Happy Thanksgiving from the Seahawks Wire team! While you prepare to feast with your families, we decided it would be fun to compare each traditional thanksgiving food to a player on our beloved Seattle Seahawks. Here are the results:
Turkey - Jaxon Smith-Njigba
While people underrate Smith-Njigba and turkey, both will stand the test of time. They leave no doubt that they’re the heart and soul of the team and plate, respectively. The offense is built around JSN’s versatility as one builds their plate around turkey on Thanksgiving. The team knew what they were doing this offseason and cleared out the wide receiver room to rebuild it around him- the way you start your plate with turkey and work everything else in.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMashed Potatoes - Sam Darnold
Like Darnold, mashed potatoes can be the best part of the plate on a good day- but when made poorly, can fall short of expectations. Some might call it bland, but they’ve just never seen it at its best. When it is, there’s no denying its place as the main vessel for gravy and cranberry juice- aided, of course, by the turkey itself.
Stuffing - Leonard Williams
Obvious metaphors aside, Williams makes you think, “this is really what makes this team special” plenty of times while watching the 2025 Seahawks. You might have turkey or mashed potatoes on another holiday, but stuffing is a rare treat that is more tailored to this one itself. Similarly, other teams have wide receivers and quarterbacks that are great, but can only dream of the rare defensive tackle the Seahawks have.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGravy - Cooper Kupp
Gravy permeates everything, and so does Kupp. His presence has helped elevate JSN to superstardom, as gravy does to turkey. His contributions don’t always tell the story by his lonesome, but more in the margins he helps everyone else achieve. He works with the younger stars in the film room and the practice field and his football IQ alone is worth his contract as it’s ladled over the rest of the plate. Kupp improves the entire team with his veteran leadership the way gravy does the thanksgiving feast.
Cranberry Sauce - AJ Barner
While he doesn’t always get credit among the crowded fray, Barner’s blocking and receiving abilities can’t be appreciated enough. The Seahawks didn’t have to build the offense around him, he just fit right in- the way cranberry sauce does at thanksgiving. Sure, you never know what type of cranberry sauce you’ll get when attending someone else’s thanksgiving dinner- or what type of contribution Barner will put up. But when you see it in action, you’ll be reminded how much of a staple it is.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSweet Potatoes - Devon Witherspoon
While sweet potatoes might not even show up at your Thanksgiving meal every year, they have the potential to be the tastiest part of all when they do. Witherspoon might have missed a few games due to injury, but he brings the rest of the team up tremendously when he plays. While not always available, Witherspoon and sweet potatoes are awesome if and when you do get them.
Green Beans - Drake Thomas
Many will look at green beans among the crowd of dishes and say, “oh, that’s the least important part of this meal. I’ll put it on the side of the plate, I guess.” Many saw Drake Thomas the same way when he stepped into the Seahawks defense. But when he lays violent hits, taking advantage of his role among other stars, you’ll see why he compliments the rest of the team. Thomas has earned his role on the defense the way green beans earn their role on the plate- when you know how to make them good, they’ll surprise people.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHoney-Baked Ham - Tory Horton Jr.
Tory Horton Jr. can never replace JSN, but complements him so well, making you feel you have two dependable wideouts. He’s only put up 161 yards to JSN’s 1,313, but surprisingly, has 5 touchdowns to JSN’s 7. He’ll always be compared to his counterpart, but it’s their pairing that makes Horton special. The Seahawks won’t have Horton this week, and ham isn’t always on the table at thanksgiving dinner- but they supplement the primary pieces so well when they can.
Pumpkin Pie - Nick Emmanwori
When you eat your thanksgiving dinner, you don’t need to save room for dessert- because that slice of pumpkin pie at the end is inevitable, regardless of how full you are. The Seahawks had plenty of playable defensive backs at the nickel position before drafting Emmanwori, but he was just too good to pass up. The defense is now built around him, and gives him freedom to read and react without defining his assignment within the rest of the defense as clearly. Pumpkin pie doesn’t fit into the main plate, but a special spot is reserved for it at the end.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks players described as Thanksgiving dishes
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