Byron Murphy of the Seahawks will return motivated against the Falcons

RENTON, Wash. – Seattle Seahawks rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who will return Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, said he is 100% healthy after sitting out the last three games with a hamstring injury.

“No hesitation,” Seattle’s first-round pick said Thursday. “I’m confident and feeling great.”

That confidence was evident when Murphy was asked about the pre-draft rumors linking him to the Falcons. Atlanta instead took quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick, clearing the way for Seattle to draft Murphy at No. 16.

“I heard Atlanta was going to draft me,” Murphy said. “I've heard rumors about it. But they missed one thing, so that's their fault. This is a big loss for them. You’ll feel me on Sunday.”

Murphy said he had never sat out a game at any level before going down midway through the second quarter of Seattle's win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. He said he felt like he was “playing great” at that point, despite his performance being underwhelming – six tackles, one tackle for loss and half a sack in 88 defensive snaps.

These numbers took into account the fact that he faced double teams on 79.5% of his pass rush snaps. According to TruMedia, this was the highest rate of any central defender in this period. On the play in which he injured his Achilles tendon, Murphy faced a double team in the run game.

“I played on doubles teams in college, so playing on doubles teams here is nothing new for me,” said Murphy, who played at Texas. “But when I play on a double team I feel like I’m doing my job, so it’s not just about the stats. … When I play on a doubles team, everyone else eats. That’s all that’s important to me.”

The Seahawks missed Murphy most in run defense. In the three games he was out – all losses – the defense gave up the fifth-most rushing yards and fourth-highest yards per carry average.

“That’s what I do — I’m a force in the run game,” Murphy said. “Also the passport. But since I’m there in the running game, I’ll help a lot.”