shaking his head after being bowled for 83 by Mitchell Starc, bringing an end to a defiant, 198-ball innings that dragged his team back into the contest.
After losing the first two tests in Perth and Brisbane and allowing Australia to post 371 in the first innings here, England's chances of keeping the five-test series alive seemed remote when Stokes went to the crease on Day 2 with the total at 71-4.
With England on the verge of collapsing at 168-8, Stokes joined forces with No. 10 Archer to bat out the evening session. The pair resumed Friday with England at 213 for eight, still 158 behind.
Australia wanted to clean up the last two wickets quickly but Stokes and Archer, who took a five-wicket haul when England was bowling, dug in.
Stokes stepped down the wicket to Scott Boland for a driven boundary to bring up the 50 partnership off 89 balls, then raised his half-century with a single off 159 deliveries. It was his slowest 50 in test cricket — his 37th — but vital for his team.
Not long after, Archer took a single off Cummins to reach his first test half-century off 97 balls, bringing England's deficit under 100.
But the innings ended relatively quickly after left-armer Starc bowled Stokes with a delivery from over the wicket that angled back. The Stokes-Archer partnership was the highest ever for the ninth wicket for England at Adelaide.
All that time in the sun had an impact on England's bowling attack, though. Archer, who took five wickets in the first innings, took 0-15 in 10 overs. Stokes, England's highest wicket-taker this year, didn't bowl.
England is capable of chasing a big target in the fourth innings, chasing 370-plus against India twice in the last three years, so Bazball won't be completely dispensed with despite Stokes' stoic first innings.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Australia's Travis Head celebrates after scoring century during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Travis Head kisses the pitch after scoring a century during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Travis Head reacts after scoring 50 runs during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts while batting during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Brydon Carse, left, celebrates with Ben Stokes after dismissing Australia's Jake Weatherald, during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Jofra Archer plays a shot during play on day two of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England batsmen Jofra Archer, right, and Ben Stokes talk during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Ben Stokes bats during play on day three of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
