The reality of “voluntary” offseason workouts in the NFL is that they’re only voluntary for the established players. The majority of the players on the 90-man offseason roster are just trying to impress the team enough to make the 53-man regular-season roster, and they attend all the offseason workouts because they know they’re going to get cut if they don’t do everything in their power to make a good impression.
But when those veteran, established players with guaranteed contracts who know they won’t get cut choose to participate in voluntary offseason work, that can be a good sign for the culture the team is building. And that’s what Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams says is happening in Seattle’s offseason program.
Williams said that there’s no sign of complacency on the defending Super Bowl champions, and the players who have already proven they belong are the ones showing the young guys what hard work in the offseason is all about.
“I feel like it’s been great,” Williams said, via ESPN. “It’s been great attendance from the leaders, from the older guys. Young guys have been working hard, trying to be sponges of the game and learn as much as possible. To me, I really just see our culture elevate to another level. I feel like last year we started putting the mix together, all the ingredients and all that type of stuff. This year, you really see it boiling and becoming more just of a foundation. To me, the culture is the biggest thing that we need here. Guys are going to come and go . . . I feel like if we have a culture and foundation like that, we’ll always be a winning team.”
That’s the kind of commitment needed in Seattle, where Williams has said there’s a little extra motivation for the defending champions, knowing the division rival Rams are considered the favorites this season. The Seahawks are eager to put in the work it takes to repeat.
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