RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II showed up to work on Monday sporting a different look, having cut off the shoulder-length dreadlocks he'd worn since his college days at Texas.
The new haircut wasn't quite a military-style high-and-tight, but it was short enough to elicit a playful salute from coach Mike Macdonald, the son of a West Point grad.
"I recognized him, but I was pleasantly surprised," Macdonald said. "It looks good."
To hear the way the Seahawks still talk glowingly -- beyond his hair -- about their 2024 first-round pick, it seems they believe his production in Year 2 will also look drastically different. It's not that Murphy had a bad rookie season, but his half sack and two tackles for loss in 14 games was underwhelming for someone Seattle viewed as the best defender in the draft before taking him 16th overall.
If anyone on the Seahawks appears poised for a second-year jump like the ones that Boye Mafe and Derick Hall respectively made in 2023 and '24 -- each after similarly nondescript rookie seasons -- it's Murphy.
"I definitely see growth and confidence in his play," said defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who has been more bullish on Murphy than anyone. "He's taking the next steps that we need him to take. He's taking charge, he's speaking more, he's being more outspoken, he's giving them hell on the offensive line. It's what we like to see."
To be sure, a fair assessment of Murphy's rookie season requires looking beyond the raw numbers. His opportunities to make plays were somewhat limited by his role, as he played some nose tackle and didn't see the field much on third down. He also got hurt. A hamstring injury in Week 3 kept him out for three games, halting his early momentum.
"The thing about Byron that we have to remember was that this guy was having a tremendous training camp last year," Macdonald said of how Murphy was playing before the injury. "That's a tough thing to come back through and play at a high level at the end of your rookie year. Still played at a high level I thought throughout the season, but he felt kind of a different level that he's able to get to, and that's what gave us confidence of what he could become. I think he's doing that again, probably even to another level.
"Being here in the offseason, I think was really helpful for him. I think he'd say that. I think it's evident how hard he worked this summer, coming back in really good shape. He's really becoming the player that we expected and had a vision for him. We've got to go make it happen now."
While evaluating Murphy's rookie year immediately after the season, Macdonald called him a "great technician" for being 22 years old and lauded the toughness he showed while trying to play through a back injury in Week 18. He gave context to Murphy's lack of sack production, noting that it became difficult to find pass-rush reps for him at three-technique because that would mean taking Leonard Williams off the field amid perhaps the best season of his career.
As well as their defense was playing by the end of the season, the Seahawks also didn't create enough pure pass-rushing situations in the first place. According to ESPN Research, their opponents needed just 6.6 yards on average to convert on third down, seventh lowest in the league. Of Murphy's 429 defensive snaps, only 60 came on third down compared to 143 for Reed and 191 for Williams.
The Seahawks might need to again lean on Murphy on early downs, at least at the start of the season, if Johnathan Hankins isn't ready to play right away. The veteran nose tackle remains on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury. But the Seahawks didn't draft Murphy as high as they did just to plug gaps and eat up blocks.
"We have to be more creative to get him on the field, but he'll earn those opportunities and the production will be there in the long run," Macdonald said in January. "I'm convinced of that. This guy's a really good player."
Said Reed: "Wherever we need him, he's going to play it and he's going to dominate. I'm sure of that."
Murphy said the biggest lesson he learned as a rookie was about the importance of studying opposing offensive linemen. Whereas last year he was "playing off instinct," he's now trying to pick up any tell he can find, such as a guard tipping off his assignment based on whether his hand is on the ground pre-snap.
"I feel like where I'm at now mentally-wise, the game has slowed down a lot for me," Murphy said. "So I'm able to pick up things faster, read things faster, read formations and just see my ops out there so I can take them. And also too, body-wise, I'm good, I'm ready to go, I'm fit and I'm ready for the season."
Look good, feel good, play good?
"In my mind, I can see him being [NFL] Defensive Player of the Year," Reed said. "Great guy, man. He works hard, he listens ... he's fast and he's strong as s---. I don't think nobody's going to be able to block him, for real."